Aim: Snake envenomation is a major cause of death and disability in the developing countries, particularly in South East Asia. Since 1894, commercial snake venom antiserum developed by Calmette is the only specific treatment available for snake bite. The use of plants against the effects of snakes bite has been long recognized; more scientific attention has been given since last 20 years (Santo...

Snake bites are an endemic public health problem in Iran, both in rural and urban area. Viper venom as a hemolytic biochemical "cocktail" of toxins, primarily cause to the systemic alteration of blood cells. In the sixties and seventies, human erythrocytes were extensively studied, but the mechanical and chemical stresses commonly exerted on red blood cells continue to attract interest of scien...

Russell's viper bites are potentially fatal from severe bleeding, renal failure and capillary leakage. Snake venom metalloproteinases (SVMPs) are attributed to these effects. In addition to specific antivenom therapy, endogenous inhibitors from snakes are of interest in studies of new treatment modalities for neutralization of the effect of toxins. Two major snake venom metalloproteinases (SVMP...

BACKGROUND Snake bite causes greater mortality than most of the other neglected tropical diseases. Snake antivenom, although effective in minimizing mortality in developed countries, is not equally so in developing countries due to its poor availability in remote snake infested areas as, and when, required. An alternative approach in this direction could be taken by making orally deliverable po...

Envenomous viper snakes are not natural inhabitants of Istanbul, Turkey. The city is crowded and lacks an appropriate area for wild life. Viper mostly found in southern middle rural Anatolia To our knowledge, bites have been reported urban previously. Here, we report a envenomous snakebite case, treated with polyvalent antivenom successfully. snake was identified as Vipera Pontica, by the Natio...

In Slovak Republic and the region of Central and Eastern Europe the viper is the only species of venomous snake living in wild. During the last nine observed years (1993-2002) the Toxicological Information Center (TIC) was consulted in 81 cases of individuals attacked by snakes. 51 of these cases were by viper, rattlesnake 6, and green mamba once. 23 cases were by non-venomous snakes; adder 22 ...

BACKGROUND The spider family Sicariidae includes two genera, Sicarius and Loxosceles. Bites by Sicarius are uncommon in humans and, in Brazil, a single report is known of a 17-year old man bitten by a Sicarius species that developed a necrotic lesion similar to that caused by Loxosceles. Envenomation by Loxosceles spiders can result in dermonecrosis and severe ulceration. Sicarius and Loxoscele...

A serine proteinase with thrombin-like activity was isolated from the venom of the Central American pit viper Bothrops asper. Isolation was performed by a combination of affinity chromatography on aminobenzamidine-Sepharose and ion-exchange chromatography on DEAE-Sepharose. The enzyme accounts for approximately 0.13% of the venom dry weight and has a molecular mass of 32 kDa as determined by SD...