Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
Plate 4.64
Blue or common krait (
Bungarus caeruleus
), India.
These secretive
semifossorial elapids often search for prey (e.g., other snakes, small mammals) inside human
dwellings. In the Indian subcontinent, these snakes are an important cause of life-threatening
snakebites. Victims may be bitten while asleep, an epidemiological feature in common with
that of some bites inflicted by brown tree snakes (
Boiga irregularis
) on Guam.
Photo copyright to David A. Warrell.
of 16.40 fatalities/10 years from venomous snakebites in Burdwan District of West
Bengal (Hati et al., 1992). The authors emphasized the need for increased awareness
among medical professionals of the difference between nonvenomous and venomous
snakebites in order to avoid the inappropriate use of antivenom. They noted also the
significant role of fear in most presented cases of snakebite inflicted by any species
(Saha and Hati, 1998; see Section 4.5). The effects of fear were also described by the
perceptive Frank Wall (1913) who described several cases of prolonged stupor or even
death following bites by checkered keel-backs,
Xenochrophis
(
Tropidonotus
Boulenger
1896)
piscator
Schneider, 1799 (
Plate 4.65
), wolf snakes,
L. aulicus
, and several spe-
cies of unidentified lizards, all presumed to be harmless. The survey by Sata and Hati
(1998) suggests that the non-front-fanged colubroid snakes included in the study pro-
duced medically insignificant bites. This is concordant with the anecdotal information
regarding these species, as there are no formally well-documented cases involving
these taxa (e.g.,
C. rhynchops
;
Table 4.1
).
4.1.1.3 Bangladesh
In Chittagong, 534 patients out of 884 who had been bitten by snakes developed no
systemic envenoming and negligible or no local envenoming (Harris et al., 2010).
Their average age was 26.4 years, and more than 95% had been bitten on the lower
limbs. The incidence of nonenvenomed bites increased during the hot dry period
of April and May to peak during the monsoon period of May-July. Thereafter, the
