Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
mild-to-moderate local effects—including a discharging wound—formal medical
review, official verification, and documentation were clearly needed. The author
recognized this and expressed regret for not seeking medical attention. In contrast
with the assumptive assertions of some Internet contributors, to date there are no
data supporting clinical similarity between medically significant bites from
D. typus
and
Thrasops
spp. There is only a single well-documented case of a medically sig-
nificant bite from a
Thrasops
spp. (
T. flavigularis
, Table 4.1; Section 4.3), and it
featured only local effects (Table 4.1; Section 4.3). Significant bites from
D. typus
and
Thelotornis
occasionally include moderate local effects, but these are most fre-
quently followed by an unmistakable systemic disease featuring life-threatening con-
sumptive coagulopathy/bleeding (Table 4.1; Section 4.3). However, as described in
Section 4.3, there are data describing transcripts in
T. jacksoni
that may encode com-
ponents (e.g., proteases, possibly disintegrins, procoagulants) similar to those of haz-
ard level 1 dispholidines such as
D. typus
(Table 4.2). Therefore, any significant bite
from a
Thrasops
spp. should be reviewed by a physician, the identity of the snake
should be confirmed by an independent qualified person in a recognized institution,
and the case (including laboratory test results) should be formally documented and
subjected to qualified peer-review in an appropriate journal.
Case 3. Mangrove Snake,
Boiga dendrophila
Websites
Features of Case
Victim posted a series of photos purporting to show the result of a bite inflicted on
the right thumb by a 4-foot
B. dendrophila
. The victim stated that he was bitten
while attempting to administer “medication” (details were unspecified) to the speci-
men via oral tube. The photos initially illustrate several bleeding punctures, and pho-
tos reportedly taken the next day feature erythema, edema (involving the thenar area
as well as expanding to the dorsum and palmar aspects of the hand), ecchymoses,
and sero-sanguinous discharge from a blister that formed in the presumed wound
site. Described also were swollen glands in the right “armpit” accompanied by
“almost unbearable” pain and “slight numbness on the right side of the face.” The
