Medically Significant Bites by “Colubrid” Snakes - "Venomous" Bites from Non-Venomous Snakes - page 83

(C)
Plate 4.21 ( Continued )
(C) Minor local effects from a bite by Enhydris plumbea , Thailand. Bite inflicted by the
specimen shown in Plate 4.21A.
Plate 4.21A and C, photos copyright to David A. Warrell; Plate 4.21B, photo copyright to
Laura Hermann.
Plate 4.22 Minor local effects of a bite by the broad-banded South American water
snake ( Helicops angulatus ). As in the minor bite pictured here, many “rear-fanged” colubroid
snakes inflict bites that cause minor puncture wounds, lacerations, brief bleeding, locally
reactive (minor) edema, and erythema. Tetanus prophylaxis should be considered in all cases
of colubroid bites. Although the tetanus bacterium, Clostridium tetani , is uncommonly found
in the ophidian oropharynx, wound contamination, and possible bacterial inoculation of the
ophidian oral cavity via prey ingestion constitute a risk for tetanus.
Photo copyright to Zoltan Takács.