Envenoming by the common krait (Bungarus caeruleus) and Sri lankan cobra (Naja naja naja): Efficacy and complications of therapy with haffkine antivenom

Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

Volumn 84, Issue 2, 1990, Pages 301-308

  Theakston, R D G ^a   Phillips, R E ^b   Warrell, D A ^a,b   Galagedera, Yamuna ^c   Abeysekera, D T D J ^c   Dissanayaka, P ^c   de Silva, A ^d   Aloysius, D J ^e  

^a LIVERPOOL SCHOOL OF TROPICAL MEDICINE   (United Kingdom)

^b UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD   (United Kingdom)

^c Anuradhapura General Hospital   (Sri Lanka)

^d Tropical Medicine ^*  (Sri Lanka)

^e Galkissa Clinic ^*  (Sri Lanka)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

SNAKE VENOM ANTISERUM;

ADULT; ARTICLE; CASE REPORT; HUMAN; INTRAVENOUS DRUG ADMINISTRATION; NECROSIS; NEUROTOXICITY; PRIORITY JOURNAL; REPTILE; SNAKEBITE;

ADULT; ANAPHYLAXIS; ANIMAL; ANTIVENINS; CASE REPORT; COBRA VENOMS; ELAPID VENOMS; FEMALE; HUMAN; MALE; SNAKE BITES; SRI LANKA; SUPPORT, NON-U.S. GOV'T; TIME FACTORS;

BUNGARUS CAERULEUS; ELAPIDAE; NAJA; NAJA NAJA NAJA; REPTILIA; SERPENTES; VIPERINAE;

EID: 0025352223     PISSN: 00359203     EISSN: 18783503     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/0035-9203(90)90297-R     Document Type: Article

References (47)

1. Ahuja, M. L. & Singh, G. (1954). Snake bite in India. Indian Journal of Medical Research, 42, 662–686.
2. Banerjee, R. N., Sahni, A. L. & Chacko, K. A. (1972). Neostigmine in the treatment of Elapidae bites. Journal of the Association of Physicians of India, 20, 503–509.
3. D’Abreu, A.R. (1939). Poisoning by toe from Btmgarus caeruleus with recovery. Indian Medical Gazette, 74, 94–95.
4. De Silva, A. (1981). Snake bites in Anuradhapura District. The Snake, 13, 117–130.
5. De Silva, A. (1987a). Ecological notes on Bungarus ceylonicus Gunther, 1864. The Snake, 19, 59–66.
6. De Silva, A. (1987b). Some epidemiological and clinical aspects of Btmgarus caeruleus bite. Proceedings of the Kandy Society of Medicine, 10, 113–115.
7. De Silva, A. (1987c). Indigenous snake bite physicians and their management of snake bite in Sri Lanka. In: Ayurveda Sameekshavia, Ponnamperuma, A. (editor). Colombo: Ministry of Indigenous Medicine, pp. 102– 106.
8. Fayrer, J. (1869). Deaths from snake bites; a trial, condensed from the sessions report. Indian Medical Gazette, 4, 156–157.
9. Fayrer, J. (1872). The Thanatophidia of India, being a Description of the Venomous Snakes of the Indian Peninsula, with an Account of the Influence of their Poison on Life and a Series of Experiments, 1st edition. London: J. & A. Churchill.
10. Fernando, P. & Dias, S. (1982). A case report. Indian krait bite poisoning. Ceylon Medical Journal, 27, 39–41.
11. Gharpurey, K. G. (1935). The Snakes of India, 1st edition. Bombay: The Popular Book Depot.
12. Green, E. E. (1908). Note on the death of a cooly from snake bite. Spolia Zeylanica, 5, 103.
13. Guinness (1989). Reptiles Reptilia. In: The Guinness Book of Records. London: Guinness Superlatives, pp. 33–35.
14. Haast, W. E. & Winer, M. L. (1955). Complete and spontaneous recovery from the bite of a blue krait snake (Btmgarus caeruleus). American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 4, 1135.
15. Harris, J. B., Johnson, M. A. & MacDonell, C. A. (1980). Muscle necrosis induced by some presynaptically active neurotoxins. In: Natural Toxins, Eaker, D. & Wad- strom, T. (editors). Oxford: Pergamon Press, pp. 569–578.
16. Hati, A. K., Saha, S. G., Banerjee, D., Banerjee, S. & Panda, D. (1988). Clinical features of poisoning by common kraits and treatment with polyvalent antivenom. The Snake, 20, 140–143.
17. Ho, M., Warrell, M. J., Warrell, D. A., Bidwell, D. & Voller, A. (1986). A critical reappraisal of the use of ELISA in the study of snake bite. Toxicon, 24, 211–221.
18. Iddon, D., Theakston, R. D. G. & Ownby, C. L. (1987). A study of the pathogenesis of local skin necrosis induced by Naja nigricollis (spitting cobra) venom using simple histological staining techniques. Toxicon, 25, 665–672.
19. James, R. F. (1985). Snake bite in pregnancy. Lancet, ii, 731.
20. Karalliedde, L. D. & Sanmuganathan, P. S. (1988). Respiratory failure following envenomation. Anaethe- sia, 43, 753–754.
21. Karunaratne, K. E. De S. & Anandadas, J. A. (1973). The use of antivenom in snake bite poisoning. Ceylon Medical Journal, 18, 37–43.
22. Kuo, T. P. & Wu, C. S. (1972). Clinico-pathological studies on snake bites in Taiwan. The Snake, 4, 1–22.
23. Long, A. (1884). Fatal case of poisoning by Bungarus caeruleus. British Medical Journal, 1, 407–408.
24. Looareesuwan, S., Viravan, C. & Warrell, D. A. (1988). Factors contributing to fatal snake bite in the rural tropics: analysis of 46 cases in Thailand. Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 82, 930–934.
25. Minton, S. A. (1966). A contribution to the herpetology of West Pakistan. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, 134, 27–184.
26. Pawar, D. K. & Singh, H. (1987). Elapid snake bite. British Journal of Anaesthesia, 59, 385–387.
27. Phillips, R. E., Theakston, R. D. G., Warrell, D. A., Galigedara, Y., Abeysekera, D. T. D. J., Dissank- ayaka, P., Hutton, R. A. & Aloysius, D. J. (1988). Paralysis, rhabdomyolysis and haemolysis caused by bites of Russell’s viper (Vipera russelli pulchella) in Sri Lanka: failure of Indian (Haffkine) antivenom. Quarterly Journal of Medicine, 68, 691–716.
28. Pochanugool, C., Limthongkul, S. & Mcemano, K. (1987). Clinical features of 37 non-antivenin treated neurotoxic snake bite patients. In: Progress in Venom and Toxin Research, Gopalakrishnakone, P. & Tan, C. K. (editors). Singapore: Faculty of Medicine, National University, pp. 46–51.
29. Ponnambalam, C. (1939). Notes on a fatal case of krait poisoning. Ceylon Journal of Science, 5, 37–38.
30. Ramakrishnan, M. R., Sankaran, K., Gupta, G. D. & Chandrasekar, S. (1975). External ophthalmoplegia in Elapidae bites and its response to neostigmine. Neurology India, 23, 109–110.
31. Reid, H. A. (1964). Cobra bites. British Medical Journal, ii, 540–545.
32. Saini, R. K., Singh, S., Sharma, S., Rampal, V., Manhas, A. S. & Gupta, V. K. (1986). Snake bite poisoning presenting as early morning neuroparalytic syndrome in jhuggi dwellers. Journal of the Association of Physicians of India, 34, 415–417.
33. Sawai, Y., Toriba, M., Itokawa, H., De Silva, A., Perera G. L. S. & Kottergoda, M. B. (1984). Study on deaths due to snake bite in Anuradhapura district, Sri Lanka. The Snake, 16, 7–15.
34. Sethi, P. K. & Rastogi, J. K. (1981). Neurological aspects of ophitoxemia (Indian krait)-a clinico-electromyo- graphic study. Indian Journal of Medicine, 73, 269–276.
35. Summers, B. A. & Harris, J. B. (1987). Myotoxic effects of krait venom. Meeting of the Association of British Neurology, Newcastle, April 1987, proceedings, p. 3.
36. Theakston, R. D. G., Lloyd-Jones, M. J. & Reid, H. A. (1977). Micro-ELISA for detecting and assaying snake venom and venom antibody. Lancet, ii, 639–641.
37. Trishnananda, M., Yongchaiyudha, S. & Chayodom, V. (1978). Clinical observations on glucocorticoids in cobra envenomation. Asian Jownal of Tropical Medicine and Public Health, 9, 71–73.
38. Vick, J. A., Ciuchta, H. P. & Manthei, J. H. (1967). Pathophysiological studies of ten snake venoms. In: Animal Toxins, Russell, F. E. & Saunders, P. R. (editors). Oxford: Pergamon Press, pp. 269–282.
39. Wall, A. J. (1883). Indian Snake Poisons, their Nature and Effects. London: W. H. Allen.
40. Wall, F. (1914). Fatal case of ophitoxaemia. Bite from the common Indian krait (Bungarus caeruleus); toxaemia, death in 10 hours. Indian Medical Gazette, 49, 253.
41. Wall, F., (1921). Ophidia Taprobanica or the Snakes of Ceylon. Colombo: H. R. Cottle, pp. 529–546.
42. Warrell, D. A., Greenwood, B. M., Davidson, N. McD., Ormerod, L. D. & Prentice, C. R. M. (1976). Necrosis, haemorrhage and complement depletion following bites by the spitting cobra (Naja nigricollis). Quarterly Journal of Medicine, 45, 1–22.
43. Warrell, D. A., Looareesuwan, S., White, N. J., Theak- ston, R. D. G., Warrell, M. J., Kosakam, W. & Reid, H. A. (1983). Severe neurotoxic envenoming by the Malayan krait Bungarus candidus (Linnaeus): response to antivenom and anti-cholinesterase. British Medical Joumal, 286, 678–680.
44. Watt, G., Theakston, R. D. G., Hayes, C. G., Yambao, M. L., Sangalang, R., Ranoa, C. P., Alquizalas, E. & Warrell, D. A. (1986). Positive response to edrophonium in patients with neurotoxic envenoming by cobras (Naja naja philippinensis). A placebo-controlled study. New England Journal of Medicine, 315, 1444–1448.
45. Watt, G., Padre, L., Tuazon, M. L., Theakston, R. D. G. & Laughlin, L. (1988). Bites by the Phillipine cobra (Naja naja philipinensis): prominent neurotoxicity with minimal local signs. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 39, 306–311.
46. Watt, G., Meade, B. D. & Theakston, R. D. G. (1989). Comparison of Tensilon® and antivenom for the treatment of cobra-bite paralysis. Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 83, 570–573.
47. Willey, A. (1905). Identification of poisonous snakes in Ceylon. Journal, Ceylon Branch, British Medical Association, 2, 83–87.