True or false coral snake: is it worth the risk? A Micrurus corallinus case report

Strauch, Marcelo A.; Souza, Guilherme Jones; Pereira, Jordana Nahar; Ramos, Tyelli dos Santos; Tomaz, Marcelo A.; Monteiro-Machado, Marcos; Patrão-Neto, Fernando C.; Melo, Paulo A.

doi:10.1186/s40409-018-0148-9

Cited by 7 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 21 publications

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“…Still, their abundance and proximity to human population needs further attention, as it is a highly venomous species. Bothrops are more aggressive than Micrurus, which increases the occurrence of accidents (Strauch et al, 2018). In a study by Albuquerque et al (2005), where records of 1098 patients bitten by Bothrops in the state of Paraíba was investigated, the municipality of Rio Tinto ranked second in number of notifications, with 1.5 % of snakebites in the state.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial patterns of snake diversity in an urban area of north-east Brazil

França¹

2019

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The distribution of animal populations within an assemblage includes a wide variety of patterns, which are fundamental to understanding population dynamics and aid in conservation actions. We examined a snake assemblage in an urban area to describe species distribution patterns and to identify which places are more likely to contain snakes, both venomous and non-venomous. The study was conducted in the urban area of the municipality of Rio Tinto in northeast Brazil. We used a geostatistical modelling technique called ordinary kriging to identify which places were more likely to contain snakes, and a statistical spatial method (average nearest neighbour distance) to detect distribution patterns of snake species within the study area. A total of 291 individuals distributed among 28 species were recorded. The snakes were found in streets, homes, churches, university campus, streams, and even in local supermarkets. Ordinary kriging showed that the area of distribution of individuals was concentrated at three distinct points located in the centre of the urban area. The significant results of the average nearest neighbour distance analysis showed a clustered distribution for two species and dispersed distributions for eight species. Information on urban sites where snakes are more likely to be found is important not only for conservation, but also to help local citizens better understand and live amongst snakes.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial patterns of snake diversity in an urban area of north-east Brazil

França¹

2019

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Neurotoxicity of Micrurus lemniscatus lemniscatus (South American coralsnake) venom in vertebrate neuromuscular preparations in vitro and neutralization by antivenom

et al. 2019

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We investigated the effect of South American coral snake (Micrurus lemniscatus lemniscatus) venom on neurotransmission in vertebrate nerve-muscle preparations in vitro. The venom showed calcium-dependent PLA2 activity and caused irreversible neuromuscular blockade (0.1-30 µg/ml) in chick biventer cervicis (BC) and mouse phrenic nerve-diaphragm (PND) preparations. In BC preparations, contractures to exogenous acetylcholine and carbachol (CCh), but not KCl, were abolished by venom concentrations ≥0.3 µg/ml; in PND preparations, the amplitude of the tetanic response was progressively attenuated, but with little tetanic fade. In low Ca 2+ physiological solution, venom (10 µg/ml) caused neuromuscular blockade in PND preparations within ~10 min that was reversible by washing; the addition of Ca 2+ immediately after the blockade temporarily restored the twitch responses, but did not prevent the progression to irreversible blockade. Venom (10 µg/ml) did not depolarize diaphragm muscle, prevent depolarization by CCh, or cause muscle contracture or histological damage. Venom (3 µg/ml) had a biphasic effect on the frequency of miniature end-plate potentials, but did not affect their amplitude; there was a progressive decrease in the amplitude of evoked end-plate potentials. The amplitude of compound action potentials in mouse sciatic nerve was unaffected by venom (10 µg/ml). Pre-incubation of venom with coral snake antivenom (Instituto Butantan) at the recommended antivenom:venom ratio did not neutralize the neuromuscular blockade in PND preparations, but total neutralization was achieved with a 10-fold greater volume of antivenom. The addition of antivenom after 50% and 80% blockade restored the twitch responses. These results show that M. l. lemniscatus venom causes potent, irreversible neuromuscular blockade, without myonecrosis. This blockade is apparently mediated by pre-and postsynaptic neurotoxins and can be reversed by coralsnake antivenom.

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