Envenomation by neotropical Opisthoglyphous colubrid Thamnodynastes cf. pallidus Linné, 1758 (Serpentes:Colubridae) in Venezuela

Abstract

This is a case report of a "non-venomous" snake bite in a herpetologist observed at the Sciences Faculty of the Universidad de los Andes (Mérida, Venezuela). The patient was bitten on the middle finger of the left hand, and shows signs of pronounced local manifestations of envenomation such as bleeding from the tooth imprint, swelling and warmth. He was treated with local care, analgesics, and steroids. He was dismissed from the hospital and observed at home during five days with marked improvement of envenomation. The snake was brought to the medical consult and identified as a Thamnodynastes cf. pallidus specimen. This report represents the first T. pallidus accident described in a human.

A case report of human intoxication due to a snakebite by the opisthoglyphous dipsadid Thamnodynastes lanei Bailey, Thomas & Silva-Jr, 2005

“…The symptoms that we report were qualitatively expected for intoxication by Dipsadidae snakebite 3 . However, the persistence time of the symptoms was more than three times longer than that in most reported cases of Thamnodynastes bite 3,6,7 . In the literature, a case of single bite by a Thamnodynastes species has been characterized by symptoms persisting for 8 days, but most similar patients did not show symptoms for more than 3 days 3,6,7 .…”

“…However, the persistence time of the symptoms was more than three times longer than that in most reported cases of Thamnodynastes bite 3,6,7 . In the literature, a case of single bite by a Thamnodynastes species has been characterized by symptoms persisting for 8 days, but most similar patients did not show symptoms for more than 3 days 3,6,7 . Additionally, the edema caused by T. lanei bite is visually larger than those caused by congeneric species 6,7 .…”

“…Among the South American opisthoglyphous snakes, the genus Thamnodynastes is relevant to public health. The bites of species within this genus may cause bleeding, local pain, and edema, although symptoms tend to disappear within 3-8 days 3,6,7 . Several of the Thamnodynastes species share general characteristics such as beige color, slender body, long tail, short head, large eyes, and elliptical pupils 8 .…”

“…Although snakebite case studies involving Thamnodynastes have been published 3,6,7 , some species within this genus are still completely unknown in relation to the potential toxicity. Here, we report the symptoms of a bite by Thamnodynastes lanei, which occupies the grassy vegetation often associated to aquatic ecosystems in Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Brazilian Amazonia, Pantanal, and western Cerrado 8 .…”

Morfologia e histoquímica das glândulas de Duvernoy e supralabial de seis espécies de colubrídeos opistoglifodontes (serpentes, Colubridae)

“…No Brasil, as serpentes consideradas não-peçonhentas são responsáveis por 40% dos casos registrados no Hospital Vital Brasil do Instituto Butantan, localizado no estado de São Paulo (Silva & Buononato, 1983/84;Salomão et al, 2003). Dentre estas, há relato de apenas um único caso fatal com Philodryas olfersii (Salomão & Di-Bernardo, 1991), apesar de diversos gêneros de colubrídeos opistoglifodontes terem sido responsáveis por acidentes em seres humanos, entre eles, Erythrolamprus (Martins, 1916), Thamnodynastes (Martins, 1916;Hoge, 1952;Diaz et al, 2004), Philodryas (Martins, 1916;Nickerson & Henderson, 1976;Silva & Buononato, 1983/84;Kuch & Jesberger, 1993;Nishioka & Silveira, 1994;Ribeiro et al, 1994;Araújo & Dos Santos, 1997;Ribeiro et al, 1999), Phalotris (= Elapomorphus) (Lema, 1978), Clelia (Pinto et al, 1991), e Boiruna (Santos- Costa et al, 2000).…”