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Comment published on 22 January 2026, see Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2026, 11(1), 31.
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Article

Snakebites in Cameroon by Species Whose Effects Are Poorly Described

by
Jean-Philippe Chippaux
1,*,
Yoann Madec
2,
Pierre Amta
3,
Rodrigue Ntone
4,
Gaëlle Noël
5,
Pedro Clauteaux
5,
Yap Boum II
6,
Armand S. Nkwescheu
7 and
Fabien Taieb
8
1
MERIT Unit, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Paris Cité University, F-75006 Paris, France
2
Emerging Diseases Epidemiology Unit, Institut Pasteur, Paris Cité University, F-75015 Paris, France
3
Tokombere Hospital, Mora P.O. Box 74, Cameroon
4
Epicentre Yaounde, Yaounde P.O. Box 12069, Cameroon
5
Institut Pasteur, Translational Research Center, Paris Cité University, F-75015 Paris, France
6
Institut Pasteur de Bangui, Bangui P.O. Box 923, Central African Republic
7
Cameroon Society of Epidemiology, Yaounde P.O. Box 1411, Cameroon
8
Institut Pasteur Medical Center, Paris Cité University, F-75015 Paris, France
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2024, 9(12), 300; https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed9120300
Submission received: 24 October 2024 / Revised: 28 November 2024 / Accepted: 3 December 2024 / Published: 6 December 2024
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Snake Bite: Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment)
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Abstract

Snakes responsible for bites are rarely identified, resulting in a loss of information about snakebites from venomous species whose venom effects are poorly understood. A prospective clinical study including patients bitten by a snake was conducted in Cameroon between 2019 and 2021 to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of a marketed polyvalent antivenom. Clinical presentation during the first 3 days of hospitalization was recorded following a standardized protocol. This ancillary study aimed to assess the frequency of bites by the different species encountered in Cameroon and to describe the symptoms of bites by formally identified species. Of the 447 patients included in the study, 159 (35.6%) brought the snake that caused the bite that was identified by a specialist. Out of these, 8 specimens could not be identified due to poor condition, 19 were non-venomous species, and 95 belonged to Echis romani—formerly E. ocellatus—species. The remaining 37 specimens included 2 Atheris squamigera, 12 Atractaspis spp., 2 Bitis arietans, 11 Causus maculatus, 1 Dendroaspis jamesoni, 1 Naja haje, 1 N. katiensis, 5 N. melanoleuca complex, and 2 N. nigricollis. Symptoms, severity of envenomation, and post-treatment course are described. Symptoms and severity of bites are consistent with cases described in the literature, but some specific features are highlighted.
Keywords: snakebite; envenomation; viper; elapid; antivenom; sub-Saharan Africa snakebite; envenomation; viper; elapid; antivenom; sub-Saharan Africa

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MDPI and ACS Style

Chippaux, J.-P.; Madec, Y.; Amta, P.; Ntone, R.; Noël, G.; Clauteaux, P.; Boum, Y., II; Nkwescheu, A.S.; Taieb, F. Snakebites in Cameroon by Species Whose Effects Are Poorly Described. Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2024, 9, 300. https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed9120300

AMA Style

Chippaux J-P, Madec Y, Amta P, Ntone R, Noël G, Clauteaux P, Boum Y II, Nkwescheu AS, Taieb F. Snakebites in Cameroon by Species Whose Effects Are Poorly Described. Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease. 2024; 9(12):300. https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed9120300

Chicago/Turabian Style

Chippaux, Jean-Philippe, Yoann Madec, Pierre Amta, Rodrigue Ntone, Gaëlle Noël, Pedro Clauteaux, Yap Boum, II, Armand S. Nkwescheu, and Fabien Taieb. 2024. "Snakebites in Cameroon by Species Whose Effects Are Poorly Described" Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease 9, no. 12: 300. https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed9120300

APA Style

Chippaux, J.-P., Madec, Y., Amta, P., Ntone, R., Noël, G., Clauteaux, P., Boum, Y., II, Nkwescheu, A. S., & Taieb, F. (2024). Snakebites in Cameroon by Species Whose Effects Are Poorly Described. Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease, 9(12), 300. https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed9120300

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