Snake Bite: Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Médecins Sans Frontières, Geneva, Switzerland
Interests: snakebite; neglected tropical diseases; monoclonal antibodies

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Guest Editor
Médecins Sans Frontières, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Interests: neglected tropical diseases; clinical research; operational research
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Snakebite envenoming is estimated to kill over 100,000 and maim over 400,000 persons every year. It was recognized as a priority neglected tropical disease in 2017. Snakebite is at the intersection of human, animal and environmental health. As such, this important public health issue needs to be addressed through multifaceted strategies.

Many preventive interventions have been proposed, but there is a general lack of controlled studies to confirm their effectiveness. In addition, they need to be tailored to local cultural beliefs and practices. The diagnosis of snakebite envenoming is essentially clinical, but lab tests can be helpful to monitor progression and identify offending snake species. Antivenoms represent the cornerstone of snakebite envenoming treatment. They are bespoke biotherapeutics tailored to the local geographical distribution of venomous snake species. In addition to antivenom therapy, supportive medical and surgical care is essential, as well as the management of mental and physical sequelae.

Novel approaches to prevent, diagnose and treat snakebite are being developed. A rich pipeline of novel products has been built up over the years. However, more research is still needed to translate these investigational products and interventions into readily available evidence-based tools.

The Special Issue welcomes submissions covering interventions to prevent, diagnose and treat snakebite envenoming. Social science research, as well as operational and implementation research, including epidemiological surveys, description of public health programs and more local experiences, are most welcome. Pre-clinical and clinical studies evaluating conventional products, as well as investigational products are eligible for submission. Finally, we encourage the submission of reviews, not just original research.

Julien Potet
Dr. Koert Ritmeijer
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • snakebite
  • envenoming
  • antivenoms
  • prevention
  • diagnosis
  • treatment
  • tropical medicine
  • neglected tropical diseases

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

22 pages, 5029 KiB  
Article
Snakebites in Cameroon by Species Whose Effects Are Poorly Described
by Jean-Philippe Chippaux, Yoann Madec, Pierre Amta, Rodrigue Ntone, Gaëlle Noël, Pedro Clauteaux, Yap Boum II, Armand S. Nkwescheu and Fabien Taieb
Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2024, 9(12), 300; https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed9120300 - 6 Dec 2024
Viewed by 489
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 [...] Read more.
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. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Snake Bite: Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment)
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