Venom and People

Though snake venoms may have the same detrimental effects on the physiology of humans as they do on their prey (Gutierrez and Rucavado, 2000; Koh et al., 2006; Russell, 1991), modern medical practices ensure that many people are able to recover from a venomous snakebite (Russell, 1980).  In the United States, fatality from snakebite has long been negligible (approximately 10 to 15 deaths a year; Russell, 1980; Greene, 1997), while it is a more serious issue worldwide, especially in developing countries (Koh et al., 2006).  Of the approximately 2.5 million people bitten annually about 100,000 of cases are fatal, with the vast majority occurring in rural areas in the tropics (Fig. 1) (Koh et al., 2006).  An increasing threat in the United States may come from exotic pet species for which antivenins are not readily available (Jasper et al., 2000).  A survey of Philadelphia snake owners revealed that they owned a total of 74 exotic venomous species, and for 13 of those species there was no locally available antivenin (Jasper et al., 2000).  Venoms are also currently used for a number of biomedical applications including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease research (Koh et al., 2006).   

Figure 1. Global distribution of terrestrial snakebite morbidity (number of envenomations). From Wikipedia under the GNU Free Documentation License. Click the image to see a larger version.

In the rare case where one may need to treat a venomous snakebite it is critical to avoid many of the procedures that have previously been recommended to treat bites (Gibbons and Dorcas, 2005).  Do not attempt to suck out the venom, cut the bitten area, or apply a tourniquet as these techniques may actually worsen the victim's condition; simply get the person medical attention as soon as possible (Gibbons and Dorcas, 2005).  Approximately 60% of snakebites are “dry bites” where no venom is injected, but in any case, getting appropriate medical care should be the number one priority (Gibbons and Dorcas, 2005).