South American rattlesnake bite ( Crotalus durissus sp) without envenoming: insights on diagnosis and treatment

• Published in: Toxicon (Oxford) Vol. 36; no. 12; pp. 2029 - 2032
• Main Authors: Alves De Rezende, Nilton, Maia Torres, Felipe, Borges Dias, Mariana, Campolina, Delio, Chavez-Olortegui, Carlos, Faria Santos Amaral, Carlos
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.12.1998; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Animal poisons toxicology. Antivenoms; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Brazil; Crotalid Venoms - toxicity; Crotalus durissus; Guidelines as Topic; Humans; Immunization, Passive; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Snake Bites - diagnosis; Snake Bites - drug therapy; South America; Toxicology; South America; Brazil; America; Human; Symptomatology; Vertebrata; Clinical management; Treatment; Bite; Reptilia; Diagnosis; Ophidia
• ISSN: 0041-0101; 1879-3150
• DOI: 10.1016/S0041-0101(98)00112-3

A South American rattlesnake bite without clinical manifestations of envenoming (termed `dry-bite') has not been recognized to occur by the Brazilian Ministry of Health, which recommends the administration of antivenom to all bitten patients. During 36 months of an observational study on South American rattlesnake bites in Minas Gerais, Brazil, 12% of 41 patients with fang marks at the bite-site did not present clinical or laboratory features of envenoming and had no plasma venom detected before specific serotherapy, fulfilling the criteria for the diagnosis of true `dry-bite'. Data from these preliminary observations suggest that these patients should be correctly diagnosed since they should not be treated with unnecessary and sometimes hazardous and expensive serotherapy.