Differential Diagnosis Between Venomous (Bothrops jararaca, Serpentes, Viperidae) and “Nonvenomous” (Philodryas olfersii, Serpentes, Dipsadidae) Snakebites: Is It Always Possible?

• Published in: Wilderness & environmental medicine Vol. 32; no. 4; pp. 522 - 527
• Main Authors: de Medeiros, Carlos R., Duarte, Marcelo R., de Souza, Solange N.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA Elsevier Inc 01.12.2021; SAGE Publications
• Subjects: Animals; Antivenins - therapeutic use; antivenom; Bothrops; Crotalid Venoms; Diagnosis, Differential; Emergency; Humans; Male; non-front-fanged colubroids; nonvenomous snake; Snake Bites - diagnosis; Snake Bites - drug therapy; Venoms; Viperidae; nonvenomous snake; non-front-fanged colubroids; antivenom

Bites of “nonvenomous” snakes can sometimes be mistaken for the bites of venomous snakes. As an example of this confusion, this report describes confirmed bites by Philodryas olfersii and Bothrops jararaca. In the first case, a 55-y-old man with a history of controlled hypertension was bitten on his...