Australian toxinology can contribute more to helping tropical developing countries where snakebites are a serious problem
The venomous fauna of Australia and her surrounding oceans is notorious for its diversity and potential danger.1 However, thanks to excellent medical services and more than a century of outstanding toxinology research,2 very few Australians die of snakebite. The eagerly awaited review of the first decade of the Australian Snakebite Project (ASP), published in this issue of the MJA, reports on a series of 1548 snakebite patients recruited between 2005 and 2015, of whom only 23 died (case fatality, 1.5%). The report provides much valuable information about how snakebite is currently managed in the clinic.3
The full article is accessible to AMA members and paid subscribers. Login to read more or purchase a subscription now.
Please note: institutional and Research4Life access to the MJA is now provided through Wiley Online Library.
- 1. Sutherland SK, Tibballs J. Australian animal toxins: the creatures, their toxins and care of the poisoned patient. 2nd edition. Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 2001.
- 2. Warrell DA. Australian toxinology in a global context. Toxicon 2006; 48: 718-725.
- 3. Johnston CI, Ryan NM, Page CB, et al. The Australian Snakebite Project, 2005–2015 (ASP-20). Med J Aust 2017; 207: 119-125.
- 4. Welton RE, Williams DJ, Liew D. Injury trends from envenoming in Australia, 2000–2013. Intern Med J 2017; 47: 170-176.
- 5. Isbister GK, Brown SGA, Page CB, et al. Snakebite in Australia: a practical approach to diagnosis and treatment. Med J Aust 2013; 199: 763-768. <MJA full text>
- 6. Gutiérrez JM, Warrell DA, Williams DJ, et al; for the Global Snakebite Initiative. The need for full integration of snakebite envenoming within a global strategy to combat the neglected tropical diseases: the way forward. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2013; 7: e2162.
- 7. Mohapatra B, Warrell DA, Suraweera W, et al. Snakebite mortality in India: a nationally representative mortality survey. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2011; 5: e1018.
- 8. Trape JF, Pison G, Guyavarch E, Mane Y. High mortality from snakebite in south-eastern Senegal. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg 2001; 95: 420-423.
- 9. Habib AG, Kuznik A, Hamza M, et al. Snakebite is under appreciated: appraisal of burden from West Africa. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2015; 9: e0004088.
- 10. World Health Organization. Neglected tropical diseases. http://www.who.int/neglected_diseases/diseases/en/ (accessed June 2017).
- 11. Sharma SK, Bovier P, Jha N, et al. Effectiveness of rapid transport of victims and community health education on snake bite fatalities in rural Nepal. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2013; 89: 145-150.
- 12. Chappuis F, Sharma SK, Jha N, et al. Protection against snake bites by sleeping under a bed net in southeastern Nepal. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2007; 77: 197-199.
- 13. World Health Organization. Guidelines for the prevention and clinical management of snakebite in Africa. Brazzaville: WHO (Regional Office for Africa), 2010. http://www.afro.who.int/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=5529 (accessed May 2017).
- 14. World Health Organization. Guidelines for the management of snakebites. 2nd edition. New Delhi: WHO (Regional Office for South-East Asia), 2016. http://apps.searo.who.int/PDS_DOCS/B5255.pdf?ua=1 (accessed May 2017).
- 15. Gutiérrez JM, Solano G, Pla D, et al. Preclinical evaluation of the efficacy of antivenoms for snakebite envenoming: state-of-the-art and challenges ahead. Toxins (Basel) 2017; 9: E163.
- 16. World Health Organization. WHO Guidelines for the production control and regulation of snake antivenom immunoglobulins. Geneva: WHO, 2010. http://www.who.int/bloodproducts/snake_antivenoms/snakeantivenomguide/en/ (accessed May 2017).
No relevant disclosures.