Citation

Min YG, Ham SH, Jung YS, Choi S. Turk. J. Emerg. Med. 2018; 18(2): 75-77.

Affiliation

Department of Emergency Medicine, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, South Korea.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Emergency Medicine Association of Turkey, Publisher KARE Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.tjem.2018.04.003

PMID

29922735

PMCID

PMC6005917

Abstract

In recent years, various kinds of non-indigenous snakes have become popular as domestic pets globally. If the snake is highly venomous, this would be a potentially life-threatening emergency for breeders. In such a case, the specific antidote should be administered immediately for saving the life. "Salmusa" genus (e.g. Gloydius genus) is a representative indigenous venomous snake in South Korea. Therefore, only one antidote for the "Salmusa" genus is commercially available in South Korea. The Gaboon viper (Bitis gabonica) inhabits in the rainforests of sub-Saharan Africa. Its venom is very toxic for mammals. Victims of a Gaboon viper bite could result in die unless the appropriate antidote is administered timely. We report a case of a 20-year-old male who completely recovered from a Gaboon viper envenomation after receiving "Salmusa" antivenom (Kovax^®). This report reminds us that establishing an inventory of antidotes for potential toxic non-indigenous organisms is needed to enable successful treatment of emergency situations for public health.

Language: en

Keywords

Animals; Antivenins; Exotic; Snake bites; Viperidae