Snakebites are very common in many parts of the world, such as Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia. To start treating snakebite, it is important to know which snake has bitten the patient. As information is not always available, treatment is sometimes delayed.
Latest study reveals that DNA sample taken from the fang marks on the victim can help paramedics identify the snake responsible for the biting.
There are currently no official or reliable statistics on snakebites on a global scale. However, a previous study conducted in 2008 suggested that more than 421,000 people became victims of snakebites on average each year and about 94,000 of them died as a result.
François Chappuis, chief of the division of tropical and humanitarian medicine at Geneva University Hospitals, Switzerland, who directed the study at three medical centers in Nepal, suggests that snakebite figures are underestimated.
Chappuis explains that many people who are bitten by a snake do not receive treatment from a medical center and, if they do, fail to take the snake to the clinic. On many occasions the snake is killed, and healthcare experts are unable to identify the species that bit a patient. The latest study will offer support to identify snake species via DNA testing and start treatment as soon as possible.
"This DNA test may hasten more effective bedside diagnostics for snakebite victims, giving them a better chance of surviving and making a full recovery," says Chappuis.
The study collected about 194 samples of DNA from snakebites on people in Nepal. The study revealed that 21 patients brought along the dead snake responsible for the biting to the treatment center, which helped healthcare professionals start treatment immediately. The researchers found that, in all these 21 cases, the latest DNA test results matched the species of the dead snake.
If a snake's DNA can be secluded from a patient's bite wound, then the latest DNA test will be able to recognize the snake species with 100 percent accuracy. The study also revealed that 87 snakebites were caused by venomous snake species. The cobra was found to be responsible for 42 bites, followed by the Krait, which inflicted 22 bites.
The authors suggest that current DNA testing is very complex and time-consuming. However, a faster method is needed.
The study provides preliminary research, but it can be treated as a tool for doctors to establish the species of snake responsible for the most number of bites in different regions.
