Snakes rattlesnakes

Antivenins are used for passive, transient protection from the toxic effects of bites by spiders (black widow and similar spiders) and snakes (rattlesnakes, copperhead and cottonmouth, and coral). The most effective response is obtained when the drug is administered within 4 hours after exposure... 

The venoms of poisonous snakes contain (among other things) a class of enzymes known as phospholipases, enzymes that cause the breakdown of phospholipids. For example, the venoms of the eastern diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus adamanteus) and the Indian cobra Naja naja) both contain phospholipase Ag, which catalyzes the hydrolysis of fatty acids at the C-2 position of glyc-erophospholipids. 

Neonate garter snakes, Thamnophis sirtalis, and brown snakes distinguish conspecific from heterospecific odors (Burghardt 1977, 1983). Newborn timber rattlesnakes, Crotalus horridus, are able to follow conspecific odor trails (Brown and MacLean, 1983). Neonate water snakes are attracted to conspecific odor (Scudder et ah, 1980) and neonate prairie rattlesnakes, Crotalus viridis, to lipoids from the epidermis of adult conspecifics (Graves etal., 1987). 

Odor trails lead from the birthing rookeries of pregnant snakes to their ancestral winter dens. These trails probably help the neonates to find shelter (Graves et al., 1987). Socially naive neonate prairie rattlesnakes were tested for odor... 

Two phenomena of reptilian prey searching are well investigated responses of various snakes to the odors of invertebrates, and rattlesnakes trailing of envenomated small mammals. 

Timber rattlesnakes, Crotalus horridus, are ambush hunters. They assume the ambush posture after smelling prey odors. In the laboratory, these snakes recoil the front part of their body into the ambush posture after flicking their tongues... 

The rattlesnake C. viridis searches for the particular odor it had experienced when striking the prey. In one experiment, snakes were induced to strike perfume-treated mice. Then they were exposed to perfumed, but non-envenomated, carcasses. The snakes preferred a carcass with the same odor as the originally struck mouse. In a second experiment, snakes preferred the carcasses of mice on the same diet as the ones they had struck. Thus rattlesnakes form a... 

In a number of species, the active predator odors originate on the dorsal skin. Neonate pygmy rattlesnakes, Sistrurus miliarius, and timber rattlesnakes, C. horridus, respond to dorsal skin chemicals of the ophiophagous king snakes and indigo snakes, Drymarchon corais, but not to those from ventral skin or skin... 

Rattlesnakes California king snake Lampropeltis getulus califomiae Skin rubbings Body bridging Bogert, 1941... 

Rattlesnakes King snake, human Air or skin extract, human breath Increased heart rate Cowles and Phelan, 1958... 

Visual and olfactory stimuli contribute to anti-snake responses in mammals California ground squirrels, Spermophilus beecheyi, flag their tail and kick sand at a rattlesnake, C. viridis, more often than at a gopher snake, P. melanoleucus. The squirrels kicked sand at and approached a snake in a perforated transparent bag more frequently than one in an intact hag. Visual and chemical cues are important, but the latter seem to he the primary releasers (Henessy and Owings, 1979). 

Zagreb antivenin European viper venom antisera Polyvalent Crotalidae antivenin Micrurus fulvius antivenin Australian polyvalent antivenins Adder bites One or more species of viper Any one of four species of pit viper (including Western diamond back and South American rattlesnake Eastern coral snake Micrurus fulvius) Any one or combination of black snake, brown snake, death adder, taipan and tiger snake... 

Snake bite (pit vipers) Antivenin (Crotalidae) polyvalent, equine The entire dose should be given within 4 hours after the bite by the IV or IM route (1 vial = 10 mL) Minimal envenomation 2-4 vials Moderate envenomation 5-9 vials Severe envenomation 10-15 vials Additional doses may be required. Neutralizes the venom of rattlesnakes, copperheads, cottonmouths, water moccasins, and tropical and Asiatic crotalids. Serum sickness occurs in almost all patients who receive > 7 vials. 

I various subcellular locations within eukaryotic cells. Some of these enzymes are specific for particular polar head-groups others are nonspecific. Phospholipase A2 is a major component of snake venom (cobra and rattlesnake) and is partially involved in the deadly effects of these venoms. Because of the high concentration of phospholipase A2 in these venoms, this enzyme has been studied intensively. The pancreas is also rich in phospholipase A2, which is secreted into the intestine for digestion of dietary phospholipids. 

A very satisfactory source of phospholipase A2 is the venom of the snake, Crotalus adamanteus (Eastern diamondback rattlesnake). This venom can be obtained in lyophilized form from commercial suppliers such as Miami Ser-pentarium (Miami, FL). Of importance, the lyophilization process does not alter the chemical, physical, or enzymatic characteristics of the original venom obtained from this snake. 

In a typical year there are some 45,000 snake bites in North America alone, but only 20 per cent of these are from poisonous snakes and only a proportion of these involve toxin or venom. This still leaves over 1,000 poisonous snake bites in which venom is injected, but deaths number only a handful, perhaps twelve to fifteen. The reason for this is that medical care is normally not too far away and the antidote or antivenin is available. Without treatment, for example, approximately 75 per cent of rattlesnake bites would be fatal. Similarly, in Australia, which has some of the world s most poisonous snakes, death from snake bite is rare because... 

This is called "milking the snake", and is by far the easiest way to do it.I would not suggest using this method on cobras, though, because the slightest little scratch can wipe you out, I would suggest a nice little rattlesnake or coral snake. Just figured I d let you know. 

All of 16 different formulations of rattlesnake powder capsules, obtained in six different cities in Mexico, were significantly contaminated with Gram-negative coliform bacteria Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterobacter agglomerans, Enterobacter cloacae. Salmonella arizona, and Salmonella of groups B, E4, and G 81% of the capsules were contaminated with Salmonella species, the most frequent being S. arizona (37). Contamination was probably derived from both the flesh of the snake and fecal contamination during domestic preparation of the powder to produce the capsules. 

The venom of poisonous snakes contains a class of enzymes known as phospholipases. These enzymes catalyze the breakdown of phospholipids, triglycerides in which one fatty acid has been replaced by a phosphate group. The venom of the eastern dia-mondback rattlesnake contains a phospholipase that hydrolyzes the ester bond at the middle carbon of phospholipids, if the larger of the two breakdown products of this reaction gets into the bloodstream, it dissolves the membranes of red blood cells, causing them to rupture. A bite from the eastern diamondback can lead to death if not treated immediately. 

Poisonous snakes such as diamondback rattlesnakes are a very real danger to saw palmetto harvesters, as are spiders and scorpions. 

Rattlers get a new rattle segment each time the snake sheds its skin which is normally about 3 to 4 times per year. Hatchling rattlesnakes are born with only one segment on their rattle called a button. This brand new rattle is noiseless until the hatchling rattler sheds its skin for the first time and adds a segment to the button. The rattle makes noise when segments click against each other. 

Underneath we see the ampy-ca/lampa [poisonous mushroom, unidentified] with its rattlesnake. Its icaro is sung to cure the bite of poisonous snakes, to neutralise... 

Even snake venom has been tried. Called crotoxins, from the genus Crotalus, one of the two genera for rattlesnakes, these are neurotoxins that were found to have some sort of anticancer effect, direct or indirect, but presumably in very small concentrations. The snake in particnlar was said to be the cascabel, or Crotalus... 

The one serious anomaly in Fig. 11 is the strange position of rattlesnake, with a reverse bend in the tree. Rattlesnake cytochrome is much less like that of other reptiles and birds than it should be, as the matrix of Table XI confirms. From amino acid sequences alone, rattlesnake might more properly be grouped with the primitive fish. While turtle differs from birds and mammals by 6-15 residues, snake differs by 14 -22. It is as different from turtle (22 residues) as from any of the birds and... 

Crotaline, a snake antivenin, is indicated in the treatment of crotalid (pit viper) bites, including those from rattlesnakes, copperheads, and cottonmouth moccasins. 

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