Snake venoms contain a variety of proteins, all of which are potentially able
to stimulate an immune response in the snakebite victim. This is advantageous
when raising antibodies in an animal, as part of the antivenom production process,
but is not always useful in the human snakebite victim. After a first exposure,
either through a bite, or possibly through breathing in venom particles (in
the case of people working with venoms or "milking" snake venom),
antibodies may develop against some or all venom components. If IgE antibodies
develop, then the person is at risk of a major allergic reaction (anaphylaxis)
on subsequent exposure to this or similar venoms. This is the same as a person
with major bee sting allergy and the result can be just as lethal.
Not all cases of allergic reaction to snakebite are due to an IgE response,
however. Some snakes, notably the European vipers, Vipera spp., can sometimes
cause a severe "allergic" type response on first exposure. Typically,
this is in the form of angioneurotic oedema, characterised by massive swelling
of the lips, face and pharynx. The airway can be occluded, a potentially fatal
complication. The precise reason for this response to a bite is not fully understood.
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: The principle aim of this site is to provide
information useful to improving outcomes for humans suffering from envenoming or poisoning by
animals, plants or mushrooms. We make a reasonable attempt to verify accuracy of information
listed on this site. However, we cannot access every published paper of potential relevance,
either because they are not available to us or are in a language we cannot translate internally.
Equally, we cannot list knowledge which is not yet reported or known. It should not be assumed
that humankind currently knows all there is to know about any species, even for common species.
Further, we cannot control how users will interpret the information provided on this site. We
therefore do not accept legal responsibility for use of the information provided and we require
that all users use information from this site at their own risk.
The following should also be noted when reading information contained within the databases on this website: italics for scientific nomenclature cannot be displayed, and superscripting and subscripting is absent in some instances.
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