Carpet Viper Venom

Saw scaled vipers or carpet vipers belonging to the echis genus inhabit countries of west asia indian subcontinent and north africa.

Carpet viper venom.

Its bite causes more than 20 000 deaths of agricultural workers per year. The spitting cobra bite manifests with. The west african carpet viper s venom is potently cytotoxic causing severe pain swelling blistering and in many cases severe tissue damage. They have a characteristic threat display rubbing sections of their body together to produce a sizzling warning sound 3 the name echis is the latin transliteration of.

The saw scaled or carpet viper echis carinatus whose range extends from senegal to bengal probably bites and kills more people than any other species of snake. One hundred and fifteen patients with poisoning caused by its bite. Like the boomslang their venom is haemotoxic causing spontaneous internal bleeding and the collapse of the circulatory system sometimes days after the bite has occurred. Three subspecies are currently recognized including the nominate subspecies described here 5 this species along with the closely related echis ocellatus both of the carpet viper species cause the most cases of snakebite deaths in the.

Here are some interesting to know facts about the various species of this viper family. We can find this 2 feet snake in western africa. Saw scaled vipers carpet vipers 2 is a genus of venomous vipers found in the dry regions of africa the middle east india sri lanka and pakistan. The saw scaled or carpet viper echis carinatus whose range extends from senegal to bengal probably bites and kills more people than any other species of snake.

Monovalent antivenom is effective and should be administered. The west african carpet viper has a distinctive threat. Echis pyramidum is a species of venomous viper endemic to northeast africa and the arabian peninsula. Poisoning by bites of the saw scaled or carpet viper echis carinatus in nigeria.

Carpet viper venom contains a prothrombin activating procoagulant haemorrhagin and cytolytic fractions which cause haemorrhage incoagulable blood shock and local reactions necrosis. In addition to biting often a carpet viper carries a great deal of venom. A lethal dose for a typical adult is only around 5 mg. An average snake may transmit up to 12 mg per bite.

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