Anaphylaxis the Venomous Keeper

[reptilesforsale]

A must read for all keepers of venomous snakes
ReptileResearch.com - Articles

 

[redbellybite]

Thanks for the read ..very interesting

 

[da_donkey]

just had a look, and when im not drunk will be reading with great intererest......damn NRL starting tonight!!!


donks

 

[redbellybite]

I love all the research that is being done on anti ven treatment ...and now the use of human plasma as well , saves using many anti ven viles into one patient ,which means less anti ven needed and quicker results in recovery ...the more they study on this ,the better we will be off ...
I wonder if the serum sickness will be less now or none at all ,due to not having to use as many viles of anti ven ,in treating a wet bite patient ...mmmm only time and study trials will tell ..

 

[Sdaji]

It's a good article, but will possibly go over the heads of some keepers as it contains some technical jargon. The important thing to remember is that anaphylaxis can be the result of any bite from any venomous snake regardless of how small or mildly venomous, and it can potentially kill you within 10 minutes. It is completely different from the direct effects of the venom, antivenom is completely irrelevant in its treatment, and you can get anaphylaxis from an amount of venom far too small to do you any direct harm. Even if the anaphylaxis is caused by such a tiny amount of venom, or a very mild venom (such as a Brown Treensnake, Yellow-faced Whipsnake, etc) it can be just as severe as if it was from any other venomous snake and can kill you within a few minutes.

 

[cris]

It's a good article, but will possibly go over the heads of some keepers as it contains some technical jargon. The important thing to remember is that anaphylaxis can be the result of any bite from any venomous snake regardless of how small or mildly venomous, and it can potentially kill you within 10 minutes. It is completely different from the direct effects of the venom, antivenom is completely irrelevant in its treatment, and you can get anaphylaxis from an amount of venom far too small to do you any direct harm. Even if the anaphylaxis is caused by such a tiny amount of venom, or a very mild venom (such as a Brown Treensnake, Yellow-faced Whipsnake, etc) it can be just as severe as if it was from any other venomous snake and can kill you within a few minutes.

Just wondering would a person be able to use an epipen themselves if they notice things are going bad or is it likely to require another person to be around to do it?

I might get flamed for suggesting this but im thinking it may be possible to happen if bitten by a monitor or even a Common Tree Snake, so I want to be prepared for the worst.

 

[Snake Catcher Victoria]

Cris, you should be able to use an epipen on yourself unless you
have lost control of your hands or are unconcious.
And yes, a bee ant wasp or even some plants can cause the reaction.

 

[Luke_G]

Interesting....

 

[Sdaji]

Just wondering would a person be able to use an epipen themselves if they notice things are going bad or is it likely to require another person to be around to do it?

I might get flamed for suggesting this but im thinking it may be possible to happen if bitten by a monitor or even a Common Tree Snake, so I want to be prepared for the worst.

You can certainly use it on yourself, if you have one handy and use it as soon as you realise you're going into anaphylaxis the biggest challenge will be convincing yourself to jab a large needle into your leg.

It's technically possible to happen as a result of being exposed to anything at all, but for some reason it seems more likely to happen from venoms people wouldn't usually/naturally get exposed to. I have no idea about the relative likelihood of monitor venom vs elapid venom, and suspect it would be unknown, although having never heard of a case, perhaps monitor venom is less likely to give you anaphylaxis.

 

[Zoltag]

Anaphylaxis can occur through exposure to anything that you are severely allergic to. Knowing whether or not you are severely allergic to venom isnt something most people would know (or, I guess, want to test)

 

[redbellybite]

I know I am allergic to bee venom ..and can have a severe reaction to the point I end up in hospital ..have never had anaphylaxis type of reaction ,thank goodness ,although as an asthmatic and the extreme reaction ..I have been told it is possible ...but as was already said ..wont know untill it happens ////

allergy to anti ven ,is due to the horse serum? is that what they are aiming at?
and as far as allergy to snake venom ..I hope I never have to find out ...would the fact that I am sensitive to the likes of bees ..does that increase my chances of maybe actually being at greater risk ?

 

[percey39]

great read cheers for posting. Helped refresh the memory.

 

[nuthn2do]

A couple of things to consider:
1 How many people would know the difference between the effects of venom/anaphylaxis/panic attack? Big decision to make when you're suffering from from one (or all).
2 Epipens contain a mega dose of adrenaline so you'd better hope that you made the right choice in step 1 because "stay calm and don't move" ain't got a chance.
3 Unless you have had a reaction getting a pen is almost impossible, if you do manage to get one they're around $150 each and have a shelf life of 4-6 months

 

[elapid@]

[

allergy to anti ven ,is due to the horse serum? is that what they are aiming at?
and as far as allergy to snake venom ..I hope I never have to find out ...would the fact that I am sensitive to the likes of bees ..does that increase my chances of maybe actually being at greater risk ?[/QUOTE]

yep cause anti venom does not have any components of snake venom just antibodies that destroy venom molecules, allergic reactions to anti venom are from the horse proteins that are part of the venom antibody ...


as far as being allergic to bee venom im not sure ......

 

[syeph8]

it really depeds on the person, some people are allergic to almost everything. but if you are a generally healthy person and dont tend to react with ALOT of things, then your risk of being allergic to snake venom is the same as if you were not allergic to bee venom. that and, bee venom and snake venom have very different properties and the allergies wouldnt be related if you were allergic to both.

 

[Sdaji]

A couple of things to consider:
1 How many people would know the difference between the effects of venom/anaphylaxis/panic attack? Big decision to make when you're suffering from from one (or all).
2 Epipens contain a mega dose of adrenaline so you'd better hope that you made the right choice in step 1 because "stay calm and don't move" ain't got a chance.
3 Unless you have had a reaction getting a pen is almost impossible, if you do manage to get one they're around $150 each and have a shelf life of 4-6 months

If you're calm and know what you're doing, the effects of the three are pretty easy to differentiate. But of course, as you imply, not everyone is going to be calm and knowledgeable.

You'd probably want to get the bandage on properly before using the epipen, but presumably if you were prepared with an epipen you would know what you were doing and applying a bandage would have only taken you 30-60 seconds, which would probably be around the time you'd start noticing the effects of anaphylaxis. If the bite is on a limb and you bandage it well, you should have no trouble with the direct effects of the venom... usually... hopefully...

Epipens are freely available at around $150 over the counter. If you get a prescription (which you probably won't get without having had anaphylaxis before) you can get them for a fairly nominal amount ($10-20 I think I paid for mine, $6 for my previous one). The shelf life is 12 months, but usually they'll have some of that time expired by the time you get it. 6-10 months is about average I think. If they tried to sell me one with under six months left I'd hand it back.

 

[Mayhem]

Good read, good advice, good article

 

[fauce]

If you get hayfever from dust / cats etc does that increase the likelyhood of being allergic to snake venoms or antivenom? For example i sneeze when around horses, does that make it likely that i would be allergic to antivenom?

 

[syeph8]

no, it makes it likely that you are allergic to the material that dust mites use to store their poo. it does not in any way decrease your chances of being allergic to snake venom. But certainly doesnt increase them.

my apologies, i misread your question. I'm not sure about antivenom. most people are allergic to the hair though so i would assume that your chances of full blown anaphylaxis due to antivenom would be low. but i would consult your GP next time you see him if you are considering spending time around venomous snakes. not being an immunologist i couldnt tell what exactly you are allergic to, but you may have a similar reaction to antivene as people with shellfish allergies have to some MRI dyes. if you get into a situation whee antivene is required though, i suggest taking the small risk.