Fangs in the Ghats: Preclinical Insights into the Medical Importance of Pit Vipers from the Western Ghats.

ABSTRACT: The socioeconomic impact of snakebites in India is largely attributed to a subset of snake species commonly known as the 'big four'. However, envenoming by a range of other clinically important yet neglected snakes, a.k.a. the 'neglected many', also adds to this burden. The current approach of treating bites from these snakes with the 'big four' polyvalent antivenom is ineffective. While the medical significance of various species of cobras, saw-scaled vipers, and kraits is well-established, the clinical impact of pit vipers from regions such as the Western Ghats, northeastern India, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands remains poorly understood. Amongst the many species of snakes found in the Western Ghats, the hump-nosed (Hypnale hypnale), Malabar (Craspedocephalus malabaricus</

SUBMITTER: Khochare S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10253985 | biostudies-literature | 2023 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature