X Marks the Clot: Evolutionary and Clinical Implications of Divergences in Procoagulant Australian Elapid Snake Venoms.

ABSTRACT: Australian elapid snakes possess potent procoagulant venoms, capable of inducing severe venom-induced consumption coagulopathy (VICC) in snakebite victims through rapid activation of the coagulation cascade by converting the FVII and prothrombin zymogens into their active forms. These venoms fall into two mechanistic categories: FXa-only venoms, which hijack host factor Va, and FXa:FVa venoms, containing a complete venom-derived prothrombinase complex. While previous studies have largely focused on human plasma, the ecological and evolutionary drivers behind prey-selective venom efficacy remain understudied. Here, thromboelastography was employed to comparatively evaluate venom coagulotoxicity across prey classes (amphibian, avian, rodent) and human plasma, using a taxonomically diverse se

SUBMITTER: Morecroft H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12390032 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature