Neurotoxic Sleight of Fang: Differential Antivenom Efficacy Against Mamba (<i>Dendroaspis</i> spp.) Venom Spastic-Paralysis Presynaptic/Synaptic vs. Flaccid-Paralysis Postsynaptic Effects.

ABSTRACT: Mamba (Dendroaspis species) snakebites are critical medical emergencies across sub-Saharan Africa. Envenomings can result in the rapid onset of complex neurotoxic symptoms, often leading to high rates of mortality without timely intervention with antivenom. The ancestral state of mambas is the green coloured, forest dwelling type, with the tan/grey coloured, savannah dwelling D. polylepis (Black Mamba) representing a derived state both ecologically and morphologically. However, it has not been tested whether these changes are paralleled by changes in venom biochemistry or if there are differential molecular evolutionary patterns. To fill these knowledge gaps, this study evaluated the neurotoxic effects of all Dendroaspis species venoms using the chick biventer cervicis

SUBMITTER: Jones L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12568002 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature