Antivenom

An antivenin or Antivenom is a specially designed for the treatment of snake bite immune serum. Individual Antivenine are always only applicable to bite by a snake or members of a closely related species group in the rule. Commercially available products are therefore polyvalent mixtures of different sera, such as snake venom immune serum "Europe" according to the European Pharmacopoeia ( viper, 's viper, sand viper, asp viper, Levantine viper).

There are approximately 400 venomous snake species ( of a total of about 2 700), which are almost all native to the tropics and subtropics. Worldwide it is estimated about 10 million snake bites per year, with 125 000 deaths. In Central Europe, however, there are only a few venomous viper species (European viper, Vipera berus ), whose bites also are rarely life-threatening (about 2% lethality ). The few in recent years, reported deaths were due to tropical venomous snakes in private possession caused (as of 2010 ).

Snake venoms are mixtures of numerous enzymes that are toxic to nerve cells, blood vessel cells and / or blood cells. As antivenin is used corresponding antibodies. For the preparation is given to horses or sheep the toxins from; The antibodies then formed are then extracted from the blood of animals, and concentrated.

Since the thus produced antiserum consists of animal protein, most patients develop serum sickness ( immune reaction with fever, joint pain, and rash ). It also could result in serious allergic side effects up to circulatory shock; Therefore, antisera are used only in justified cases and proven severe poisoning. One can assume that only 50% of poisonous snake bites and poison really get into the wound, as the snakes also perform so-called " defense bites " or "dry bites " without venom injection.

Because of the high cost and limited shelf life antisera only be stored in centralized vaults, in Germany mostly in the tropical medicine institutes of the university hospitals. They may only be applied by a doctor under stationary conditions.

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