Severe Bushmaster Snakebite Envenoming: Case Report and Overview

Unlike the well-documented bothropic and crotalid snakebites in Brazil, lachetic envenomings (i.e., triggered by the bushmaster snake) are rare and present significant diagnostic challenges. This case describes a severe envenoming induced by a Lachesis muta snake in a 26-year-old Brazilian man who w...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Reports (MDPI) 2024-09, Vol.7 (3), p.68
Main Authors: Garcês-Filho, Allan Quadros, Santos, Humberto H. M, Aguiar, Thays K. P. P, Ramos, Dafnin L. S, Galan, Luis E. B, Dantas, Domingos S. M, Cerni, Felipe A, Carbonell, Roberto C, Pucca, Manuela B
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accidents
Amputation
Antibiotics
Antivenins
Behavior
Bites and stings
Black-headed bushmaster
Cardiac arrhythmia
Care and treatment
Case reports
Dosage and administration
infection
Lachesis
Medical colleges
Medical research
Medicine, Experimental
Roraima
Sepsis
Skin & tissue grafts
Snake bites
snakebite envenoming
Sulbactam
Surgeons
Surgery
Venom
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Summary:Unlike the well-documented bothropic and crotalid snakebites in Brazil, lachetic envenomings (i.e., triggered by the bushmaster snake) are rare and present significant diagnostic challenges. This case describes a severe envenoming induced by a Lachesis muta snake in a 26-year-old Brazilian man who was bitten near a forest in November 2022. Characteristic symptoms such as sweating and bradycardia pointed towards lachetic envenoming, but initial misdiagnosis as a bothropic bite resulted in a delay in appropriate antivenom therapy. Despite later receiving the correct treatment, the severity of the envenoming necessitated the amputation of a finger and triggered a severe infection. This report highlights the challenges of diagnosing and treating Lachesis spp. bites due to their rarity. Moreover, an overview of lachetic-induced signs and symptoms was explored. This study emphasizes that further reports are warranted to improve understanding of Lachesis muta envenoming and to optimize treatment strategies.
ISSN:2571-841X
2571-841X
DOI:10.3390/reports7030068