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Home / Equine Research Bank / Toxins (Basel) / Daboia (Vipera) palaestinae Envenomation in 123 Horses: Trea...
Toxins2019; 11(3); doi: 10.3390/toxins11030168

Daboia (Vipera) palaestinae Envenomation in 123 Horses: Treatment and Efficacy of Antivenom Administration.

Abstract: Envenomation by venomous snakes is life threatening for horses. However, the efficacy of available treatments for this occurrence, in horses, has not yet been adequately determined. The aim of this study was to describe the treatments provided in cases of Daboia palaestinae envenomation in horses and to evaluate the safety and efficacy of antivenom administration. Data regarding 123 equine snakebite cases were collected over four years from 25 veterinarians. The majority of horses were treated with procaine-penicillin (92.7%), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (82.3%), dexamethasone (81.4%), tetanus toxoid (91.1%) and antivenom (65.3%). The time interval between treatment and either cessation or 50% reduction of local swelling was linearly associated with case fatality (p < 0.001). The overall mortality rate was 20.3%. Treatment with procaine-penicillin was significantly associated with reduced mortality (OR = 0.11). Three horse-derived antivenom products were available during the study period, of which the horses were administered different brands of varying dosages. Administration of the recommended dosage of any of the aforementioned products led to a significant decrease in mortality (p = 0.014), even in severe cases (scoring 2 or greater on the equine snakebite severity scale). No adverse reactions were reported. The results of this study show that species-specific D. palaestinae antivenom administered at the manufacturer-recommended dosage is effective in significantly reducing mortality in cases of envenomation in horses.
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Publication Date: 2019-03-19 PubMed ID: 30893807PubMed Central: PMC6468471DOI: 10.3390/toxins11030168Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This study analyses the treatment and effectiveness of antivenom in horses bitten by venomous snakes. The researchers found that the right dosage of antivenom significantly reduces mortality rates, with 123 horses examined over a four-year period.

Envenomation in Horses

  • The research focuses on a type of snake bite envenomation in horses. Envenomation refers to a process where venom is injected into a body by the bite of a venomous creature, in this case, the snake Daboia (Vipera) palaestinae.
  • The seriousness of envenomation in horses can be life threatening, with the efficacy of available treatments previously undetermined before the progression of this study.

Objective and Methodology

  • The main aim of this research was to scrutinize the given treatments in cases of snake bite envenomation in horses and to assess the safety and efficacy of antivenom administration. Here, efficacy refers to the ability to produce a desired result or the effectiveness of the treatment.
  • To achieve this, the researchers collected data about 123 equine snakebite cases over a period of four years from 25 different veterinarians.

Treatments and their Efficacy

  • The majority of horses in the study were treated with procaine-penicillin (92.7%), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (82.3%), dexamethasone (81.4%), tetanus toxoid (91.1%) and antivenom (65.3%).
  • Interestingly, the study found a strong correlation between the mortality rate and the time difference between the treatment and either cessation or 50% reduction of local swelling.
  • The overall mortality rate for the horses was calculated to be around 20.3%. However, usage of procaine-penicillin was significantly correlated with a decreased mortality rate.

Antivenom Administration

  • During the four-year study period, three different horse-derived antivenom products were made available for treatment.
  • The horses were administered different brands of antivenoms with varying dosages. Notably, administering the recommended dosage of any of these products was associated with a significant decrease in mortality rate.
  • This reduction in mortality rate was seen even in severe cases of envenomation, indicated by a score of 2 or more on the equine snakebite severity scale.
  • The research also highlighted that there were no reported adverse reactions associated with antivenom administration in any of the studied cases.
  • The study concludes with the assertion that species-specific antivenom, when administered at the manufacturer-recommended dosage, is effective in significantly reducing the mortality resulting from envenomation in horses.

Cite This Article

APA
Tirosh-Levy S, Solomovich-Manor R, Comte J, Nissan I, Sutton GA, Gabay A, Gazit E, Steinman A. (2019). Daboia (Vipera) palaestinae Envenomation in 123 Horses: Treatment and Efficacy of Antivenom Administration. Toxins (Basel), 11(3). https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins11030168

Publication

Toxins
ISSN: 2072-6651
NlmUniqueID: 101530765
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 11
Issue: 3

Researcher Affiliations

Tirosh-Levy, Sharon
  • Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot 7610001, Israel. sharontirosh@gmail.com.
Solomovich-Manor, Reut
  • Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot 7610001, Israel. reutsolo@gmail.com.
Comte, Judith
  • Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot 7610001, Israel. Judith.comte@mail.huji.ac.il.
Nissan, Israel
  • Ministry of Health Central Laboratories, Jerusalem 9134302, Israel. israel.nissan@gmail.com.
Sutton, Gila A
  • Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot 7610001, Israel. gila.sutton@mail.huji.ac.il.
Gabay, Annie
  • Ministry of Health Central Laboratories, Jerusalem 9134302, Israel. anniegabay@gmail.com.
Gazit, Emanuel
  • Ministry of Health Central Laboratories, Jerusalem 9134302, Israel. emgaz785@gmail.com.
Steinman, Amir
  • Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot 7610001, Israel. amirst@savion.huji.ac.il.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Antivenins / therapeutic use
  • Female
  • Horse Diseases / drug therapy
  • Horses
  • Male
  • Mice, Inbred ICR
  • Snake Bites / drug therapy
  • Snake Bites / veterinary
  • Treatment Outcome
  • Viper Venoms / toxicity
  • Viperidae

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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