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Toxicon : official journal of the International Society on Toxinology1993; 31(12); 1623-1628; doi: 10.1016/0041-0101(93)90347-l

Myocarditis following envenoming with Vipera palaestinae in two horses.

Abstract: Cardiac disease developed several days to weeks after resolution of local inflammation caused by envenoming by Vipera palaestinae in two horses. In one horse (case A), referred to the hospital for recurrent abdominal pain 8 days after envenoming, a tachyarrhythmia was detected; ventricular premature depolarizations were diagnosed by ECG. A second horse (case B) was found dead without premonitory signs 60 days after envenoming. In both horses, there was extensive necrosis of cardiac ventricular tissues.
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Publication Date: 1993-12-01 PubMed ID: 8146876DOI: 10.1016/0041-0101(93)90347-lGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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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.

The study reveals the development of cardiac disease in horses after they have been bitten by Vipera palaestinae venomous snakes. The heart conditions appeared some days or weeks after the local inflammation caused by the snakebite had been resolved.

Research Context and Methodology

  • The research was conceptualized based on two cases of horses (case A and case B) that developed cardiac diseases after being envenomed by the Vipera palaestinae snake.
  • The horses’ health conditions were closely monitored, starting from when they were envenomed through to the development of cardiac issues.

Case Evaluation: Horse A

  • Horse A was admitted to the hospital eight days after being envenomed due to recurrent abdominal pain.
  • The horse was diagnosed with a tachyarrhythmia, which is an irregular heart rhythm that can lead to blood clots, heart failure, stroke, and other heart-related complications.
  • The tachyarrhythmia was characterized by ventricular premature depolarizations detected via an ECG.

Case Evaluation: Horse B

  • Horse B was found dead sixty days after being envenomed, with no apparent warning signs before its death.

Post-mortem Findings

  • Upon autopsy, extensive necrosis or death of cardiac ventricular tissues was discovered in both horses.
  • This suggests that the venom from Vipera palaestinae could lead to serious cardiac complications that result in the widespread death of heart muscle tissue.

Conclusions

  • The study highlights a crucial correlation between Vipera palaestinae envenomation and subsequent cardiac disease in horses, emphasizing a hitherto overlooked potential danger of this snake species’ bite.
  • These findings necessitate further research into understanding how the venom affects cardiac tissue, ways to treat the resultant heart condition, and implementing preventive strategies.

Cite This Article

APA
Hoffman A, Levi O, Orgad U, Nyska A. (1993). Myocarditis following envenoming with Vipera palaestinae in two horses. Toxicon, 31(12), 1623-1628. https://doi.org/10.1016/0041-0101(93)90347-l

Publication

Toxicon : official journal of the International Society on Toxinology
ISSN: 0041-0101
NlmUniqueID: 1307333
Country: England
Language: English
Volume: 31
Issue: 12
Pages: 1623-1628

Researcher Affiliations

Hoffman, A
  • Veterinary School of Medicine, Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Agriculture, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel.
Levi, O
    Orgad, U
      Nyska, A

        MeSH Terms

        • Animals
        • Arrhythmias, Cardiac / pathology
        • Arrhythmias, Cardiac / physiopathology
        • Arrhythmias, Cardiac / veterinary
        • Electrocardiography
        • Female
        • Horse Diseases / chemically induced
        • Horse Diseases / pathology
        • Horses
        • Myocarditis / chemically induced
        • Myocarditis / pathology
        • Myocarditis / veterinary
        • Necrosis / pathology
        • Snake Bites / pathology
        • Snake Bites / veterinary
        • Viperidae

        Citations

        This article has been cited 10 times.
        1. Naik SB. Intravenous snake bite: A catastrophic snake envenomation. Ann Afr Med 2023 Jul-Sep;22(3):239-245.
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        2. Tirosh-Levy S, Solomovich-Manor R, Comte J, Nissan I, Sutton GA, Gabay A, Gazit E, Steinman A. Daboia (Vipera) palaestinae Envenomation in 123 Horses: Treatment and Efficacy of Antivenom Administration. Toxins (Basel) 2019 Mar 19;11(3).
          doi: 10.3390/toxins11030168pubmed: 30893807google scholar: lookup
        3. Kumanan T, Guruparan M, Vithiya R, Gawarammana I. Mechanisms Involving Myocardial Injury in Tropical Stings and Bites. Case Rep Emerg Med 2017;2017:4960505.
          doi: 10.1155/2017/4960505pubmed: 29230332google scholar: lookup
        4. Niraj M, Jayaweera JL, Kumara IW, Tissera NW. Acute myocardial infarction following a Russell's viper bite: a case report. Int Arch Med 2013 Feb 23;6(1):7.
          doi: 10.1186/1755-7682-6-7pubmed: 24499589google scholar: lookup
        5. Bhatt A, Menon AA, Bhat R, Ramamoorthi K. Myocarditis along with acute ischaemic cerebellar, pontine and lacunar infarction following viper bite. BMJ Case Rep 2013 Sep 6;2013.
          doi: 10.1136/bcr-2013-200336pubmed: 24014571google scholar: lookup
        6. Silva A, Pilapitiya S, Siribaddana S. Acute myocardial infarction following a possible direct intravenous bite of Russell's viper (Daboia russelli). BMC Res Notes 2012 Sep 12;5:500.
          doi: 10.1186/1756-0500-5-500pubmed: 22971617google scholar: lookup
        7. Migliorisi A, Johnson T, Nelson T, Elane GL, Ueda Y, Hobbs KJ. Snake envenomation in veterinary medicine: comparative insights and emerging therapies. Front Vet Sci 2026;13:1750963.
          doi: 10.3389/fvets.2026.1750963pubmed: 41647688google scholar: lookup
        8. Wang Y, Wang Z, Gao X, Shi Q, Yuan Y, Chen C, Yu Z, Zhou Y. Forensic identification of Agkistrodon halys bite by the combination of ELISA and immunohistochemistry: a case report and literature review. Forensic Sci Med Pathol 2026 Feb 4;.
          doi: 10.1007/s12024-026-01178-wpubmed: 41637046google scholar: lookup
        9. Florentin J, Farid K, Kallel H, Neviere R, Resiere D. Case Report: Acute myocarditis and cerebral infarction following Bothrops lanceolatus envenomation in Martinique: a case series. Front Cardiovasc Med 2024;11:1421911.
          doi: 10.3389/fcvm.2024.1421911pubmed: 39677040google scholar: lookup
        10. Bittenbinder MA, van Thiel J, Cardoso FC, Casewell NR, Gutiérrez JM, Kool J, Vonk FJ. Tissue damaging toxins in snake venoms: mechanisms of action, pathophysiology and treatment strategies. Commun Biol 2024 Mar 22;7(1):358.
          doi: 10.1038/s42003-024-06019-6pubmed: 38519650google scholar: lookup
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