New research reveals that three venomous snake species—including one of the most venomous snakes in the world—are even worse than we thought.
As if mambas—large, highly venomous arboreal snakes in sub-Saharan Africa—weren’t bad enough, researchers have discovered that the venoms of three mamba species have a nasty one-two-punch attack that explains why antivenoms sometimes don’t work. The study reveals that the venoms are more neurologically complex than previously believed, with significant implications for antivenom treatments.
“The Black Mamba, Western Green Mamba and Jamesons Mamba snakes aren’t just using one form of chemical weapon, they’re launching a coordinated attack at 2 different points in the nervous system,” Bryan Fry, a biologist at the University of Queensland and a co-author of a study published late last month in the journal Toxins, said in a university statement.
The solution to a clinical mystery
Mamba snake bites are responsible for 30,000 deaths every year, according to the statement. If you’re unlucky enough to be bitten by one of the aforementioned three mamba species, you’ll experience flaccid or limp paralysis. The good news is that limp paralysis is treatable by current antivenoms. The bad news is that, according to the study, these venoms then attack another part of the nervous system, triggering spastic paralysis.
“The venom first blocks nerve signals from reaching the muscles but after the antivenom is administered, it then overstimulates the muscles. It’s like treating one disease and suddenly revealing another,” Fry explained.
The study solves an enduring mystery regarding mamba victims; some patients initially seem to get better with antivenom but then start experiencing painful, uncontrolled spasms. Before this study, the researchers thought it was only the fourth species of mamba—the Eastern Green Mamba—capable of triggering spastic paralysis. Talk about a nasssssty sssssurprise.
A call for specialized antivenom
But wait, there’s more bad news!
“We also found the venom function of the mambas was different depending on their geographic location, particularly within populations of the Black Mamba from Kenya and South Africa,” Lee Jones, a co-author of the study and a PhD candidate at the University of Queensland, said in the statement. “This further complicates treatment strategies across regions because the antivenoms are not developed to counteract the intricacies of the different venoms.”
Researchers should now seek to create specialized antivenoms to improve outcomes, Fry said. Investigating venom dynamics and the limits of current antivenoms has obvious implications for snakebite treatment, the researcher concluded.
“This kind of translational venom research can help doctors make better decisions in real time and ultimately save lives.”
P.S. What’s a snake’s favorite dance? The mamba!
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