Dead cobras, kraits can still envenom hours after death: Assam study finds

GUWAHATI: Dead cobras and kraits can also envenom, experts in Assam have found during case studies. While there are cases worldwide of envenoming by dead rattlesnakes, Assam has, for the first time anywhere, recorded three cases of envenoming, two involving dead cobras and one involving a dead krait. An article titled Death to bite: a case report of dead snake envenoming and treatment was published in the international journal Frontiers in Tropical Disease on Tuesday. Dr Susmita Thakur (zoologist), Dr Surajit Giri (anaesthesiologist), Dr Gaurav Choudhary, Dr Hemen Nath (both paediatricians) and Dr Robin Doley (professor of biology) are its authors. In the first case, a 45-year-old man encountered a black-coloured snake eating chickens in his house in Sivasagar district and beheaded it. However, while trying to discard the body, he was bitten by the snake. The bite was followed by severe pain at the site, radiating up to his shoulder. He reported to the nearby Demow Rural Community Health Centre and had multiple episodes of vomiting on the way. The patient was conscious and responsive to verbal commands. Examination of the bite site revealed blackening. The snake was identified to be a monocled cobra based on the photograph shown. The pain significantly decreased following treatment. The patient did not develop any symptoms of neurotoxicity, the article said. In the second case, a farmer, also in Sivasagar, had unknowingly crushed a monocled cobra with the wheels of his tractor. Upon dismounting his vehicle at the end of work, he was bitten by the snake that was presumed to be dead. He started feeling pain at the bite site and rushed to the nearby Demow Rural Community Health Centre. The patient complained of severe pain, progressive swelling, and noticeable colour change at the bite site. Based on the photograph shown by the patient and the vital signs, envenoming was suspected and 20 vials of polyvalent antivenom were immediately administered, the article said. Although he did not develop any signs of neurotoxicity, severe cytotoxicity led to an ulcer. Following treatment, he was discharged on the 25th day and the wound was completely healed by the 65th day. In the third case, a black-coloured snake had entered a household in a village in Kamrup district, prompting the owners to kill it and discard the body in their backyard. However, out of curiosity, a neighbour tried to hold its head and was envenomed on the little finger of his right hand. Since there was no pain or swelling, and considering the snake was already dead, he and his family members ignored the bite. However, the victim later started to feel uneasiness, sleeplessness, and body pain and gradually became restless. He began experiencing difficulty in swallowing and developed drooping eyelids. Finally, he reported to a nearby community hospital the next day and was discharged in good health on the 6th day following treatment. The snake was identified as a black krait. Dr Giri, widely known as the Snake Doctor, told this newspaper these are the first such recorded cases of envenoming by dead cobras and kraits anywhere in the world. Mammals are warm-blooded animals. When they are killed or beheaded, they, as well as their brain, will be dead within six to seven minutes as the supply of blood and oxygen to the brain stops, he explained. Snakes are cold-blooded creatures with slow metabolism. Even if they are decapitated or killed, their brain may still be active up to four to six hours and they can reflexively bite if someone touches their head or neck. We call it reflex action, he added.