Envenomation by Micrurus coral snakes in the Brazilian Amazon region: report of two cases

Two cases of proven coral snake bites were reported in Belém, Pará State, Brazil. The first case was a severe one caused by Micrurus surinamensis. The patient required mechanical ventilation due to acute respiratory failure. The second case showed just mild signs of envenomation caused by Micrurus f...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo
Main Authors: Pedro Pereira de Oliveira Pardal, Joseana Silva de Oliveira Pardal, Maria Apolônia da Costa Gadelha, Líliam da Silva Rodrigues, Darlan Tavares Feitosa, Ana Lúcia da Costa Prudente, Hui Wen Fan
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Universidade de São Paulo (USP) 2010
Subjects:
Envenomation
Coral snakes
Micrurus surinamensis
M. filiformis
Brazilian Amazon
Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine
RC955-962
Infectious and parasitic diseases
RC109-216
Arctic
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1590/S0036-46652010000600009
https://doaj.org/article/f1ba866927ef46d79433831270b6bd3f
Description
Summary:Two cases of proven coral snake bites were reported in Belém, Pará State, Brazil. The first case was a severe one caused by Micrurus surinamensis. The patient required mechanical ventilation due to acute respiratory failure. The second case showed just mild signs of envenomation caused by Micrurus filiformis. Both patients received specific Micrurus antivenom and were discharged without further complications. Coral snake bites are scarcely reported in the Amazon region and there is a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations, varying from extremely mild to those which may rapidly lead to death if the patient is not treated as soon as possible.

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