Department of Studies and Research in Biochemistry, Tumkur University, Tumakuru, India.
Department of Studies in Biochemistry, University of Mysore, Mysuru, India.
Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2019 May;100(5):1043-1048. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.17-0877.
Snakebite primarily affects rural subsistent farming populations in underdeveloped and developing nations. The annual number of deaths (100,000) and physical disabilities (400,000) of snakebite victims is a societal tragedy that poses a significant added socioeconomic burden to the society. Antivenom therapy is the treatment of choice for snakebite but, as testified by the continuing high rates of mortality and morbidity, too many rural tropical snakebite victims fail to access effective treatment. Here, we advocate for more basic research to better understand the pathogenesis of systemic and local envenoming and describe how research outcomes can identify novel snakebite therapeutic strategies with the potential to be more accessible and affordable to victims than current treatment.
蛇伤主要影响欠发达和发展中国家的农村自给农业人口。每年因蛇伤而死亡（10 万人）和身体残疾（40 万人）的人数是一个社会悲剧，给社会带来了巨大的额外社会经济负担。抗蛇毒血清治疗是蛇伤的首选治疗方法，但正如持续高死亡率和发病率所证明的那样，太多的农村热带蛇伤受害者无法获得有效治疗。在这里，我们主张进行更多的基础研究，以更好地了解全身性和局部中毒的发病机制，并描述研究结果如何确定新的蛇伤治疗策略，这些策略有可能比当前的治疗方法更容易获得和负担得起。
