Severe Bushmaster Snakebite Envenoming: Case Report and Overview

• Main Author: Garces-Filho, Allan Quadros
• Publication Date: 2024
• Other Authors: Santos, Humberto H. M., Aguiar, Thays K. P. P., Ramos, Dafnin L. S., Galan, Luis E. B., Dantas, Domingos S. M., Cerni, Felipe A., Carbonell, Roberto C., Pucca, Manuela B. [UNESP]
• Format: Article
• Language: eng
• Source: Repositório Institucional da UNESP
• Download full: http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/reports7030068; https://hdl.handle.net/11449/300650
• topic: snakebite envenoming; Lachesis; Roraima; infection; amputation

Unlike the well-documented bothropic and crotalid snakebites in Brazil, lachetic envenomings (i.e., triggered by the bushmaster snake) are rare and present significant diagnostic challenges. This case describes a severe envenoming induced by a Lachesis muta snake in a 26-year-old Brazilian man who was bitten near a forest in November 2022. Characteristic symptoms such as sweating and bradycardia pointed towards lachetic envenoming, but initial misdiagnosis as a bothropic bite resulted in a delay in appropriate antivenom therapy. Despite later receiving the correct treatment, the severity of the envenoming necessitated the amputation of a finger and triggered a severe infection. This report highlights the challenges of diagnosing and treating Lachesis spp. bites due to their rarity. Moreover, an overview of lachetic-induced signs and symptoms was explored. This study emphasizes that further reports are warranted to improve understanding of Lachesis muta envenoming and to optimize treatment strategies.