Publication: Bacteriological studies of the venom and mouth cavities of wild Malayan pit vipers (Calloselasma rhodostoma) in southern Thailand
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Issued Date
1990-01-01
Resource Type
ISSN
18783503
00359203
00359203
Other identifier(s)
2-s2.0-0025615144
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Mahidol University
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SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. Vol.84, No.6 (1990), 875-879
Suggested Citation
R. D.G. Theakston, R. E. Phillips, Sornchai Looareesuwan, Peter Echeverria, T. Makin, D. A. Warrell Bacteriological studies of the venom and mouth cavities of wild Malayan pit vipers (Calloselasma rhodostoma) in southern Thailand. Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. Vol.84, No.6 (1990), 875-879. doi:10.1016/0035-9203(90)90112-R Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/123456789/15976
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Title
Bacteriological studies of the venom and mouth cavities of wild Malayan pit vipers (Calloselasma rhodostoma) in southern Thailand
Abstract
Venom and oropharyngeal swabs from freshly captured Malayan pit vipers (Calloselasma rhodostoma) in southern Thailand and captive specimens in England were cultured aerobically and anaerobically to identify the bacterial flora which might contaminate wounds inflicted by bites of this species. The snakes' mouths contained a wider range of organisms than their venoms, especially gut-related Gramnegative rods sucfi as Enterobacter and Pseudomonas species and some staphylococci and clostridia. There were fewer positive cultures from captive snakes. C. rhodostoma venom inhibited the growth of group A streptococci and, to a lesser extent, that of Staphylococcus aureus and Clostridium perfringens but not that of 2 Gram-negative organisms. Secondary bacterial infection is an important complication of snake bite, especially of necrotic wounds. A combination of gentamicin with benzyl penicillin would have prevented infection with, or treated, most of the bacteria isolated from snake venoms and mouths in Thailand. © 1990, Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.