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Dehghani R, Monzavi SM, Mehrpour O, Shirazi FM, Hassanian-Moghaddam H, Keyler DE, Wüster W, Westerström A, Warrell DA. Medically important snakes and snakebite envenoming in Iran. Toxicon 2023; 230:107149. [PMID: 37187227 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2023.107149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2023] [Revised: 05/01/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Snakebite is a common health condition in Iran with a diverse snake fauna, especially in tropical southern and mountainous western areas of the country with plethora of snake species. The list of medically important snakes, circumstances and effects of their bite, and necessary medical care require critical appraisal and should be updated regularly. This study aims to review and map the distributions of medically important snake species of Iran, re-evaluate their taxonomy, review their venomics, describe the clinical effects of envenoming, and discuss medical management and treatment, including the use of antivenom. Nearly 350 published articles and 26 textbooks with information on venomous and mildly venomous snake species and snakebites of Iran, were reviewed, many in Persian (Farsi) language, making them relatively inaccessible to an international readership. This has resulted in a revised updated list of Iran's medically important snake species, with taxonomic revisions of some, compilation of their morphological features, remapping of their geographical distributions, and description of species-specific clinical effects of envenoming. Moreover, the antivenom manufactured in Iran is discussed, together with treatment protocols that have been developed for the hospital management of envenomed patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruhollah Dehghani
- Department of Environmental Health, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran; Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran
| | - Seyed Mostafa Monzavi
- Medical Toxicology Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran; Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Omid Mehrpour
- Medical Toxicology and Drug Abuse Research Center, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran; Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center, Denver Health and Hospital Authority, Denver, CO, USA.
| | - Farshad M Shirazi
- Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Hossein Hassanian-Moghaddam
- Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Department of Clinical Toxicology, Loghman Hakim Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Daniel E Keyler
- Department of Experimental & Clinical Pharmacology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Wolfgang Wüster
- Molecular Ecology and Evolution at Bangor, School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, UK
| | | | - David A Warrell
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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Hosseinian Yousefkhani SS, Yasser A, Naser M, Rezaie-Atagholipour M, Askari Hesni M, Yousefabadi F, Rastegar Pouyani E. Genetic diversity among sea snakes of the genus Hydrophis (Elapidae, Reptilia) in the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. Zookeys 2023; 1158:121-131. [PMID: 37215695 PMCID: PMC10193271 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1158.101347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 04/01/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Sea snakes of the genus Hydrophis are important components of animal diversity in Iranian waters of the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. Ten species of Hydrophis have been identified from the these waters and, in this study, genetic structure of seven species was compared with other populations in the eastern Indian Ocean and the West Pacific. We found that six species (H.platurus, H.cyanocinctus, H.spiralis, H.schistosus, H.gracilis, and H.lapemiodes) show high genetic similarity with conspecific populations in the Indian Ocean and Australia. However, H.curtus from southern Iran shows a high level of genetic differentiation from conspecific populations in Sri Lanka and Indonesia (0.6% and 6% genetic distance from Sri Lankan samples for 16S and COI gene fragments, respectively). Variation between Iranian and Southeast Asian populations may reflect new genetic lineages and suggest the need of further morphological evaluations to re-evaluate their taxonomic position.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Amaal Yasser
- Marine Science Centre, University of Basrah, Basra, Iraq
- Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith University, 170 Kessels Road, Nathan, Queensland 4111, Australia
| | - Murtada Naser
- Marine Science Centre, University of Basrah, Basra, Iraq
- Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith University, 170 Kessels Road, Nathan, Queensland 4111, Australia
| | - Mohsen Rezaie-Atagholipour
- School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, 170 Kessels Road, Nathan, Queensland, 4111, Australia
| | - Majid Askari Hesni
- Qeshm Environmental Conservation Institute (QECI), Qeshm Island, Hormozgan Province, Iran
| | - Fariba Yousefabadi
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman Province, Iran
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Cañas CA, Castaño-Valencia S, Castro-Herrera F. Biological and medical aspects related to the yellow-bellied sea snake Hydrophis platurus (Linnaeus, 1766): A view from Colombia. Travel Med Infect Dis 2022; 49:102410. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tmaid.2022.102410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2022] [Revised: 07/21/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 10/16/2022]
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Kazemi SM, Al-Sabi A, Long C, Shoulkamy MI, Abd El-Aziz TM. Case Report: Recent Case Reports of Levant Blunt-Nosed Viper Macrovipera lebetina obtusa Snakebites in Iran. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2021; 104:1870-1876. [PMID: 33819174 PMCID: PMC8103458 DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.20-1640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2020] [Accepted: 01/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Envenomation and death resulting from snakebites represent a significant public health problem worldwide, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions. The WHO has defined snakebite as a neglected tropical health concern. Bites from Macrovipera lebetina obtusa usually cause life-threatening systemic hemodynamic disturbances, reduced functionality of the kidneys, and other serious symptoms, including hypotension shock, edema, and tissue necrosis, at the bite site. Herein, we highlight five cases of M. l. obtusa envenomation that presented with wide-ranging manifestations. Many recovered cases were left with long-term musculoskeletal disabilities. In a particular case, a 15-year-old male patient was envenomed in his palm by an 80-cm M. l. obtusa. Within 12 hours, swelling extended to near the shoulder. Fasciotomy was performed on the forearm and part of the upper arm of this patient. Symptoms of severe localized pain and swelling, dizziness, weakness, low blood pressure, and itching around the bite area were documented. The patient remained in the hospital for 13 days.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ahmed Al-Sabi
- College of Engineering and Technology, American University of the Middle East, Egaila, Kuwait
| | - Chengbo Long
- Key Laboratory of Bioactive Peptides of Yunnan Province/Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming Institute of Zoology, KIZ/CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research in Common Diseases, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Mahmoud I. Shoulkamy
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Genome Stability and Disease Prevention, Shenzhen University School of Medicine, Shenzhen, China;,Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Minia University, El-Minia, Egypt
| | - Tarek Mohamed Abd El-Aziz
- Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Minia University, El-Minia, Egypt;,Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas,Address correspondence to Tarek Mohamed Abd El-Aziz, Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Dr., San Antonio, TX 78229-3900. E-mail:
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Ghezellou P, Albuquerque W, Garikapati V, Casewell NR, Kazemi SM, Ghassempour A, Spengler B. Integrating Top-Down and Bottom-Up Mass Spectrometric Strategies for Proteomic Profiling of Iranian Saw-Scaled Viper, Echis carinatus sochureki, Venom. J Proteome Res 2020; 20:895-908. [PMID: 33225711 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.0c00687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Saw-scaled or carpet vipers (genus Echis) are considered to cause a higher global snakebite mortality than any other snake. Echis carinatus sochureki (ECS) is a widely distributed snake species, also found across the thirteen provinces of Iran, where it is assumed to be responsible for the most snakebite envenomings. Here, we collected the Iranian specimens of ECS from three different geographically distinct populations, investigated food habits, and performed toxicity assessment and venom proteome profiling to better understand saw-scaled viper life. Our results show that the prey items most commonly found in all populations were arthropods, with scorpions from the family Buthidae particularly well represented. LD50 (median lethal dose) values of the crude venom demonstrate highly comparable venom toxicities in mammals. Consistent with this finding, venom characterization via top-down and bottom-up proteomics, applied to both crude venoms and size-exclusion chromatographic fractions, revealed highly comparable venom compositions among the different populations. By combining all proteomics data, we identified 22 protein families from 102 liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) raw files, including the most abundant snake venom metalloproteinases (SVMPs, 29-34%); phospholipase A2 (PLA2s, 26-31%); snake venom serine proteinases (SVSPs, 11-12%); l-amino acid oxidases (LAOs, 8-11%), C-type lectins/lectin-like (CTLs, 7-9%) protein families, and many newly detected ones, e.g., renin-like aspartic proteases (RLAPs), fibroblast growth factors (FGFs), peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerases (PPIs), and venom vasodilator peptides (VVPs). Furthermore, we identified and characterized methylated, acetylated, and oxidized proteoforms relating to the PLA2 and disintegrin toxin families and the site of their modifications. It thus seems that post-translational modifications (PTMs) of toxins, particularly target lysine residues, may play an essential role in the structural and functional properties of venom proteins and might be able to influence the therapeutic response of antivenoms, to be investigated in future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parviz Ghezellou
- Institute of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen 35392, Germany
| | - Wendell Albuquerque
- Institute of Food Chemistry and Food Biotechnology, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen 35392, Germany
| | - Vannuruswamy Garikapati
- Institute of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen 35392, Germany
| | - Nicholas R Casewell
- Centre for Snakebite Research & Interventions, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Pembroke Place, Liverpool, L3 5QA, U.K
| | - Seyed Mahdi Kazemi
- Medicinal Plants and Drugs Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran 1983963113, Iran
| | - Alireza Ghassempour
- Medicinal Plants and Drugs Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran 1983963113, Iran
| | - Bernhard Spengler
- Institute of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen 35392, Germany
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