Venom antibody levels in a patient bitten by a young puff adder (Bitis arietans) during a world record attempt

Abstract

Following a bite on the hand by a young puff adder (Bitis arietans), the 21-year-old male victim was admitted to hospital suffering from symptoms of mild envenoming comprising swelling to the elbow and painful axillary nodes. The patient was not treated with antivenom. One day after the bite, B. arietans venom was detected in small amounts in the blood; none was detected subsequently.

Venom antibody was detected by ELISA on the ninth day after the bite, rising to a peak after three weeks. After a further 11 days at the same level, antibody levels gradually fell but were still significantly high 81 days after the bite, when no further samples were taken. It appears unlikely in this case that a previous bite two and a half years earlier by a different species of snake contributed significantly to the development and intensity of the antibody response.