Who are the most affected by Bothrops snakebite envenoming in Brazil? A Clinical-epidemiological profile study among the regions of the country.

Snakebite envenoming represents an important Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) that mainly affects tropical and subtropical developing countries according to the World Health Organization (WHO). As a priority issue in the tropics, it is estimated that accidental encounter between snakes and humans is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality among all NTDs in the world. In Brazil, an extremely diverse country with continental dimensions, snakebite envenoming is the second leading cause of reported human envenoming.

[Epidemiology of accidents by venomous animals and distribution of antivenon: state of art and world status].

Accidents by venomous animals are discussed under the historical perspective of state actions. Considered as neglected diseases, they cause social and economic losses in the working age population from rural areas of poor countries, as few of them have public health policies for adequate prophylaxis and treatment; in fact, the largest life losses occur in Africa and Asia. The 46 world producers of antivenin do not meet the global needs, making access to treatment difficult, even in countries with own production.

Humoral immune response of patients bitten by the snake Bothrops erythromelas.

Introduction: Snake envenomings are a health problem in rural areas of tropical and subtropical countries, but little is known regarding the immune response presented by bitten individuals. The IgM production of patients bitten by Bothrops erythromelas snake was analyzed to identify the effectiveness of treatment in this type of envenomation.

Methods: Bothrops erythromelas venom was submitted to electrophoresis and transferred to a nitrocellulose sheet, following incubation with patients' sera.