Razi Institute Introduces Antivenom for Newly Reported Black Snakes in Southeastern Iran
Referring to the recent deadly black snake bites in Sistan and Balochestan region, Nasser Mohammadpour, the head of venomous animals department of Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute said, “Usually, antivenom is not made for snakes with limited distribution, but it seems that Razi Institute's hexavalent antivenom has the capability to neutralize lethality of this snake’s venom.”
The researcher said that as soon as local Iranian media reported of deadly bites by black snake in the Southeastern province recently, the Razi institute took action and sent a team of its experienced experts from the department of venomous animals to the area and conducted field research for 10 days.
The snake that our colleagues identified in Sistan and Balochestan is known as ‘black snake’ and its scientific name is Bungarus Sndanus, which is a member of the family of cobras. Considering that the pentavalent antimonial and especially hexavalent produced by Razi Institute have the capability to neutralize the venom of cobras, it is expected that institute’s antidotes can neutralize the lethality of this snake’s venom too,” Mohammadpour said.
Mohammadpour also described the black snake to be indigenous to neighboring Pakistan, adding, “Usually, no antivenom is made for snakes that are less common and one or two bites are reported annually. Anyway, it seems that the Hexavalent antidote produced in the Razi Institute has the capability to neutralize the lethality of venom of this spotted snake.”
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