title: [Neurotoxins from snake venom].
abstract: Many snakes are able to quickly immobilize prey, thanks to their venom neurotoxins. Most of these snakes belong to families Elapidae or Hydrophidae but neurotoxins were also isolated from families Viperidae and Colubridae. Ophidian neurotoxins can be classified into several categories: neurotoxins which inhibit synaptic transmission (postsynaptic and presynaptic neurotoxins) and neurotoxins which facilitate it excessively (dendrotoxin and fasciculin). Their toxicity is dose-dependent, and venom effects are extremely fast. The clinical feature is a potentially fatal neurological syndrome, the so called cobraic syndrome. Because death by respiratory arrest may occur quickly with cobraic syndrome, immunotherapy is a true emergency, because toxins irreversible fixing makes immunotherapy effect uncertain after a few hours passed.
authors.affiliation: Service médical, 11e régiment d'artillerie de marine, Saint Aubin-du-Cormier, France.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Larréché
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mion
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Clapson
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Debien
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wybrecht
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Goyffon
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D009498:Neurotoxins; D012910:Snake Venoms / Q000145:classification
chemical_list: D009498:Neurotoxins; D012910:Snake Venoms