title: [Paraspecificity of antivenins: example of severe envenomation by the Sahara horned viper (Cerastes cerastes) treated with non-specific antivenin].
abstract: Snake bites are a major public health problem in Morocco. Both morbidity and mortality of ophidian envenomation remain very high in this country. Antivenin immunotherapy, the only etiological treatment of this envenomation, is often unavailable in local hospitals. Moreover, when available, antivenins are not necessarily suitable for local ophidian species. This case report describes severe poisoning caused by a Sahara horned viper (Cerastes cerastes) in southern Morocco. In the absence of specific immunotherapy, FAV-Afrique®, a polyvalent antivenom serum, was administered. The favorable outcome suggests that this serum is paraspecific against the Sahara horned viper. The paraspecificity of antivenin immunotherapy could be a solution to ophidian envenomation in the absence of an antivenin adapted to local snake species.
authors.affiliation: Pôle anesthésie réanimation, hôpital militaire Avicenne, Université Cadi Ayyad, avenue de la Résistance, Marrakech, Morocco. younes.aissaoui@live.fr
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Aissaoui
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kichna
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boughalem
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Drissi Kamili
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D000997:Antivenins / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009018:Morocco; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012909:Snake Bites / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012910:Snake Venoms; D017819:Viperidae
chemical_list: D000997:Antivenins; D012910:Snake Venoms
keywords: Cerastes cerastes; Sahara horned viper; antivenin; envenomation; paraspecificity