There is only one venom extraction centre in the country, in Tamil Nadu

The Madras Crocodile Bank Trust (MCBT) is researching the venom of snakes from different Indian regions in order to create a highly potent Anti Snake Venom (ASV). Last week, well known herpetologist Romulus Whitaker and his team were in Maharashtra to collect venom samples from four snake species that cause the most number of snakebite deaths in India. The team had earlier collected samples from Kerala and Punjab; permissions from the Forest Departments of a few more States are being sought.

A highly potent ASV is crucial for two reasons. First, it will offer better relief for snakebite victims. Second, it will reduce the quantity of ASV required for treatment — ASVs, produced after an intensive and long process, are currently not highly effective. There is only one venom extraction centre in the country, which functions under the aegis of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in Tamil Nadu. Venom supplied to about half a dozen ASV-producing companies comes from this region.

Also, “We now know that snake venom varies regionally even within the same species. The aim of the ongoing research project is to determine the efficacy of the existing ASV against these venoms collected from various parts of the country,” said Ajay Kartik, co-ordinator, Snakebite Mitigation Project, MCBT. “This information could be used to upgrade the existing anti venom to become more effective pan India.”

According to Mr. Kartik, small quantities of venom was collected from over 70 snakes in various parts of Maharashtra such as Roha, Alibag, Mahad, Baramati, Sangli and Thane. “We collected about 500 mg from cobras and Russell’s vipers, and 50 mg. kraits and saw-scaled vipers, in total, after obtaining permits from the Maharashtra Forest Department, with the cooperation of snake rescuers across the State,” he added. The collected snake venom is stored at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru. The study will begin after a few more States are covered and a considerable sample size is gathered.

Tedious process

The tedious process of producing ASV involves injecting venom from four different species of snakes into horses. A few weeks later, blood from the injected horses is collected and plasma separated from it. While the remaining blood components are routed back to the horse, the purified form of the plasma is the ASV. Most companies offer the ASV in a powder form for better shelf life. From injecting the venom to the formation of the ASV, the process takes slightly more than one year. One horse can produce up to 50 vials of ASV depending on the weight of the animal.

“But due to the low potency of the ASV, at times we require more than 40 vials to neutralise the venom in a snakebite patient,” said Mahad-based Dr. H.S. Bawaskar, an expert on snake and scorpion bites. He said that, at present, a Russell’s Viper bite victim requires about 40 vials of ASV; victims of cobra and krait bites require 20 vials, while a Saw Scaled Viper bite victim requires about five vials in Maharashtra.

“This is mainly because the venom of snakes in Maharashtra varies from the ones in Tamil Nadu. If we have an effective ASV, we can reduce its usage by more than 50%,” said Dr. Bawaskar, adding that the hospital stay of a victim also ranges from two days to a month, depending on how soon treatment is sought and whether the organs have been affected with venom. “A potent ASV will also help in the faster recovery of patients,” he added.

More in monsoon

Before administering an ASV, the physician injects about 10 ml. of distilled water into the vial and then transfers it to a saline solution that is administered to the patient intravenously. During the monsoon, Dr. Bawaskar sees 30-35 snakebite victims in a month; the number falls by 50% in other months.

A 2011 study carried out by the Registrar General of India pegged annual deaths by snakebite to nearly 50,000. But government records say that only about 1,200-1,300 people die of snakebites every year. Besides mortality, snakebite survivors often have to live with severe morbidity, including tissue damage and necrosis, amputations, and kidney failure.