Snake Bite DNA Test Could Save Many Lives

Venomous snake bites, even potentially fatal ones, are not difficult to treat for modern medicine. However, if the snake that did the biting can't be identified, it's much harder for professionals to administer the right anti-venom in time. Now researchers have crafted a test that could potentially change all that, quickly and accurately identifying the venom that courses through a patient.

The results of this new research were presented on Tuesday at the annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) in New Orleans.

Surprisingly, this potentially life-saving test is actually extremely simple. Researchers reportedly found that DNA is often easily detected on swabs taken from fang marks on victims. This DNA can then be used to pinpoint the species of snake that did the biting with what's looking to be 100 percent accuracy.

"These findings represent a significant step toward improving care for patients in areas of the world where snakebites constitute a massive but neglected health risk," Francois Chappuis, who directed the study, said in an emailed statement from the ASTMH.

He explained that among several million venomous snake bites each year, hundreds or even thousands of victims reportedly die or must undergo crippling amputations as a result. Scientists suspect that the worst cases occur in countries where standard medical faculties are often ill prepared to handle these bites - one of the reasons Chappuis and his colleagues focused on victims in Nepal for their research.

"That's where the recently developed DNA test could be most valuable," he explained. "People bitten by snakes in South Asia often do not seek treatment at a medical facility, and if they do, the vast majority don't take the snake to clinics, although it is often killed, and can't identify the species that bit them. Yet knowing the species of snake is critical to determining the best course of treatment."

According to the researchers, of the nearly 800 patients admitted with a history of snakebite during the study, the biting species could be identified in 194 of the cases with 100 percent accuracy. Surprisingly, this was true of both venomous and non-venomous species.

It's important to note, however, that these results have yet to be published in a peer-reviewed journal and should be viewed as preliminary.