What is Sea Snake Toxicity?
Sea snakes, which are believed to be the most populated venomous reptiles in the world, can usually be found in the warm, tropical waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. However, they are not present in the Atlantic Ocean. There are 57 known species of sea snakes, which belong to two primary sub-groups (Laticaudinae and Hydrophiinae).
Sea snakes are generally not aggressive. They have, however, been known to bite humans either in self-defense or when they are startled. This usually happens when fishermen try to disentangle them from their nets. Being bitten by a sea snake and receiving its venom can be very dangerous and potentially fatal if not treated correctly. This is because the venom of a sea snake has potent neurotoxic properties with low LD50 values, meaning it can seriously affect your nervous system.
After a bite, the venom can cause difficulties with breathing or even drowning due to paralysis of the diaphragm (the muscle that helps us breathe) and other muscles in our body. Keep in mind that not all bites from sea snakes inject venom, but it is still best to steer clear of them to avoid any potential dangers.
What Causes Sea Snake Toxicity?
Sea snakes generally don’t attack unless they feel scared or surprised, in which case they might bite. Fishermen are the people most likely to get bitten by sea snakes. This happens usually when they accidentally come across these snakes while removing them from their nets. It’s important to know, like snakes that live on land, that not all bites from sea snakes inject venom.
One key thing to remember is that sea snakes have small teeth, so sometimes you might not even realize you’ve been bitten until you start to feel unwell.
Risk Factors and Frequency for Sea Snake Toxicity
Sea snake bites are less common than bites from land snakes. They usually happen when fishermen try to remove the snakes from their nets. It’s hard to know the exact number of sea snake bites because many happen at sea or in small fishing villages where reporting is difficult. Despite being less common, sea snake bites can be very serious because the snake’s venom is highly toxic. This can lead to severe health issues or even death, unless treatment is provided quickly.
Signs and Symptoms of Sea Snake Toxicity
Sea snake poisoning can lead to several physical symptoms due to the blockage of neural impulses and the breakdown of muscle. These symptoms can include paralysis, difficulty swallowing, muscle spasms, stoppage of breathing, and trouble speaking. The most common cause of death is from stoppage of breathing because of paralysis of the diaphragm or from unintentionally inhaling liquid due to paralysis of the skeletal muscles. Since sea snakes have tiny teeth, it might be hard to notice bite marks. Sometimes, victims might not even realize they’ve been bitten until they start showing symptoms.
Usually, if no symptoms, including neurological ones and muscle pain from muscle tissue destruction, show within a few hours of the bite, it could mean that the bite was dry, meaning poison was not injected. Approximately half of sea snake bites are dry bites, and significant poisoning only occurs in about half the cases.
Testing for Sea Snake Toxicity
If you’ve come into contact with a sea snake, you might experience muscle death, which is also known as myonecrosis, due to a toxin called phospholipase A. This can cause creatine kinase levels in your blood to rise and myoglobinuria, which is when a protein called myoglobin is found in your urine.
However, diagnosing a sea snake bite doesn’t necessarily involve lab tests or imaging like X-rays. The diagnosis can be made just based on your symptoms and the history of coming into contact with a sea snake.
Monitoring your electrolyte and creatinine levels could be helpful, though. These tests can check your kidneys because kidney injury can be a complication of a sea snake bite. Bear in mind, though, these tests aren’t needed to confirm the diagnosis of a sea snake bite.
Treatment Options for Sea Snake Toxicity
When treating a venomous bite, it’s key to give anti-venom treatment as quickly as possible if there are signs that the venom is causing harm. It’s also crucial to get the person out of water right away, as paralysis can result in drowning. Difficulty in breathing might happen due to paralysis, so in such cases, a breathing tube may be needed to help with breathing until the anti-venom starts to work.
Cutting, draining, or sucking the venom from the bite is not recommended. These methods often do very little to remove the venom and may cause harm to the skin or even lead to an infection.
A specialized bandage that applies pressure and immobilizes the area might help stop the venom from spreading to other parts of the body. Monitoring the urine output could give doctors insights into whether there are harmful substances in the blood. It’s also important to frequently check kidney function and balance of electrolytes—or minerals that help your body function properly—and supplement as needed.
In cases where anti-venom is not available, a procedure called hemodialysis—where a machine cleans your blood—might be considered. This method could be useful because the venom is a small protein that could potentially be filtered out this way.
What else can Sea Snake Toxicity be?
When dealing with certain health situations, some of the medical conditions that doctors may look at include:
- Bites or stings from a Cobra
- Bites or stings from a Copperhead or a Cottonmouth snake
- Bites or stings from a Coral snake
- Gillian-Barre syndrome, a disorder that causes your body’s immune system to attack your nerves
- Bites or stings from a Mojave Rattlesnake
- Bites or stings from a Rattlesnake
- Rhabdomyolysis, a condition where there is a breakdown of muscle tissue that leads to the release of muscle fiber contents into the blood
What to expect with Sea Snake Toxicity
Sea snake venom is highly potent, meaning even a small amount can be dangerous. Without proper treatment, it can lead to severe health effects and even death. However, if a person receives prompt medical attention, which could include assistance with their breathing and the administration of a medicine called antivenin, their overall chance of recovery is good.
Possible Complications When Diagnosed with Sea Snake Toxicity
Being bitten by a sea snake can lead to various complications. The venom from the snake has something called phospholipase A, which can cause muscle damage and lead to a condition called myoglobinuria. If there is substantial muscle breakdown, the myoglobinuria can cause elevated creatinine levels, leading to kidney damage. If you don’t receive an antidote quickly, you may experience serious health issues, or even face life-threatening situations such as possible drowning or respiratory failure.
Common Side Effects:
- Muscle damage
- Myoglobinuria (caused by muscle breakdown)
- Raised creatinine levels
- Kidney damage
- Potential drowning
- Respiratory failure
- Possibility of death
Preventing Sea Snake Toxicity
Sea snakes may not be quick to attack, yet they are considerably dangerous. Teaching people, particularly those who live near or work in the sea, to stay away from sea snakes can greatly decrease the number of sea snake bites. This advice is particularly relevant for fishermen, as they often accidentally encounter sea snakes while casting or pulling in their nets.
Consequently, helping fishermen identify sea snakes in areas where the snakes are commonly found and suggesting they avoid interaction with these creatures can be a substantial measure in preventing bites. Moreover, if someone does get bitten by a sea snake, it’s crucial to educate those who are most likely to face such a danger about the possible severe effects. These effects can range from becoming paralyzed to even stopping breathing.
By spreading this knowledge, those at risk would comprehend the importance of seeking immediate medical help for treatment with an antidote if they ever get bitten by a sea snake. In other words, the sooner a bitten person gets to a doctor, the better chances they have at a full recovery.
