🐍 Climate Shapes Snake Venom: Why This Could Save Lives in India

 India's 58,000 annual snakebite deaths (mostly from Russell’s vipers) may soon get better treatment—thanks to a breakthrough linking venom toxicity to climate zones.

🔬 Key Findings (Indian Institute of Science):

🌵 Arid regions = Venom rich in tissue-destroying enzymes
🌧️ Humid areas = Dominated by phospholipases (attacks cells)
🗺️ First predictive venom map created for India

💉 Why It Matters:

✅ Explains why antivenom fails in some regions
✅ Helps doctors tailor treatments (e.g., arid zones need proteinase inhibitors)
⚠️ Current "one-size-fits-all" antivenom misses critical variations

"Snakes evolve with their environment—venom isn’t random."
— Kartik Sunagar, Evolutionary Biologist

🌍 Next Steps:

🔎 Study diet/predator effects (sample size was only 115 snakes)
🌐 Expand research to other deadly species (kraits, cobras)

#Snakebite #VenomResearch #ClimateScience #PublicHealth #India #PLoSResearch

#climate #biochemistry #enzymes #snakevenom #toxin

Reference

1. Chakma JK, et al. White paper on venomous snakebite in India. Indian J Med Res. 2020;152(6):568-574.
2. Suraweera W, et al. Trends in snakebite deaths in India from 2000 to 2019 in a nationally representative mortality study. eLife. 2020;9:e54076.
3. Kalita B, et al. Proteomic analysis and immuno-profiling of eastern India Russell's viper (Daboia russelii) venom: Correlation between RVV composition and clinical manifestations post RV bite. J Proteome Res. 2018;17(8):2819-2833.
4. Sarangi N, et al. Significant serpents: Predictive modelling of bioclimatic venom variation in Russell's viper. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2025;19(4):e0012949.
5. Senji Laxme RR, et al. Biogeographic venom variation in Russell's viper (Daboia russelii) and the preclinical inefficacy of antivenom therapy in snakebite hotspots. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2021;15(3):e0009247.