Mamba Venom: Paralysis Reversed, But with a Catch

The black mamba stands out as one of the world’s most lethal venomous snakes.(Image credit: reptiles4all/Getty Images)

Post-antivenom, indications of a mamba’s poisoning occasionally get worse in patients — and researchers might finally understand the reasons why.

The intricate interactions involving toxins and antivenom inside the organism brings to light veiled neurological symptoms from particular elements inside the poison. These obscured symptoms manifest after the consequence of other, equally hazardous toxins are counteracted.

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Encompassing the genus Dendroaspis, there exist four types of mamba snakes. Mamba bites constitute vital medical crises across sub-Saharan Africa, notably concerning the black mamba, regarded among the globe’s most devastating snakes due to a 100% fatality rate without swift medical attention.

Absent prompt action, the neurotoxins present within mamba venom result in fatalities from respiratory failure and cardiac arrest within an hour, therefore contributing to the 30,000-plus snakebite-related deaths reported yearly within this region.

Mamba toxins strike at the nervous system, primarily through “hacking” of nerve receptors upon muscles, study co-author Brian Fry, a molecular biologist from the University of Queensland, disclosed to Live Science. This halts neural signals from the brain traveling to the muscles.

“You would not even recognize that it’s occurring unless you try to accomplish a task, like locomotion or breathing,” Fry explained. This outcome — defined by the incapability of muscle contraction — is recognized as flaccid paralysis, and current antivenoms fare favorably versus this indication. This particular form of paralysis gets activated due to the venoms produced by three out of four mamba types: the western green, Jameson’s mamba, and black mamba.

Nonetheless, mamba venoms similarly behave in a second mode, which yields the contrary impact: it overwhelms the muscles via nerve signals, thereby inducing unmanageable convulsions. This effect is labeled rigid or spastic paralysis. “Rather than being unable to inhale due to a completely lax diaphragm, [the afflicted individual] finds it impossible to breathe due to a totally constricted diaphragm,” Fry pointed out.

Throughout history, experts believed the neurotoxins accountable for rigid paralysis manifested solely within the fourth type, eastern green mamba poison. The poisons of the other mambas were simply believed to prompt flaccid paralysis. “An unknown factor existed in the ongoing presence of [rigid paralysis] within the backdrop involving other types too,” Fry shared.

Fry together with colleagues assessed how poisons deriving from four mamba types compromise the nervous system, alongside gauging how effectively three antivenoms available commercially within Africa alleviate such effects. They executed such tests leveraging neuromuscular tissue obtained via lab animals, thus facilitating chemical or electrical muscle stimulation. Introducing eastern green mamba venom sparked convulsions inside the tissue, whereas other mamba venoms triggered no evident response — until they attempted to activate the muscle and obtained zero response given the venoms prevented muscle contraction.

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“Knowledge concerning geographic venom variation remains essential to devising antivenoms comprising antibodies fighting against all medically noteworthy toxins arising from species, despite the species’ geographic origin,” Andreas Hougaard Laustsen-Kiel, a biotechnologist hailing from the Technical University of Denmark who had no involvement within the research, expressed to Live Science via electronic correspondence. “The research’s significance lies in demonstrating that antivenoms must undergo optimization for the sake of neutralizing both forms of toxins to guarantee efficacy.”

Fry next aims to adopt a broader plus far-reaching examination of the black mamba.

“We’d prefer charting more precisely which antivenom performs better across a specific locale,” he conveyed, “thereby providing doctors with pertinent data crucial to evidence-based design of clinical management strategies.”

Disclaimer

This article exists purely for informational purposes and offers no medical recommendations.

Payal DharLive Science Contributor

Payal Dhar (she/they) serves as a freelance journalist, writing pertaining to science, tech innovations, and society. They delve into AI, engineering, material sciences, cybersecurity issues, space exploration, games, online society, and any dazzling modern tech capturing attention. She has previously written works for Science News, Scientific American, Nature, Washington Post, Guardian, Chemical & Engineering News, IEEE Spectrum, alongside other sources. They simultaneously author science fiction and fantasy. You can find her @payaldhar.bluesky.social and analyze their material at payaldhar.contently.com.

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