ENVENOMATION BY Phalotris trilineatus IN RIO GRANDE DO SUL STATE, BRAZIL: A CASE REPORT

F. Valls-Moraes(1), T. De Lema(2)

(1)Laboratório de Herpetologia, Secção de Venenos,  Instituto  Butantan, SP; (2)Linha de Pesquisa em Herpetologia, PUCRS, RS, Brazil.

Snakebites by opisthoglyphs have been reported less frequently than by proteroglyphs and solenoglyphs. The present study is the first report of an envenomation caused by Phalotris trilineatus, an opisthoglyphous colubrid.  This snake is commonly distributed throughout Rio Grande do Sul State in Brazil. A 37-year-old male biologist (Atlântida, RS) was bitten between his fingers during manipulation of an adult specimen of P. trilineatus. Pain at the site of the bite occurred immediately, followed by bleeding and edema with considerable increase some hours later. Other symptoms included headache, systemic bleeding (gingivorrhage and melena), myalgia, fever and darkned urine. The patient was admitted to the hospital 34h after the bite and received five ampoules of bothropic-crotalic antivenom. Four days after admission to the hospital, the patient presented improvement of the symptoms. The symptomatology observed suggests that this venom induces systemic and local bleeding.