"Maybe rattlesnakes out west are getting more toxic. And maybe not."

There has been a bit of a news flurry and, some say, blog storm in Arizona and other western states about rattlesnakes. AP’s Amanda Lee Myers reports that toxicologists say they are seeing more fatal, and near fatal, snake bites in the region lately, with five deaths in Arizona since 2002. One idea is that the venom has gotten worse.

Well, it could be, even though Myers reports that several different species of rattlesnake have been doing the biting - making it a puzzle to think each has evolved itself a more poisonous bite.

A more measured report is on NPR’s Bryant Park Project radio show this morning. Host Rachel Martin interviews a herpetologist in Phoenix who says a few bloggers and other non-experts are letting their imaginations run overtime. His diagnosis - after talking with local snake and toxicology authorities - is that deaths may be up but it’s probably a matter of human demography. More people live in rattlesnake country, and more of them are retirees new to the west who like to garden and hike, he says. Elderly people also are more susceptible to severe reaction, possibly fatal, to snakebite. Ergo it’s not the snakes that have changed.

Speaking of desert reptiles and radio reports: In Australia, the ABC’s science writer Robyn Williams has an entertaining interview with a local specialist on lizards that live in deserts around the world. Best part is, after she describes capture of lizards with dental floss in a way “that doesn’t hurt the lizard,” and bringing them back to Australia, Robyn remarks mildly: “So presumably at some stage in the process they die.” Well yes, unfortunately, she says, but that’s the museum biz for you.

-CP

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 28th, 2008 at 11:51 am and is filed under Health & Medicine Stories. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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The Bryant Park Project, May 28, 2008 · Scientists aren't sure why Arizona is seeing an increase in deaths caused by rattlesnake bite, but reptile expert Russ Johnson says changing state demographics have helped bring vulnerable new human communities — many of them retirees — face to face with the viper's deadly venom.

Johnson, president of the Phoenix Herpetological Society, dismisses as rumor the idea that rattlesnake venom in Arizona has increased in potency. "This thing started on a Yahoo venom listserv," Johnson says. "I talked to four experts, and none of them has given any credibility to this issue at all."

Instead, Johnson says that a number of the bite victims are transplanted retirees unfamiliar with rattlesnake safety. "They get to hiking, or they love gardening" — activities where snakes are plentiful, Johnson says. And because the older Arizonans are more frail, "They're at a higher risk [of dying] than other demographics."

Johnson says developers in Arizona are striking deeper and deeper into the desert. Add to that, he says, the fact that for the past three years the region's gotten "pretty decent water," leading to bigger grass crops and thriving rodent populations. "Odds are you're going to run into [a rattlesnake] because of the high survival rate over the last few years."

What Happens When Snakes Strike?

You do not want to get bitten, says Johnson, who even as an expert handler has suffered rattlesnake fangs twice. The more severe bite occurred during a routine lab blood extraction. Johnson says he had a rattlesnake partially immobilized in a special plastic sleeve, but he then realized the snake's head could still move freely. Before he knew it, the snake had latched onto his finger.

The pain, Johnson says, was like being electrocuted and burned at the same time. Over two days at the hospital, he says he slept for a total of five minutes; the excruciating and shifting pain cut right through the high-octane medication. As the venom flowed through his body, he says, he could even pinpoint exactly where it had flowed.

"I've broken eight bones, and I'd rather break all eight again than get bitten," Johnson says.

As for how to respond to a bite, Johnson has a definitive take on the matter of to suck or not to suck out the venom: "Absolutely not." Instead, he says, be responsible. Check out advice on reptile encounters from the herpetological society.

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