Cobra
snakebites are one of the most frequent occurrences among the poisonous
snakebites. The correlation between the serum concentrations of
cobra venom in the victims with the severity of systemic and local symptoms after envenoming is still awaited for investigation. In this paper, we have developed an
enzyme-linked
immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect Taiwan
cobra venom existed in the serum of the cobra
snakebite victims. This established technique allowed us to detect as low as 1 ng/ml. Totally, 31 serum samples of 27 recognized and suspected cobra
snakebite patients were analyzed by the developed ELISA technique. The highest
venom level detected was 1270 ng/ml in a case 2 h after being envenomed. We found that the serum concentrations of the
venom in the bitten patients were well correlated with the severity of local tissue destruction.
Venom levels might remain high 48 h after
snakebite. Two or more vials of specific
antivenom administered soon after
snakebite were effective in neutralizing the circulating
venom as revealed by ELISA. Higher doses of
antivenom may be indicated in cases of
cobra venom-induced local tissue destruction. In conclusion, these results indicate that
venom detection in
snakebite victims is valuable in diagnosis and severity assessment of Taiwan cobra
snakebite.