Venom yield of the North American coral snake and its clinical significance.

Abstract

The dry venom yields of 14 North American coral snakes were measured and correlated to the length of the individual snake. There exists a positive linear correlation between the length of the snake and the amount of dried venom elaborated. The results of this experiment show that the North American coral snake is capable of injecting far more venom than has been previously reported in the literature. A large coral snake can produce 20 mg of dried venom, which is equal to approximately four or five lethal doses for human adults. At least ten 10 ml vials of specific North American coral snake antivenin (Wyeth) would be required to neutralize this quantity of venom. The largest yield of 28 mg of dried venom was obtained from an 89.5 cm specimen, representing approximately seven lethal doses and requiring at least fourteen 10 ml vials of antivenin for neutralization. Observations on the envenomation characteristics of this snake are described.