Rhabdophis tigrinus is not a pit viper but its bites result in venom-induced consumptive coagulopathy similar to many viper bites

Anjana Silva; Toru Hifumi; Atsushi Sakai; Akihiko Yamamoto; Masahiro Murakawa; Manabu Ato; Keigo Shibayama; Akihiko Ginnaga; Hiroshi Kato; Yuichi Koido; Junichi Inoue; Yuko Abe; Kenya Kawakita; Masanobu Hagiike; Yasuhiro Kuroda

doi:10.1186/s40560-014-0043-6

Rhabdophis tigrinus is not a pit viper but its bites result in venom-induced consumptive coagulopathy similar to many viper bites

J Intensive Care. 2014 Jul 31;2(1):43. doi: 10.1186/s40560-014-0043-6. eCollection 2014.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine and Allied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, Anuradhapura, Saliyapura 50008 Sri Lanka.
² Emergency Medical Center, Kagawa University Hospital, 1750-1 Ikenobe, Miki, Kita, Kagawa 761-0793 Japan.
³ The Japan Snake Institute, Yabutsuka 3318, Ota, Gumma 379-2301 Japan.
⁴ Department of Bacteriology II, National Institute of Infectious Disease, Gakuen 4-7-1, Musashimurayama-shi, Tokyo 208-0011 Japan.
⁵ Department of Internal Medicine, Kaizuka Hospital, Hakosaki 7-7-27, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-0053 Japan.
⁶ Department of Immunology, National Institute of Infectious Disease, Toyama 1-23-1, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8640 Japan.
⁷ The Chemo-Sero-Therapeutic Research Institute (KAKETSUKEN), 1-6-1 Okubo, Kita-ku, Kumamoto-shi, Kumamoto 860-8568 Japan.
⁸ Division of Critical Care Medicine and Trauma, National Hospital Organization Disaster Medical Center, 3256 Midori-cho, Tachikawa, Tokyo 190-0014 Japan.
⁹ Division of Critical Care Medicine and Trauma, Yamanashi Prefectural Central Hospital, 1-1-1 Fujimicho, Kofu, Yamanashi 400-8506 Japan.

Abstract

As a response to the recent article by Hifumi et al. published in the Journal of Intensive Care, the present correspondence clarifies the family-level taxonomy of the yamakagashi (Rhabdophis tigrinus). Further, the relevance of the term 'venom-induced consumptive coagulopathy,' instead of disseminated intravascular coagulation, in describing the procoagulant coagulopathy of R. tigrinus is highlighted.

Keywords: Coagulopathy; Colubridae; Natricinae; Rhabdophis; Viperidae.