Systematic literature review identifies bacterial agents in snakebite secondary infections, implying need for better management.
Key Points
This review aims to identify bacterial agents involved in secondary infections following snakebite envenomation across different geographical regions.
Conducted two independent systematic literature reviews using databases including LILACS, Medline, and PubMed.
One review focused on oral bacteria in snakes, while the other targeted bacteria associated with secondary infections.
Results categorized by Old World and New World regions based on the included studies.
In the New World, 35 bacterial genera and 9 snake genera were identified; in the Old World, 65 bacterial genera and 28 snake genera were reported.
Secondary infections revealed 18 bacterial genera and 3 snake genera from the New World, and 21 bacterial genera and 5 snake genera from the Old World.
Broad-spectrum antimicrobial recommendations were suggested due to some snake species harboring over 20 distinct bacterial genera.