No description available.

No description available.

Venoms from the most poisonous snakes found in Saudi Arabia were assessed for their physical and chemical characteristics and for their enzymatic and biological activities. Venom from Atractaspis microlepidota was the most lethal in mice followed by the elapids Naja haje arabica and Walterinnesia aegyptia. Among the vipers, Cerastes cerastes venom was the most lethal whereas the remainder (Echis pyramidum, Echis coloratus and Bitfis arietans) showed similar but lower lethality. Antivenoms were raised in sheep by immunising with a low dose of venom (0.5mg) which was then doubled every four weeks. To optimise the antibody response, groups of sheep were immunised with a low, medium and high dose and the monthly bleeds were assessed by ELISA and small-scale affinity chromatography. The immunoglobulin fraction was partially purified by sodium sulphate precipitation and digested with either papain, to form Fab fragments, or with pepsin to produce F(ab)2. The different antivenom fractions produced were characterised and assessed for their ability to neutralise the enzymatic and biological activities of the corresponding venoms. Fab was equally effective as F(ab)2 in most enzymatic and biological assays but the two fractions were less efficient than IgG. The ovine Fab provided good protection in mice against the lethality of these venoms and effectively neutralised their biological and enzymatic activities. The commercial antivenoms currently available in Saudi Arabia showed only partial neutralisation of the enzymatic and biological activities of these venoms and showed in vivo protection only when using large amounts. They offered no protection against W. aegyptia venom. The monospecific ovine Fab raised against E. pyramidum and E. coloratus venoms were more efficient than the polyspecific Fab raised against a mixture of the two venoms.

Thesis (M.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Pathology, 1988. / Previous publications comprise main text of thesis. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (doctoral)--Universität Hamburg, 1979.

Objective: To test the hypothesis that the incidence of animal bites increases at the time of a full moon. Design: Retrospective observational analysis. Setting: Accident and emergency department at a general hospital in an English city. Subjects: 1621 consecutive patients, irrespective of age and sex. Main outcome measures: Number of patients who attended an accident and emergency department during 1997 to 1999 after being bitten by an animal. The number of bites in each day was compared with the lunar phase in each month. Results: The incidence of animal bites rose significantly at the time of a full moon. With the period of the full moon as the reference period, the incidence rate ratio of the bites for all other periods of the lunar cycle was significantly lower (P <0.001). Conclusions: The full moon is associated with a significant increase in animal bites to humans.

In 1993 and 1994 total, there were 247 people reported to have been bitten by animals in Benton County, Oregon. Of the 243 biting animals, 70 percent were dogs, 25 percent cats, and 5 percent other animals such as ferrets, mice, rats, bats, and skunks. Fifty-four percent of all bites occurred in Corvallis, a district of Benton County that contains 62 percent of Benton County's population. Over 50 percent of the animal bites were reported to the Benton County Health Department by local medical centers treating the wounds and by the local police department. Of the 247 animal bites investigated, 79 percent of the animals were quarantined. The average time for a health department official to investigate a bite was estimated to be 0.52 hours/bite and the average cost was $39/bite. The average cost of investigating animal bites was estimated to be $4789 per year (1.2 percent of the Environmental Health Division's total direct expenditures). / Graduation date: 1996

2 pp. / It is increasingly common for people to report symptoms of itching and skim problems which they attribute to bug bites even when no evidence of insects can be found. Potential causes for this phenomena are identified as well as a referral to a primary care provider for diagnosis and treatment.

Thesis (M.A.)--Northern Kentucky University, 2009. / Made available through ProQuest. Publication number: AAT 1462294. ProQuest document ID: 1694712601. Includes bibliographical references (p. 40-42)

Honors Project--Smith College, Northampton, Mass., 2010. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 91-95).