Deleterious Effects of Echis carinatus Venom on Liver and Lung Tissues of a Bird Species

Saw-Scaled viper (Echis carinatus) is one of the most dangerous and poisonous snakes found in Iran and is responsible to many cases of envenomations resulted to the death in the world. The present study was conducted to study the effects of the venom of this snake on birds. To perform this task, 4 individuals of the viper were collected from their natural habitat and kept alive within a televarium. For experimental animals we selected 16 birds (8 males and 8 females) of Melopsittacus undulatus. The birds were released one by one into televarium and bitten by the snakes. The snake-bitten birds were then scrutinized in terms of behavioral reactions and histological changes occurred in their lung and liver. The venom of Echis carinatus was found to cause pain, edema, severe hemorrhage and dissociation of cells tissue. Both local and systemic effects of this snake venom have been associated with the action of a variety of venom components which include metalloproteinases and ecarin.