Adverse effect due to antibotropic serum
Abstract
Ophidian accidents in Uruguay have a variable annual prevalence, from 80 to 100 cases. Most of the reported cases are due to Bothrops gender species (60 to 70 cases a year), and need to be treated with antibothropic serum.
Since 1986 the Comisión Nacional de Ofidismo del Ministerio de Salud Pública has been producing a national protocol on diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. A year earlier, a synthesis of a national anti-ophidian serum commenced.
Since 1999, adverse reactions were seen when national anti-ophidian serum was used. These events were coincident with some difficulties detected on quality controls of the serum and a wider sensitivity about detecting adverse reactions.
A case report where a severe and unfrequent adverse reaction to antibothropic serum is presented.
Etiopathogenesis of the reaction and its correlations to serum are discussed.
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