Current Articles

In the latest edition of Wilderness & Environmental Medicine
Are Rattlesnake Venoms Evolving Rapidly?
William K. Hayes, Stephen P. Mackessy

Recent reports in the lay press have suggested that bites by rattlesnakes in the last several years have been more severe than those in the past. The explanation, often citing physicians, is that rattlesnakes are evolving more toxic venom, perhaps in response to anthropogenic causes. We suggest that other explanations are more parsimonious, including factors dependent on the snake and factors associated with the bite victim’s response to envenomation. Read the full text article at http://wemjournal.org/article/S1080-6032(10)00060-8/fulltext