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Posted by Trust on April 17, 2003 at 07:56:06:
When a bee stings, there is pain and local swelling. I've been stung by a large wasp and the area around the sting swelled up as if there was a tennis ball growing under my skin, and it hurt for a few days, even though I'm not allergic to bee/wasp stings (according to the allergist, anyway).
Down the forum WW points out several reports of hyrdodynastes bites that had significant effects. These reports speak to using caution with these snakes.
On the other hand, I have met a person who breeds hydrodynastes and claims to have been bitten "many times" by his adult breeders with "no problems" other than the bleeding and some persistent itching.
There is also an account of a bite by a fellow named Patrick, if I recall correctly, posted both here and on his web site. As I remember, he had some persistent itching as well, and swelling, but it wasn't as severe as the bites in the reports WW cited (it was also a relatively small snake).
So I'm wondering if there may be something in the oral secretions of this species, and maybe snakes in general, that could cause an allergic or allergic-type reaction in some people which causes more severe effects than in others. If so, then I wonder if this could be something like bee sting allergies where some people have severe reactions, but most only have local pain/swelling.
Hydro venom has been found to have an LD50 equal to that of certain crotes, but does it behave, biologically, the same way as crote venom? If not, how does it cause death in mice?
