Assessment of Cultivable Oral Bacterial Flora from Important Venomous Snakes of India and Their Antibiotic Susceptibilities

Abstract

Snakebite is a common, frequently devastating, occupational, socio-economic hazard, and it has a great impact on the rural population of India. Snakebite is a major cause of the human morbidity and mortality since ancient times, as it not only affects the victim by systemic envenomation but also by wound infections originating from deadly pathogenic microorganisms from the oral cavity of the offending snake. The pathogens from the oral cavity of the snake tend to initiate an infection, resulting in gas gangrene, soft tissue necrosis, and permanent physical disabilities. In light of this, the present study is designed to evaluate the oral microbiota of venomous snakes commonly found in India and assessment of their antibiotic susceptibilities. Oral cavity swabs of twenty snakes representing the Indian cobra, Russell’s viper, Saw-scaled viper, and Common krait were selected for the study. These materials were enriched using microbiological media to facilitate the growth of bacteria and their subsequent isolation to assess the antibiotic susceptibilities. A total 205 strains were isolated from the oropharyngeal cavity of snakes, which represent the common pathogens, especially Morganella morganii, Escherichia coli, Aeromonas hydrophila, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, coagulase-negative Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus species, Micrococcus species, and some anaerobes including Clostridium perfringens. The study can conclude that the oral cavity of the snakes has a diversity of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria are susceptible to several antibiotics. The Gram-negative microorganisms showed 100% susceptibility to imipenem and levofloxacin, whereas Gram-positive microorganisms to azithromycin and amoxicillin/clavulanic acid.

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