Pseudonaja textilis (Eastern or Common brown snake)
Pseudonaja (Latin = false Naja (cobra))
Brown snakes
Pseudonaja textilis (Eastern or Common brown snake)
Bites from Pseudonaja affinis (Dugite) most often produces coagulopathy, with other clinical signs including:, abdominal pain, breathing and swallowing difficulty, convulsions, ptosis, hemolysis, hypotension from depression of myocardial contractility, renal failure or rhabdomyolysis. The specific procoagulant involved is a serine protease with a sialic acid component which also contributes to the coagulant action that has a different specific activity than the procoagulants from P. inframacula, P. nuchalis, and P. textilis but has a homologous primary structure.
The ringed-brown snake P. modesta has been reported to cause systemic envenomation but, in contrast with other, more toxic members of the genera, there was a clinical absence of coagulopathy or paralysis with general symptoms being mild.
In direct contrast, P. nuchalis (Gwardar) is an acutely venomous snake capable of causing coagulopathy, hypotension from myocardial damage and renal failure but without neurotoxic symptoms. As previously discussed, the procoagulant is a serine proteases with a sialic acid component, which also contributes to the coagulant action, that has a specific bioactivity but shares sequential homology.
Pseudonaja textilis (Eastern brown snake) is the most toxic member of the genera and, at 12 times the toxicity of the Indian cobra Naja naja, it is the second most toxic land snake in Australia. However, due to the greater range, occurrence in urban areas and aggressive temperament, the eastern brown snake is the most dangerous and clinically important snake in Australia. The venom of the Eastern Brown snake is slow to produce effect, but once symptoms emerge they proceed with terrifying rapidity with death being sudden and unexpected. Part of the problem is that the early signs of the bite pathology closely resemble that of the occurrence of psychological shock and thus may be misdiagnosed. Symptomology of envenomation include: cardiorespiratory failure, disseminated intravascular coagulation accompanied by very active secondary fibrinolysis which contributes to the acute bleeding, renal failure, and severe thrombocytopenia. The coagulant component of the venom is a powerful complete prothrombinase that makes up over 30% of the total venom protein and converts prothrombin to alpha-thrombin which ultimately results in the clinically seen disappearance of fibrinogen and accompanying rise in fibrin in the blood.
Bites are treated with brown snake antivenom.
| Scientific name | Common name | Translation of scientific name |
| Pseudonaja affinis affinis | Dugite | related false-Naja |
| Pseudonaja affinis tanneri | ||
| Pseudonaja guttata | Speckled brown snake | speckeld false-Naja |
| Pseudonaja inframacula | Peninsula brown snake | below-spot false-Naja |
| Pseudonaja ingrami | Ingram's brown snake | Ingram's false-Naja, after C. Ingram, English orinthologis |
| Pseudonaja modesta | Ringed brown snake | calm false-Naja |
| Pseudonaja nuchalis | Gwardar/ Western brown snake | necked-marked false-Naja |
| Pseudonaja textilis | Eastern brown/ Common brown snake | woven false-Naja |
Publications
on Pseudonaja
last updated 1-98, next expected update 3-98
Additional photos-will be archived by February 12, 1998
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