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Bungarus (commonly known as kraits )"krait, n." Oxford English Dictionary Online. Oxford University Press (accessed June 30, 2014). "krait". American Heritage Dictionary. Accessed June 30, 2014. is a genus of venomous snakes in the family Elapidae. The genus is native to Asia. Often found on the floor of in South Asia, Southeast Asia and Southern China, they are medium-sized, highly venomous snakes with a total length (including tail) typically not exceeding . These are nocturnal ophiophagy which prey primarily on other snakes at night, occasionally taking lizards, amphibians and rodents. Most species are with banded patterns acting as a aposematism to their predators. Despite being considered as generally docile and timid, kraits are capable of delivering highly potent neurotoxins which is medically significant with potential lethality to humans. The genus currently holds 18 species and 5 subspecies.
These phases of envenomation may or may not be experienced in all parts of the body; they may or may not be experienced simultaneously. The severity of the bite itself and the actual dosage of venom delivered plays a role in the intensity of symptoms. As kraits are mainly nocturnal, encounters with humans are rare during the daytime. Bites mainly occur after sunset, and are often (initially) painless; thus, a bite may go unnoticed if the victim is sleeping or otherwise does not see or notice the krait, further prolonging envenomation damage within the body. Still—whenever possible—medical treatment should be sought posthaste, as a bite from a krait is considered potentially life-threatening. All venomous snake bites must be taken seriously as an immediate medical emergency.
Typically, victims will start to notice severe abdominal cramps accompanied by progressive muscular paralysis, and frequently starting with ptosis. As no local symptoms are usually seen, a patient should be carefully observed for tell-tale signs of paralysis (e.g. the onset of bilateral ptosis, diplopia, and dysphagia), and subsequently treated (as quickly as possible) with antivenom. Frequently, little or no pain occurs at the site of a krait bite, which can provide false reassurance to the victim. The major medical difficulty of envenomated patients is the lack of medical resources (especially intubation supplies and mechanical in rural hospitals) and potential for ineffectiveness by the antivenom.
Upon arriving at a healthcare facility, support must be provided until the venom has and the victim can breathe unaided, especially if no species-specific antivenom is available. Given that the toxins alter acetylcholine transmission—which causes the paralysis—some patients have been successfully treated with cholinesterase inhibitors, such as physostigmine or neostigmine, but success is variable and may be species-dependent, as well. If death occurs, it typically takes place about 6-12 hours after the krait bite, but can be significantly delayed. The usual cause of death in that situation is respiratory failure—suffocation by complete paralysis of the diaphragm. Even if patients make it to a hospital, subsequently entering a permanent coma (and even brain death from hypoxia) may occur, given the potential for long transport times to get medical care, in some regions.
Mortality rates caused by bites from the members of this genus vary by species; according to University of Adelaide Department of Toxicology, bites from the banded krait have a mortality rate of 1–10% in untreated humans, while that of the common krait is 70–80%. In common with those of all other venomous snakes, the death time and fatality rate resulting from bites of kraits depend on numerous factors, such as the venom yield and the health status of the victim.
Polyvalent elapid antivenom is effective in neutralizing of the venoms of B. candidus and B. flaviceps, and rather effective for B. fasciatus, and the monovalent B. fasciatus antivenom is also moderately effective.
| Bungarus andamanensis | & , 1978 | 0 | South Andaman krait | India (Andaman Islands) | |
| Bungarus bungaroides | (Cantor, 1839) | 0 | Northeastern hill krait | Myanmar, India (Assam, Cachar, Sikkim), Nepal, Vietnam | |
| Bungarus caeruleusT | (Schneider, 1801) | 0 | Common krait, Indian krait | Afghanistan, Pakistan, India (Bengal, Maharashtra, Karnataka), Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal | |
| Bungarus candidus | (Carl Linnaeus, 1758) | 0 | Blue krait, Malayan krait | Cambodia, Indonesia (Java, Sumatra, Bali, Sulawesi), Malaysia (Malay Peninsula), Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam | |
| Bungarus ceylonicus | Günther, 1864 | 1 | Ceylon krait, Sri Lankan krait | Sri Lanka | |
| Bungarus fasciatus | (Schneider, 1801) | 0 | Banded krait | Bangladesh, Brunei, Myanmar, Cambodia, south China (incl. Hong Kong, Hainan), north-east India, Bhutan, Nepal, Indonesia (Sumatra, Java, Borneo), Laos, Macau; Malaysia (Malaya and East Malaysia), Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. | |
| Bungarus flaviceps | (Reinhardt, 1843) | 1 | Red-headed krait | South Thailand, South Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysian Peninsula, Pulau Tioman, Indonesia (Bangka Regency, Sumatra, Java, Billiton, Borneo) | |
| Bungarus lividus | Cantor, 1839 | 0 | Lesser black krait | India, Bangladesh, Nepal | |
| Bungarus magnimaculatus | Wall & , 1901 | 0 | Burmese krait | Myanmar | |
| Bungarus multicinctus | Edward Blyth, 1861 | 1 | Many-banded krait | Taiwan, south China (Hong Kong, Hainan), Myanmar, Laos, northern Vietnam, and Thailand | |
| Bungarus niger | Wall, 1908 | 0 | Black krait, Greater black krait | India (Assam, Sikkim), Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan | |
| Bungarus persicus | , , , & , 2014 | 0 | Persian krait, Iranian krait | Iran | |
| Bungarus sagittatus | , , , & , 2024 | 0 | Thailand | ||
| Bungarus sindanus | Boulenger, 1897 | 2 | Sind krait | Southeast Pakistan, India | |
| Bungarus slowinskii ; ; ; ; Donnelly, Maureen A.; (2005). "A new species of krait (Squamata: Elapidae) from the Red River System of Northern Vietnam". Copeia 2005 (4): 818-833. ( Bungarus slowinskii, new species). | , , , , Donnelly & , 2005 | 0 | Red River krait | Northern Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia. | |
| Bungarus suzhenae | , , , & , 2021 | 0 | Suzhen's krait | China (Yunnan), Myanmar (Kachin State) | |
| Bungarus walli | Wall, 1907 | 0 | Wall's krait | India (Uttar Pradesh), Nepal, Bangladesh | |
| Bungarus wanghaotingi | Pope, 1928 | 0 | China, Myanmar | ||
Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Bungarus.
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