Essentials 1 Australasia has a number of venomous spiders, but the majority of bites cause only minor problems. 2 Redback spider (a widow spider) bite is the most common cause of medically significant human envenoming in Australia. It can cause…
Essentials 1 Australia has a number of medically important venomous snakes. All are elapids (front-fanged). New Zealand has no snakes of medical importance. 2 All patients giving a history of possible snakebite should be assessed and observed for at least…
Essentials 1 The mortality from acute paraquat poisoning is high owing to rapid multi-organ failure or delayed progressive pulmonary fibrosis. Ingestion of as little as one mouthful of 20% w/v solution is sufficient to cause death. No satisfactory treatment exists.…