Publications

amblyomma arianae, n. sp. (acari: ixodidae), a parasite of alsophis portoricensis (reptilia: colubridae) in puerto rico.		1986	3795233
biological and proteomic analysis of venom from the puerto rican racer (alsophis portoricensis: dipsadidae).	the puerto rican racer alsophis portoricensis is known to use venom to subdue lizard prey, and extensive damage to specific lizard body tissues has been well documented. the toxicity and biochemistry of the venom, however, has not been explored extensively. we employed biological assays and proteomic techniques to characterize venom from a. portoricensis anegadae collected from guana island, british virgin islands. high metalloproteinase and gelatinase, as well as low acetylcholinesterase and ph ...	2010	19835906
is the puerto rican racer, alsophis portoricensis, really harmless? a case report series.	puerto rico (pr) is home to 10 indigenous species of snake. alsophis portorricensis has traditionally been considered harmless. in 1961, hageman classified a portorricensis as somewhere between "venomous" and "nonvenomous." in 1966, heatwole and banuchi reported the only case found in the literature of a "venomous" bite from alsophis portorricensis. only 6 cases of snakebite were reported to the pr department of health from 1998 to 2007; ecchymosis, swelling, and abnormal vital signs were noted ...	2010	21168790
alsophinase, a new p-iii metalloproteinase with α-fibrinogenolytic and hemorrhagic activity from the venom of the rear-fanged puerto rican racer alsophis portoricensis (serpentes: dipsadidae).	metalloproteinases from snake venoms are often multi-domain enzymes involved in degradation of a variety of structural proteins. hemorrhage and tissue necrosis are common manifestations of viperid envenomations in humans, largely due to the actions of prominent metalloproteinases, and envenomation by rear-fanged snakes may also cause hemorrhage. we purified the major metalloproteinase in alsophis portoricensis (puerto rican racer) venom through hplc size exclusion and ion exchange chromatography ...	2012	22349739
non-front-fanged colubroid snakes: a current evidence-based analysis of medical significance.	non-front-fanged colubroid snakes (nffc; formerly and artificially taxonomically assembled as "colubrids") comprise about 70% of extant snake species and include several taxa now known to cause lethal or life threatening envenoming in humans. although the medical risks of bites by only a handful of species have been documented, a growing number of nffc are implicated in medically significant bites. the majority of these snakes have oral products (duvernoy's secretions, or venoms) with unknown bi ...	2013	23462380