Rev Invest Clin. 1991 Oct-Dec; 43(4): 315-7.

[Desiccated rattlesnake capsules: a potential source of gram-negative bacterial infection]

MÃ¡rquez-DÃ¡vila G, MartÃnez-Barreda C, SuÃ¡rez-RamÃrez I.

The ingestion of rattlesnake powder capsules is frequent in Mexico in view of their alleged curative properties in various diseases, among them different malignancies. Based on previous reports showing both bacteremia and septicemia in patients with malignant diseases ingesting such capsules, we conducted a study to evaluate the presence of microorganisms in 16 different preparations of rattlesnake powder capsules, obtained in six different cities of our country. We found that all the samples were significantly contaminated with gram-negative coliform bacteria: Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterobacter agglomerans, E. cloacae, Salmonella arizona and Salmonella of groups B, E4 and G. Eighty one percent of the capsules were contaminated with Salmonella sp. The most frequent was S. arizona with a natural reservoir in snakes. Contamination was probably derived from both the flesh of the snake and fecal contamination during the domestic preparation of the powder to produce the capsules. These data, together with those previously published regarding bacteremia and septicemia derived from the ingestion of the capsules, suggests that there is danger in their use.