Acute renal failure following the bite of burton's carpet viper echis coloratus gunther in Saudi Arabia: case report and review

A case of acute renal failure [ARF] with disseminated intravascular coagulation and micro-angiopathic haemolytic anaemia following a bite by Burton's carpet viper Echis coloratus is described. Renal biopsy showed mixed histological features of acute tubular necrosis, glomerular mesangial proliferation and acute interstitial nephritis. The clinical features, pathophysiology and response to treatment with heterologous anti-venom are discussed. The distribution of Echis coloratus in the Arabian peninsula is reviewed