ABSTRACT
Although there has been steady interest in the effects of snake venoms on blood, including blood platelets, research activity has accelerated during the last several years. Much of the activity concerns fractions of venoms with single activity, which has allowed the mechanism(s) of action to be detailed in many cases. As a result, an understanding of the varied, and sometimes contradictory, effects of whole venoms has occurred and, importantly, unique well-documented tools to prove and detail other systems have been identified. This chapter concerns interactions of venoms and venom fractions with only one component of blood, namely blood platelets. For simplicity, treatment of stimulators and inhibitors is independent, with each section sequenced according to family and genera of snake. For clarity, blood platelet structure, responses, and functions, and methods used to assess platelet function are briefly described first, as an introduction to the venom sections.
