Skip to content

Puff adder venom showed regional differences between northern and southern Nigeria

Puff adder coiled among rocks
Research · Molecular biology & biochemistry

Venom from the puff adder (Bitis arietans) differed in both protein composition and biochemical activity between samples from northern and southern Nigeria in a study published on 7 May 2026 in Toxins. Researchers compared snakes collected around Kaduna in the north with snakes from Ibadan in the south, and analysed black-necked spitting cobra (Naja nigricollis) venom in parallel.

The team used high-resolution proteomics to identify the proteins present in each venom and estimate their relative abundance. They then tested several biological activities, including phospholipase A2 (PLA2) activity, protein degradation, fibrinogen breakdown, effects on red blood cells and effects on blood coagulation. PLA2 enzymes can damage cell membranes and contribute to inflammation and tissue injury, while fibrinogen is a blood protein needed to form fibrin during clotting. Venom from individuals of the same species and region was pooled before analysis, so the laboratory replicates measured the same pooled sample rather than variation among individual snakes.

Puff adder toxin profiles differed between north and south

Southern puff adder venom contained a larger proportion of serine proteases, enzymes that can alter proteins involved in blood clotting and other physiological processes. Northern venom contained more C-type lectin-like toxins, which in snake venoms often interfere with platelets and coagulation, and it showed a different pattern of snake venom metalloproteinases. These metalloproteinases can damage tissue and blood vessels and contribute to bleeding.

Many toxin families were shared between the two regions, so the venoms were not completely different. Instead, a smaller set of toxin families was strongly skewed toward one region or the other and produced the detectable regional separation in the protein profiles.

The regional samples also differed in biological activity

Southern puff adder venom showed higher PLA2 activity and higher total protease activity than northern venom. This means the southern pooled sample had greater enzyme activity capable of damaging cell membranes and breaking down proteins under the laboratory conditions used.

Both northern and southern venoms broke down fibrinogen, but the extent and pattern differed. Because fibrinogen is needed to build a fibrin clot, its degradation can disrupt normal clot formation. Northern venom also showed a stronger anticoagulant effect in the assays, meaning it interfered more strongly with coagulation under the test conditions.

The black-necked spitting cobra showed a more conserved overall venom profile between regions, dominated by PLA2 and three-finger toxins, a group of small toxins with a characteristic three-loop structure that can act on cell membranes or cellular receptors. Even so, some less abundant toxin components differed, and southern cobra venom also showed higher PLA2 activity.

The regional pattern remains preliminary

The authors explicitly describe the geographic results as preliminary. Only a limited number of snakes were sampled, and venom from individuals within each region was pooled. The results therefore show differences between the pooled northern and southern samples, but they do not establish fixed venom characteristics for entire regional populations.

The biochemical differences were also not tested directly against patient outcomes or antivenom neutralisation. They show that venom composition and laboratory activity can vary geographically, but whether this changes the clinical effects of bites or the performance of antivenom in different parts of Nigeria remains to be tested with larger, individual-level studies and formal antivenom experiments.

Sources and image credit

  1. Adeyi, A. O., Emmanuel, O. S., Itang, S. I., Ajisebiola, B. S., Kumar, M., Rudresha, G. V., Gond, P. G., Crasset, T., Redureau, D., Amorim, F. G., Sunagar, K., & Quinton, L. (2026). Preliminary insights into geographic variation in venom profiles and functional activities of Nigerian snakes, Bitis arietans and Naja nigricollis. Toxins, 18(5), 221. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins18050221

Image: Mahomed Desai — puff adder photographed in the Northern Cape, South Africa; Wikimedia Commons/iNaturalist; representative wild image, not from the Nigerian study · CC BY 4.0 · Source

About this content: This story was produced with AI assistance within an editorial workflow developed by Wildlife Vagabond. Editorial responsibility remains with Wildlife Vagabond.How AI is used

Molecular biology & biochemistry

SPECIES IN THIS STORY

Species in this story

Puff Adder Bitis arietans Explore species

Independent research and conservation news archive

Did you find this information useful?

Wildlife Vagabond is independently built and maintained. Voluntary support helps cover source verification, hosting and continued work on research and conservation news.

Support Wildlife Vagabond

The news archive will remain freely available.