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A new technique to identify snake DNA from bite marks is on the anvil. This technique could save thousands of lives across the globe.

Snake bites cause tens of thousands of deaths in the developing world where immediate access to anti-venom is delayed due to difficulty in identifying snake. This is important as anti-venom is specific to the snake specie. Researchers from Nepal presented a study at American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene to show how DNA obtained from the bite can identify the culprit, The Times of India reported.

"We need new tools in order to save more lives. There is gross disparity in the management and outcome of snakebites since most occur in rural, agricultural areas while the great majority of healthcare workers are in urban locations," said Sanjib K. Sharma, MD, professor of medicine at the B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences in Nepal, and the principal investigator of the study, in a press release.

Snake bites are said to cause nearly 100,000 deaths worldwide every year and leave three times as many people disabled for life.

As part of the study, researchers examined 194 snake bites, of which 87 were from venomous snakes. Researchers found that they could extract snake DNA from one in four bites, while pointing out that tampering with the snake bite site with traditional remedies excluded collection of DNA from other bites. In 21 cases where patients brought the dead snake with them, the DNA test correctly identified the snake specie.

"The proportion of non-venomous snakes that bite people is actually rather high. Snakebite patients are kept in the hospital for 24-hour observation, which strains healthcare resources in many countries. By identifying species of nonvenomous snake, it is also possible to assist the local people and avoid hospital stays for those not at risk of envenomation," said Ulrich Kuch, PhD, developer of the snake DNA identification test.