Guwahati, Aug. 19 -- Experts in Assam have documented the first known cases of snakebites caused by dead cobras and a krait, highlighting the dangers of handling dead snakes.

A study titled "Death to Bite: A Case Report of Dead Snake Envenoming and Treatment" was published on Tuesday in the international journal Frontiers in Tropical Disease.

The research was authored by Dr Susmita Thakur (zoologist), Dr Surajit Giri (anaesthesiologist), Dr Gaurav Choudhary and Dr Hemen Nath (paediatricians), and Dr Robin Doley (professor of biology).

The first case involved a 45-year-old man in Sivasagar district, who beheaded a black-colored snake eating chickens in his house. While discarding the body, he was bitten and experienced severe pain radia...