Comparison of phylogeny, venom composition and neutralization by antivenom in diverse species of bothrops complex.

Bibliographic Details
Title: Comparison of phylogeny, venom composition and neutralization by antivenom in diverse species of bothrops complex.
Authors: Leijiane F Sousa, Carolina A Nicolau, Pedro S Peixoto, Juliana L Bernardoni, Sâmella S Oliveira, José Antonio Portes-Junior, Rosa Helena V Mourão, Isa Lima-dos-Santos, Ida S Sano-Martins, Hipócrates M Chalkidis, Richard H Valente, Ana M Moura-da-Silva
Source: PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, Vol 7, Iss 9, p e2442 (2013)
Publisher Information: Public Library of Science (PLoS), 2013.
Publication Year: 2013
Collection: LCC:Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine
LCC:Public aspects of medicine
Subject Terms: Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine, RC955-962, Public aspects of medicine, RA1-1270
More Details: In Latin America, Bothrops snakes account for most snake bites in humans, and the recommended treatment is administration of multispecific Bothrops antivenom (SAB--soro antibotrópico). However, Bothrops snakes are very diverse with regard to their venom composition, which raises the issue of which venoms should be used as immunizing antigens for the production of pan-specific Bothrops antivenoms. In this study, we simultaneously compared the composition and reactivity with SAB of venoms collected from six species of snakes, distributed in pairs from three distinct phylogenetic clades: Bothrops, Bothropoides and Rhinocerophis. We also evaluated the neutralization of Bothrops atrox venom, which is the species responsible for most snake bites in the Amazon region, but not included in the immunization antigen mixture used to produce SAB. Using mass spectrometric and chromatographic approaches, we observed a lack of similarity in protein composition between the venoms from closely related snakes and a high similarity between the venoms of phylogenetically more distant snakes, suggesting little connection between taxonomic position and venom composition. P-III snake venom metalloproteinases (SVMPs) are the most antigenic toxins in the venoms of snakes from the Bothrops complex, whereas class P-I SVMPs, snake venom serine proteinases and phospholipases A2 reacted with antibodies in lower levels. Low molecular size toxins, such as disintegrins and bradykinin-potentiating peptides, were poorly antigenic. Toxins from the same protein family showed antigenic cross-reactivity among venoms from different species; SAB was efficient in neutralizing the B. atrox venom major toxins. Thus, we suggest that it is possible to obtain pan-specific effective antivenoms for Bothrops envenomations through immunization with venoms from only a few species of snakes, if these venoms contain protein classes that are representative of all species to which the antivenom is targeted.
Document Type: article
File Description: electronic resource
Language: English
ISSN: 1935-2727
1935-2735
Relation: http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3772048?pdf=render; https://doaj.org/toc/1935-2727; https://doaj.org/toc/1935-2735
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0002442
Access URL: https://doaj.org/article/c881e9b5ad7b4cecba8796c5c078211c
Accession Number: edsdoj.881e9b5ad7b4cecba8796c5c078211c
Database: Directory of Open Access Journals
More Details
ISSN:19352727
19352735
DOI:10.1371/journal.pntd.0002442
Published in:PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
Language:English