Snakebite by venomous snakes is a serious health problem in many countries of the world. The identification of the offending snake through venom analysis would allow for specific treatment to be given minimising mortality and morbidity rates. This work focused on developing an immunoassay for the species-specific identification of Bothrops and Lachesis venoms. Cross-reactivity studies showed that the venoms shared many cross-reacting epitopes. The use of venom adsorbents yielded antivenoms capable of discriminating the homologous venom from heterologous venoms in 'in vitro' tests both in buffer solutions and when added to normal human serum. In the conditions studied, species-specific venom identification was independent of venom concentration and antivenom dilution. Western blot analysis, revealed in a venom "pool" from a single species, components that could be species specific markers. These were shown to be present also in venoms from individual snakes of the same species from different geographic regions. Immunoaffinity chromatography of the B. jararaca venom suggests a partial purification of its species-specific component. The work showed the possibility of species-specific identification of Bothropic and Lachetic venoms. This identification is obtained through the demonstration of specific venom components. The application of this methodology to the clinical identification of snakebites could assist in the improvement of treatment of these casualties.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:526463 |
| Date | January 1995 |
| Creators | Heneine, Luiz Guilherme Dias |
| Publisher | University of Birmingham |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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