Comparing Traditional and Toxin-Oriented Approaches towards Antivenom Production against Snake Venom.

Accidents with snakes are responsible for about 32,000 deaths annually in sub-Saharan Africa, caused mostly by snakes from the genus , in particular . venom is composed of a complex mixture of toxins, mainly metalloproteases, serine proteases, phospholipases, lectins, and disintegrins. In this work, we compared two approaches to anti-.

Antibodies as Snakebite Antivenoms: Past and Future.

Snakebite envenomation is considered a neglected tropical disease, affecting tens of thousands of people each year. The recommended treatment is the use of antivenom, which is composed of immunoglobulins or immunoglobulin fragments obtained from the plasma of animals hyperimmunized with one (monospecific) or several (polyspecific) venoms. In this review, the efforts made in the improvement of the already available antivenoms and the development of new antivenoms, focusing on snakes of medical importance from sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, are described.

Snake Venom and Kn-Ba, a Snake Venom Serine Protease, Induce the Production of Inflammatory Mediators in THP-1 Macrophages.

is a snake of medical importance found throughout sub-Saharan Africa and in savannas and pastures of Morocco and western Arabia. The effects of its venom are characterized by local and systemic alterations, such as inflammation and cardiovascular and hemostatic disturbances, which can lead to victims' death or permanent disability. To better characterize the inflammatory process induced by this snake's venom, the participation of eicosanoids and PAF (platelet- activating factor) in this response were demonstrated in a previous study.