ABSTRACT
The present investigation reveals the possibility of simultaneous immunization of horses with Bothrops or Crotalus snake venoms and Tetanus antigens for the production of anti-Bothrops-Tetanus or anti-Crotalus-Tetanus mixed serum, with high titers of the respective specific antibodies. Bothrops antivenoms with an average neutralizing titer of 4.16 mg venom/ml were obtained from plasma of horses with titers lower than 0.5 mg venom/ml when Tetanus antigens were not used. This suggests the existence of a synergism between Bothrops venoms and Tetanus antigens in the stimulation of the antibody response. The pooled plasma of the animal had a neutralizing titer of 21.0 mg/ml reference Bothrops venoms and 3,300 IU/ml to Tetanus antigens after purification by enzymatic digestion and ammonium sulphate precipitation. These experiments lead us to conclude that Bothrops envenomation therapy can be successfully performed using Anti-Bothrops-Tetanus serum also serving as Tetanus prophylaxis. anti-Crotalus-Tetanus serum can also be produced, although it is not of medical interest as Crotalus envenomation rarely results in local necrotizing lesions.
Subject(s)
Animals , Mice , Antivenins , Clostridium tetani/immunology , Horses , Immunization , Snake Venoms/immunology , TetanusABSTRACT
Snake venoms from M. corallinus (LD5=7.1 + or - 0.83 µg), M.frontalis (LD50=19.3 + or - 3.13 µg), M. ibiboboca (LD50=19.8 + or - 2.07 µg) and M. spiixi (LD50=6.7 + or - 1.25 µg) (family Elapidae, genus Micrurus) injected into horses alone or in combination (M. corallinus with M. frontalis) elicit antibody production, as indicated in vivo by neutralization of venom lethality and in vitro by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), immunoelectrophoresis (IE) and Western blotting (WB). Venom lethality was efficiently neutralized by the antisera, with the monovalent antivenoms being more efficient than the bivalent antivenom. Antibodies against venom components were detected by all artisera at different titers by ELISA. Upon IE, antisera against M. spiixi and M. frontalis venoms cross-reacted with the four types of venoms studied and recognized several molecular components, the precipitin lines obtained had distinct intensities and electrophoretic motilities, whereas the antivenom against M. corallinus only recognized components of its venom but not of the others. All antivenoms cross-reacted with all the elapid venoms in WB revealing several blands with distinct MWs in M. corallinus and M. spiixi venoms, two very sharp and separate bands in M. corallinus venom and a very sharp band of high MW together with several other smaller and faint bands in M. frontalis venom. The data indicate that snake venoms of the genus Micrurus are good immunogens that contain many cross-reactive molecules, and that their toxic components are neutralized more effectively by monovalent rather than by bivalent antivenom
Subject(s)
Animals , Antivenins/biosynthesis , Cross Reactions , Elapid Venoms/immunology , Blotting, Western , Brazil , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay , Horses , Immunoelectrophoresis , Lethal Dose 50ABSTRACT
Em tanque de 150 litros de capacidade, contendo 100 litros de celulas BHK-21 cultivadas em suspensao, estas foram inoculadas com a amostra PV de virus fixo da raiva, para producao de vacina. Uma concentracao relativamente elevada de virus foi obtida apos 96 a 120 horas de cultivo, que permitiu a preparacao de vacina para imunizacao de caes e bovinos contra a raiva.Os testes laboratoriais de potencia pelos metodos do NIH, Habel e Koprowski foram plenamente satisfatorios. A vacina preparada para a imunizacao de bovinos, adicionada de hidroxido de aluminio, protegeu os 10 animais vacinados contra o desafio pela inoculacao de 4 x 10/8 DL50 (camundongo) e virus rabico isolado de morcego. Sao ainda apresentadas observacoes sobre a evolucao dos cultivos celulares e dinamica de replicacao viral nas suspensoes celulares usadas. Algumas das experiencias realizadas sugerem a possibilidade de preparacao de uma vacina nao inativada com a amostra PV
Subject(s)
Animals , Dogs , Rabies , Rabies Vaccines , ImmunizationABSTRACT
Instalacao e replicacao do virus vacinante Flury HEP no tecido cerebral de animais inoculados. Inoculacoes intracerebrais (IC) e intramusculares (IM) das vacinas Flury HEP virus modificado, Flury HEP virus inativado e tipo Fuenzalida e Palacios, em lotes de 20 camundongos, comprovaram inducao de maior atividade cerebro-neutralizante pelo primeiro tipo de vacina.Demonstraram tambem ser viavel a replicacao viral no sistema nervoso central (SNC), aparentemente sem danos ao animal. As inoculacoes via IC e via IM induziram ao aparecimento de corpusculos fluorescentes no SNC, em maior intensidade ao redor de 8o.dia
Subject(s)
Male , Animals , Mice , Rabies Vaccines , Virus Replication , Rabies virusABSTRACT
Estudou-se qual a possivel interferencia no desenvolvimento da imunidade antitetanica ativa em cobaias e camundongos, filhos de femeas vacinadas contra o tetano em diferentes epocas durante o periodo da prenhez. Verificou-se que a vacinacao das femeas, em gestacao nao interferiu, negativamente, no desenvolvimento da imunidade ativa dos animais filhos quando submetidos a vacinacao ao redor de 60 dias apos o nascimento. A presenca de baixos niveis de anticorpos circulantes, recebidos congenitamente, parece ter, em determinadas condicoes, estimulado a resposta imunitaria quando, posteriormente, os animais filhos foram vacinados contra o tetano. Sugere-se que o complexo antigeno-anticorpo formado seja capaz de melhorar a resposta imunitaria induzida pelo toxoide