Perfil clínico e imunológico de bovinos experimentalmente inoculados com veneno bruto e iodado de Bothrops alternatus / Clinical and immunological characteristics in cattle experimentally inoculated with crude and iodinated Bothrops alternatus venom

Dez novilhas mestiças, distribuídas em dois grupos experimentais (n=5) receberam na altura média da face cranial do membro anterior direito, entre as articulações umerorradioulnar e do carpo, por via intramuscular superficial, 0,15mg/kg de veneno de Bothrops alternatus bruto ou iodado. Todos os animais foram avaliados clinicamente antes - tempo zero - e às 6 e 10h, no 2º, 3º, 4º, 5º, 8º, 11º, 18º e 25º dias após a inoculação dos venenos. Dois animais do grupo que recebeu veneno bruto foram a óbito às 53h e 78h e os sobreviventes apresentaram apatia, letargia, anorexia, postura indicativa de dor, melena, petéquias e sufusões nas mucosas, aumento do tempo de preenchimento capilar, enfartamento ganglionar regional, aumento das freqüências respiratória e cardíaca, redução da freqüência de pulsação arterial periférica, elevação da temperatura retal e diminuição da movimentação ruminal. No local da inoculação do veneno bruto houve sangramento e ulceração dérmica, além de aumento significativo na circunferência e dobra da pele do membro inoculado, revelando formação de edema. Todos os animais também foram avaliados imunologicamente no 17º, 24º, 31º, 45º, 60º e 180º dia. Somente os que receberam veneno bruto produziram anticorpos, detectados até o 45º dia. Os que receberam veneno botrópico iodado apresentaram alterações gerais e locais de menor intensidade, porém sem produção de IgG nos tempos pesquisados, demonstrando que a iodação alterou a composição bioquímica do veneno, diminuindo sua toxicidade e imunogenicidade.

The effects of bothropic envenomation in 10 crossbred heifers, randomly divided into two groups, that received 0.15mg/kg of body weight of Bothrops alternatus crude or iodinated venom were studied. Behavior; attitude; appetite; defecation; urination; mucous membranes; capillary perfusion time; lymph nodes; respiratory, cardiac and pulse frequencies; rectal temperature and rumination frequency diameter and skin fold of the foreleg on the inoculation site were observed before(zero time) and at 6 and 10h and on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 8th, 11th, 18th and 25th day after venom inoculation. Two cattle of Bothrops crude venom group, died at 53 and 78h and the surviving animals showed apathy, lethargy, anorexia, pain indicative attitudes, melena, hemorrhagic spots and suffusions on mucous membranes, increased capillary perfusion time, enlarged regional lymph nodes, increased respiratory and cardiac frequencies, decreased peripheric arterial pulse frequency, elevated rectal temperature and decreased of ruminal movements. Bleeding, necrotic point and increase (P< 0.05) diameter and skin fold of the foreleg were identified on the inoculated site, confirming local edema. All the animals were evaluated for Bothrops alternatus venom specific IgG on the 17th, 24th, 31st, 45th, 60th and 180th day. Only the animals receiving crude venom produced IgG specific until the 45th day. The animals inoculated with iodinated venom showed general alterations and minor local effects and did not produce specific IgG, indicating that the iodination decreased both toxicity and immunogenicity response.

The efficacy of compression immobilization technique in retarding spread of radio-labeled Russell's viper venom in rhesus monkeys and 'mock venom' NaI131 in human volunteers.

The efficacy of the modified compression immobilization technique in retarding spread of radio-labeled Russell's viper venom in 3 rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulata) and "mock venom" NaI131 in 14 human volunteers was studied. 0.1 microgram of Russell's viper venom having 10 microCi radioactivity in 0.2 ml normal saline containing 0.5% bovine serum albumin was injected subcutaneously at the lateral aspect of the right hind limb of a rhesus monkey. A hand-tight bandaging of a rubber pad measuring 55 x 28 x 16 mm over the injection site and splinting effectively retard spread of radio-labeled venom for the entire length of time applied, although complete immobilization was not achieved. In human volunteers, application of a pad measuring 60 x 50 x 17 mm over the subcutaneous injection site of 20 microCi or 12 microCi/0.2 ml NaI131 with a hand-tight bandaging (60 +/- 10 mmHg) and immobilization of limb was found to be effective in retarding the movement of radioactive NaI131. These results suggested that the compression pads tried in this study effectively retard the spread of radio-labeled Russell's viper venom (MW ranging from 20,000-90,000) and radioactive NaI131 (MW 150) from the site of injection. Thus, it is highly likely that the present compression pad will be useful as a first-aid measure in Russell's viper bite victims.