ABSTRACT
Species of the genus Bothrops induce the vast majority of snakebite envenomings in Latin America. A preclinical study was performed in the context of a regional network of public laboratories involved in the production, quality control and development of antivenoms in Latin America. The ability of seven polyspecific antivenoms, produced in Argentina, Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Colombia and Costa Rica, to neutralize lethal, hemorrhagic, coagulant, defibrinogenating and myotoxic activities of the venoms of Bothrops neuwiedi (diporus) (Argentina), Bothrops jararaca (Brazil), B. neuwiedi (mattogrossensis) (Bolivia), Bothrops atrox (Peru and Colombia) and Bothrops asper (Costa Rica) was assessed using standard laboratory tests. Despite differences in the venom mixtures used in the immunization of animals for the production of these antivenoms, a pattern of extensive cross-neutralization was observed between these antivenoms and all the venoms tested, with quantitative differences in the values of effective doses. This study reveals the capacity of these antivenoms to neutralize, in preclinical tests, homologous and heterologous Bothrops venoms in Central and South America, and also highlight quantitative differences in the values of Median Effective Doses (ED50s) between the various antivenoms.
Subject(s)
Antivenins/immunology , Bothrops/physiology , Crotalid Venoms/immunology , Immunologic Factors/immunology , Neutralization Tests/methods , Animals , Blood Coagulation/drug effects , Creatine Kinase/blood , Crotalid Venoms/adverse effects , Drug Evaluation, Preclinical , Female , Fibrinolysis/drug effects , Hemorrhage/chemically induced , Latin America , Lethal Dose 50 , Male , Mice , Muscle, Skeletal/drug effects , Muscle, Skeletal/enzymology , Myositis/chemically inducedABSTRACT
Envenoming from snakebites is an important public health issue in Brazil. In 2005, 28,597 cases were notified (15 cases/100,000 inhabitants), 87.5% due to Bothrops and 9.2% to Crotalus genus. Antivenoms available in Brazil are liquid preparations containing purified equine Fab'2. Since 1987, the National Institute for Quality Control in Health (INCQS/FIOCRUZ) has been testing all lots prior to batch release. Between 2000 and 2006, 619 lots of antivenoms were tested, comprising 2,513,690 ampoules. The potency assay was performed only for bothropic and crotalic antivenoms (485 lots corresponding to 1,866,726 ampoules) due to the unavailability of the other reference venoms. This paper aims to report the last 7-year activities of INCQS on the quality control, batch release and potency evaluation of antivenoms.
Subject(s)
Antivenins/pharmacology , Laboratories , Animals , Brazil , Female , Male , Quality Control , Reference Standards , Reproducibility of Results , Time FactorsABSTRACT
La caracterización genética de cepas del virus de la fiebre aftosa representativas de brotes importantes del serotipo O, ocurridos entre 1958 y 1983 en el sudeste de Brasil y el centro-este de Argentina, fue obtenida usando mapas de oligonucleótidios resistentes a T1. Los resultados obtenidos constituyen la base de un banco de datos para ser aplicado en estudios epidemiológicos.
Genetic characterization of representative foot-and-mouth disease virus strains from major serotype O outbreaks which occurred between 1958 and 1983 in southeastern Brazil and centraleastern Argentina was obtained using T1 maps. The results presented constitute the basis for a data bank to be applied in epidemiological studies.
Subject(s)
Foot-and-Mouth Disease , Aphthovirus , Serologic Tests , Foot-and-Mouth Disease , Serologic TestsABSTRACT
Una característica significativa del virus de la fiebre aftosa (VFA) es su alto grado de variabilidad, lo cual constiruye un importante obstáculo para el control de la enfermedad. Actualmente se sispone de varias técnicas bioquímicas como fingerprinting de ARN, ADN recombinante y secuencimiento rápido para estudiar, con significativa precisión, las características genéticas de las cepas virales. La tecnica de fingerprinting resulta muy adecuada para evaluar las relaciones evolutivas entre cepas virales muy relacionadas y en el caso del VFA tambien se ha probado su utilidad para fines de diagnostico. Con la creciente aplicacion de estudios epidemiologicos a nivel molecular que requieren el analisis de un gran numero de muestras, se hace evidente que el empleo de tecnicas mas practicas y rapidas y de menor costo, seria de gran utilidad para la caracterizacion del ARN genomico
