Immunization of equines with phospholipase A2 protects against the lethal effects of Crotalus durissus terrificus venom.
Equines (2 horses and 2 donkeys) immunized with whole Crotalus durissus terrificus venom or its phospholipase A2 component either presented an increased survival time determined 3 days after challenge or were totally resistant to a challenging lethal dose of 200 mg crude venom 270 days after the initial immunization or 90 days after the last booster injection. The resistance was demonstrable on the basis of a good correlation with antibody titers determined by the ELISA method but not with the flocculation and neutralization assays. Since phospholipase A2 is essentially nontoxic, it can be used as a substitute for whole venom for the production of commercial antisera and as an immunizing agent in prophylactic programs.
Dos-Santos
M C
MC
Departamento de Immunologia, Universidade de São Paulo, Brasil.
Yamaguchi
I K
IK
Caricatti
C P
CP
Higashi
H G
HG
Dias-da-Silva
W
W
D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies / Q000032:analysis; D003435:Crotalid Venoms / Q000276:immunology / Q000633:toxicity*; D006736:Horses; D007114:Immunization; D007117:Immunization, Secondary; D007928:Lethal Dose 50; D010527:Perissodactyla; D010740:Phospholipases / Q000276:immunology*; D010741:Phospholipases A / Q000276:immunology*; D054467:Phospholipases A2
D000906:Antibodies; D003435:Crotalid Venoms; D010740:Phospholipases; D010741:Phospholipases A; D054467:Phospholipases A2