title: Immune response towards snake venoms.
abstract: The immune response involves a complex repertoire of innate and adaptive responses to foreign agents in the organism. The present review focuses on the immune response to snake venoms, including those occurring in snakebite accidental envenomation, experimental vaccination and animal hyperimmunization for snake antivenom production. The following aspects are considered: (a) the structural characteristics of snake toxins and their relationship to immunogenicity, (b) the effects that factors such as administration route, venom dose, type of adjuvant, and individual and species characteristics of the immunized animal have on the immune response, (c) the initial venom-induced inflammatory response, (d) the process by which specific antibodies towards individual toxins are produced, and (e) the techniques currently used to evaluate the antibody response. Understanding the immune response to snake venoms is highly relevant for improving antivenom production and for gaining a more complete view of snakebite envenoming.
authors.affiliation: Instituto Clodomiro Picado, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica. guillermo.leon@ucr.ac.cr
authors.forename: Guillermo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: León
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sánchez
authors.forename: Andrés
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hernández
authors.forename: Mauren
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Villalta
authors.forename: María
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Herrera
authors.forename: Alvaro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Segura
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Estrada
authors.forename: José María
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Gutiérrez
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation / Q000276:immunology; D000997:Antivenins / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D056724:Immunity, Humoral; D012698:Serologic Tests / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends; D012909:Snake Bites / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*; D012910:Snake Venoms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D012911:Snakes; D014118:Toxins, Biological / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000997:Antivenins; D012910:Snake Venoms; D014118:Toxins, Biological