title: Toxicity of Bothrops sp snake venoms from Ecuador and preclinical assessment of the neutralizing efficacy of a polyspecific antivenom from Costa Rica.
abstract: The toxicological profile of the venoms of the snakes Bothrops asper and Bothrops atrox from Ecuador was investigated, together with the venom of a population of B. asper formerly classified as 'Bothrops xanthogrammus'. The three venoms exerted lethal, hemorrhagic, myotoxic, coagulant and defibrinogenating effects, in agreement with the characteristic toxicological profile of Bothrops sp venoms. A polyspecific antivenom (bothropic-crotalic-lachesic) manufactured in Costa Rica was assessed for its preclinical efficacy against the toxic activities of these Ecuadorian venoms. Antivenom was effective in the neutralization of the five activities tested in the three venoms. These observations are in agreement with previous reports on the extensive cross-reactivity and paraspecific neutralization of antivenoms manufactured in Latin America against the venoms of Bothrops sp snakes.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigación en Salud Pública (INSPI), Guayaquil, Ecuador.
authors.forename: Johana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Laines
authors.affiliation: Instituto Clodomiro Picado, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica.
authors.forename: Álvaro
authors.initials: Á
authors.lastname: Segura
authors.affiliation: Instituto Clodomiro Picado, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica.
authors.forename: Mauren
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Villalta
authors.affiliation: Instituto Clodomiro Picado, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica.
authors.forename: María
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Herrera
authors.affiliation: Instituto Clodomiro Picado, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica.
authors.forename: Mariángela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vargas
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigación en Salud Pública (INSPI), Guayaquil, Ecuador.
authors.forename: Gladys
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Alvarez
authors.affiliation: Instituto Clodomiro Picado, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica.
authors.forename: José María
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Gutiérrez
authors.affiliation: Instituto Clodomiro Picado, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica. Electronic address: guillermo.leon@ucr.ac.cr.
authors.forename: Guillermo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: León
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000997:Antivenins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017837:Bothrops; D003364:Costa Rica; D003435:Crotalid Venoms / Q000633:toxicity*; D004484:Ecuador; D051379:Mice
chemical_list: D000997:Antivenins; D003435:Crotalid Venoms
keywords: Antivenom; Bothrops asper; Bothrops atrox; Ecuador; Neutralization; Toxicity