Development of a sensitive enzyme immunoassay (ELISA) for specific identification of Lachesis acrochorda venom

Abstract

Abstract:The snake genus Lachesis provokes 2 to 3% of snakebites in Colombia every year. Two Lachesis species, L. acrochorda and L. muta, share habitats with snakes from another genus, namely Bothrops asper and B. atrox. Lachesis venom causes systemic and local effects such as swelling, hemorrhaging, myonecrosis, hemostatic disorders and nephrotoxic symptoms similar to those induced by Bothrops, Portidium and Bothriechis bites. Bothrops antivenoms neutralize a variety of Lachesis venom toxins. However, these products are unable to avoid coagulation problems provoked by Lachesis snakebites. Thus, it is important to ascertain whether the envenomation was caused by a Bothrops or Lachesis snake. The present study found enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) efficient for detecting Lachesis acrochorda venom in a concentration range of 3.9 to 1000 ng/mL, which did not show a cross-reaction with Bothrops, Portidium, Botriechis and Crotalus venoms. Furthermore, one fraction of L. acrochorda venom that did not show crossreactivity with B. asper venom was isolated using the same ELISA antibodies; some of its proteins were identified including one Gal-specific lectin and one metalloproteinase. This test may be useful to physicians, since it could be applicable for tracking the kinetic distribution of antigens in patients or experimentally envenomed animals.

Current Knowledge on Snake Dry Bites

“…In addition to the more established laboratory tests and novel biomarkers of envenoming described above, several assays capable of detecting venom components in patient samples have been developed. Many of these are immunoassays, e.g., in the form of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) [ 78 , 79 , 80 , 81 , 82 , 83 , 84 , 85 ], lateral flow assays (LFAs) [ 86 , 87 ], impedimetric immunoassays [ 88 ], and others [ 89 , 90 , 91 , 92 ]. Other researchers have instead explored the potential of utilizing technologies, such as polymerase chain reactions (PCRs) [ 93 , 94 , 95 ] and enzymatic assays [ 96 ], for diagnosis of snakebite envenoming.…”