Abstract
Differences among venoms of snake species geographically and phylogenetically remote from each other were observed by pioneer workers on snake venoms. Fayrer (1872) noted differences in the effects of various Indian snake venoms on animals. Mitchell and Reichert (1886) found significant differences in the concentrations of globulins and peptones in venoms of the rattlesnake (Crotalus adamanteus), water moccasin (Agkistrodon piscivorus), and cobra (Naja naja). They also found these venoms differed in their pharmacologic effects and in the tissue changes produced. Wolfenden (1886) reported on chemical differences between venoms of the cobra and Russell’s viper (Vipera russellii), concluding that they depended on modifications of the protein molecule. It soon became apparent that the composition of snake venoms could not be adequately defined by the biochemical techniques of the day, and the venom components were generally classified by their pharmacologic effects as neurotoxins, hemorrhagins, cytolysins, etc. Soon after Sewall’s (1887) demonstration of the immunogenic properties of snake venom and the development of bacterial antitoxins, therapeutic antisera to snake venoms were developed on a more or less empiric basis with imperfect understanding of the nature and complexity of the venoms.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Ahuja, M.L.: Specificity of antivenomous sera with special reference to sera prepared with venoms of Indian and South African snakes. Indian J. med. Res. 22, 479–484 (1935)
Akatsuka, K.: Immunological studies of snake venoms. Jap. J. exp. Med. 14, 147–183 (1936)
Alper, C. A., Balavitch, D.: Cobra venom factor: evidence for its being altered cobra C3 (the third component of complement). Science 191, 1275–1276 (1976)
Amaral, A., do: A General Consideration of Snake Poisoning and Observations on Neotropical Pit-Vipers. Cambridge: Harvard Univ. Pr. 1925
Amaral, A., do: Venoms and antivenins. In: Jordan, E.O., Falk, I.S. (Eds.): The Newer Knowledge of Bacteriology and Immunology, pp. 1066–1077. Chicago: University of Chicago Press 1928
Balozet, L.: Les antigénes des venins de cerastes et de lébetines étudiés par la precipitation en milieu gélifié. Arch. Inst. Pasteur Algér. 37, 292–301 (1959)
Barme, M.: Venomous sea snakes of Viet Nam and their venoms. In: Keegan, H.L., Macfarlane, W.V. (Eds.): Venomous and Poisonous Animals and Noxious Plants of the Pacific Region, pp. 373–378. Oxford: Pergamon Press 1963
Baxter, E.H., Gallichio, H.A.: Cross-neutralization by tiger snake (Notechis scutatus) antivenene and sea snake (Enhydrina schistosa) antivenene against several sea snake venoms. Toxicon 12, 273–278 (1974)
Boquet, P., Detrait, J., Farzanpay, R.: Recherches biochimiques et immunologiques sur le venin des serpents. Ann. Inst. Pasteur Lille 116, 522–542 (1969)
Boquet, P., Izard, Y., Jouannet, M., Meaume, J.: Enzymes et toxines des venins de serpents. Recherches biochemiques et immunologiques sur le venin de Naja nigricollis Mem. Inst. Butantan Simp. Intern. 33, 371–377 (1966)
Calmette, A., Massol, L.: Les précipitines du serum antivenimeux vis-à-vis du venin de cobra. Ann. Inst. Pasteur Lille 23, 155 (1909)
Carey, J.E., Wright, E. A.: The toxicity and immunological properties of some sea snake venoms with particular reference to that of Enhydrina schistosa Trans, roy. Soc. trop. Med. Hyg. 54, 50–67 (1960)
Cohen, P., Berkley, W. H., Seligmann, E.B.: Coral snake venoms in vitro relation of neutralizing and precipitating antibodies. Amer. J. trop. Med. Hyg. 20, 646–649 (1971)
Cohen, P., Dawson, J. H., Seligmann, Jr., E.B.: Cross-neutralization of Micrurus fulvius fulvius coral snake venom by anti-Micrurus carinicauda dumerilii serum. Amer. J. trop. Med. Hyg. 17, 308–310(1968)
Cohen, P., Seligmann, Jr., E.B.: Immunologic studies of coral snake venom. Mem. Inst. Butantan Simp. Intern. 33, 339–347 (1966)
Coulter, A. R., Sutherland, S. K., Broad, A. J.: Assay of snake venoms in tissue fluids. J. Immunol. Methods 4, 297–300(1974)
Detrait, J., Izard, Y., Boquet, P.: Relations antigeniques entre un facteur lethal du venin d’Echis carinata et les neutrotoxines des venins de Naja naja et Naja nigricollis C. R. Soc. Biol. (Paris) 154, 1163 (1960)
Fayrer, J.: The Thantophidia of India. London: T. and A. Churchill 1872
Flexner, S., Noguchi, H.: Upon the production and properties of anticrotalus venin. J. med. Res. 11, 363–376(1904)
Githens, T.S., Butz, L.W.: Venoms of North American snakes and their relationships. J. Immunol. 16, 71–80 (1929)
Githens, T.S., Wolff, N.O.C.: The polyvalency of crotalidic antivenins. J. Immunol. 37, 33–49 (1939)
Grasset, E., Pongratz, E., Brechbuhler, T.: Analyse immunochimique des constituants des venins de serpents par la methode de precipitation en milieu gelifie. Ann. Inst. Pasteur Lille 91, 162–186(1956)
Grasset, E., Schaaffma, A.W.: Antigenic characteristics of boomslang (Dispholidus typus) venom and preparation of a specific antivenene by means of formalized venom. S. Afr. med. J. 14, 484–489 (1940)
Hassan, F., El-Hawary, M.F.S.: Immunological properties of antivenins. I. Bivalent Cerastes cerastes and Cerastes vipera antivenin. Amer. J. trop. Med. Hyg. 24, 1031–1034 (1975)
Hunter, A.: On the precipitins of snake antivenoms and snake antisera. J. Physiol. (Lond.) 33, 239–250(1905)
Kaiser, E., Michl, H.: Chemistry and pharmacology of the venoms of Bothrops and Lachesis In: Bucherl, W., Buckley, E.E. (Eds.): Venomous Animals and Their Venoms, Vol. II, pp. 307–318. New York: Academic Press 1971
Kawamura, Y.: Study of the immunological relationships between venom of six Asiatic Agkistrodons Snake 6, 19–26(1974)
Keegan, H.L., Weaver, R.E., Matusi, T.: Southeast Asian snakebite anti-venin studies. 406 th Med. Lab. Res. Rpt. U.S. Army Med. Command Jap. 1964
Keegan, H.L., Whittemore, F.W., Maxwell, G.R.: Neutralization of ten snake venoms by homologous and heterologous antivenins. Copeia 2, 313 (1962)
Kellaway, C.H.: The specificity of active immunity against snake venoms. J. Path. Bact. 33, 157–172(1930)
Koivastik, T.: Neutralisationsfähigkeit der Schlangengift-Antitoxine gegen homologe und heterologe Gifte. Z. Hyg. Infekt.-Kr. 129, 373–378 (1949)
Kulkarni, M. E., Rao, S. S.: Antigenic composition of the venoms of poisonous snakes of India. In: Buckley, E.E., Porges, N. (Eds.): Venoms, pp. 175–177. Washington: AAAS Pub. 44, 1956
Lamb, G.: On the precipitin of cobra venom: a means of distinguishing between the proteins of different snake poisons. Lancet 1902, II, 431–435
Lamb, G.: On the precipitin of cobra venom. Lancet 1904, I, 916–921
McDowell, S.B.: Notes on the Australian sea-snake Ephalophis greyi M.Smith (Serpentes, Elapidae, Hydrophiinae) and the origin and classification of sea snakes. Zool. J. Linn. Soc. 48, 333–349 (1969)
Mebs, D.: Bißverletzungen durch „ungiftige” Schlangen. Deutsch. Med. Woch. 102, 1429–1431 (1977)
Minton, S.A.: An immunological investigation of rattlesnake venoms by the agar diffusion method. Amer. J. trop. Med. Hyg. 6, 1097–1107 (1957)
Minton, S.A.: Observations on toxicity and antigenic makeup of venoms from juvenile snakes. In: Russell, F.E., Saunders, P.R. (Eds.): Animal Toxins, pp. 211–222. Oxford: Pergamon Press 1967 a
Minton, S.A.: Paraspecifïc protection by elapid and sea snake antivenins. Toxicon 5, 47–55 (1967 b)
Minton, S.A.: Antigenic relationships of the venom of Atractaspis microlepidota to that of other snakes. Toxicon 6, 59–65 (1968 a)
Minton, S.A.: Preliminary observations on the venom of Wagler’s pit viper (Trimeresurus wagleri) Toxicon 6, 93–97 (1968 b)
Minton, S.A.: Common antigens in snake sera and venoms. In: Devries, A., Koch va, E. (Eds.): Toxins of Animal and Plant Origin, Vol. III, pp. 905–917. New York: Gordon and Breach 1973
Minton, S.A.: Neutralization of Old World viper venoms by American pit viper antivenin. Toxicon 14, 146–148 (1976)
Minton, S.A., Da Costa, M.: Serological relationships of sea snakes and their evolutionary implication. In: Dunson, W.A. (Ed.): The Biology of Sea Snakes, pp. 33–55. Baltimore: Univ. Park Press 1975
Mitchell, S.W., Reichert, E.T.: Researches upon the venoms of poisonous serpents. Smithson. Contrib. Knowl. 26, 186 (1886)
Mohamed, A. H., Darwish, M.A., Hani-Ayobe, M.: Immunological studies on Egyptian cobra antivenin. Toxicon 11, 31–34 (1973 a)
Mohamed, A. H., Darwish, M.A., Hani-Ayobe, M.: Immunological studies on Naja nigricollis antivenin. Toxicon 11, 35–38 (1973 b)
Munjal, D., Elliott, W.B.: Immunological and histochemical identity of esterases and other antigens in elapid venoms. Toxicon 10, 47–54 (1972)
Nair, B.C., Nair, C., Elliott, W.B.: Action of antisera against homologous and heterlogous snake venom phospholipases A2. Toxicon 13, 453–456 (1975)
Narita, K., Mebs, D., Iwanaga, S., Samejima, Y., Lee, C.Y.: Primary structure of α-bungarotoxin from Bungarus multicinctus venom. J. Formosan med. Ass. 71, 335–343 (1972)
Ouchterlony, O.: Antigen-antibody reactions in gels. Acta path, microbiol. scand. 26, 516–524 (1949)
Oudin, J.: Methode d’analyse immunochemique par precipitation specifique en milieu gelifie. C. R. Acad. Sci. (Paris) 222, 115–116 (1946)
Picado, C.: Venom of Costa Rican arboreal vipers. Bull. Antivenin Inst. Am. 4, 1–3 (1930)
Puranananda, C., Lauhatirananda, P., Ganthavorn, S.: Cross immunological reactions in snake venoms. Mem. Inst. Butantan Simp. Intern. 33, 327–330 (1966)
Schöttler, W.H.A.: Para-specific action of bothropic and crotalic antivenins. Am. J. Trop. Med. 31, 836–841(1951)
Schwick, G., Dickgiesser, F.: Probleme der Antigen- und Fermentanalyse im Zusammenhang mit der Herstellung polyvalenter Schlangengiftseren. In: Elwert, N.G. (Ed.): Die Giftschlangen der Erde, pp. 35–66. Marburg (Lahn): Behringwerke-Mitt. 1963
Sewall, H.: Experiments on the preventative inoculation of rattlesnake venom. J. Physiol. (Lond.) 8, 203–210(1887)
Stocker, K., Christ, W., Leloup, P.: Characterization of the venoms of various Bothrops species by Immunoelectrophoresis and reaction with fibrinogen agarose. Toxicon 12, 415–417 (1974)
Taylor, J., Mallick, S.M.K.: Observations on the neutralization of the hemorrhagin of certain viper venoms by antivenene. Indian J. med. Res. 23, 121–130 (1935)
Tu, A. T., Adams, B.L.: Phylogenetic relationships among venomous snakes of the genus Agkistrodon from Asia and the North American continent. Nature (Lond.) 217, 760–762 (1968)
Tu, A. T., Ganthavorn, S.: Comparison of Naja naja siamensis and Naja naja atra venoms. Toxicon 5, 07–211 (1968)
Tu, A.T., Ganthavorn, S.: Immunological properties and neutralization of sea snake venoms from southeast Asia. Amer. J. trop. Med. Hyg. 18, 151–154 (1969)
Tu, A. T., Salafranca, E.S.: Immunological properties and neutralization of sea snake venoms. Amer. J. trop. Med. Hyg. 23, 135–138 (1974)
Wolfenden, R.N.: On the nature and action of the venom of poisonous snakes. J. Physiol. (Lond.) 7, 326–364(1886)
Yang, C.C.: Review: Chemistry and evolution of toxins in snake venoms. Toxicon 12, 1–44 (1974)
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1979 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Minton, S.A. (1979). Common Antigens in Snake Venoms. In: Lee, CY. (eds) Snake Venoms. Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology, vol 52. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-66913-2_21
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-66913-2_21
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-66915-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-66913-2
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive