Snake antivenom production in Ecuador: Poor implementation, and an unplanned cessation leads to a call for a renaissance

Ortíz-Prado, Esteban; Yeager, Justin; Andrade, Felipe; Schiavi-Guzman, Camila; Abedrabbo-Figueroa, Paola; Terán, Enrique; Gómez-Barreno, Lenin; Simbaña-Rivera, Katherine; Izquierdo-Condoy, Juan S.

doi:10.1016/j.toxicon.2021.09.014

Cited by 7 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 30 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…According to Suazo-Ortuño et al 78 research on agricultural conversion, snakes are not susceptible to changes in their habitat; the species diversity in agricultural areas is not diminished, and snakebites risk is maintained. Several epidemiological studies determined a higher incidence in tropical rural areas where farming and grazing activities are carried out under unfavorable conditions 8,14,19 .…”

Section: Snakebite In the Neotropics: Ecological And Environmental As...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This antibody-based production technique currently employed has several disadvantages due to the costs of animal maintenance and antibody purification techniques. These facts limit the reproducibility of this technology 14,189 . Table 2.…”

Section: Drawbacks Of Available Antivenomsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Regions with the most incredible diversity of venomous snakes include Latin America and Asia 12 . Snakebite should be considered an NTD priority because it involves a wide snake diversity of species and, thus, a variety of toxins 14 . Snakes causing most ophidian accidents belong to the Viperidae and Elapidae families and the genera Bothrops and Micrurus 5,15,16 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Current situation of snakebites envenomation in the Neotropics: Biotechnology, a versatile tool in the production of antivenoms.

Romo

Arias

Martin-Solano

2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Snakebite envenomation is a neglected tropical disease that affects millions of people around the world with a great impact on health and the economy. Unfortunately, public health programs do not include this kind of disease as a priority in their social programs. Cases of snakebite envenomations in the Neotropics are inaccurate due to inadequate disease management from medical records to the choice of treatments. Victims of snakebite envenomation are primarily found in impoverished agricultural areas where remote conditions limit the availability of antivenom. Antivenom serum is the only Food and Drug Administration-approved treatment used up to date. However, it has several disadvantages in terms of safety and effectiveness. This review provides a comprehensive insight dealing with the current epidemiological status of snakebites in the Neotropics and technologies employed in antivenom production. Also, modern biotechnological tools such as transcriptomic, proteomic, immunogenic, high-density peptide microarray and epitope mapping are highlighted for producing new-generation antivenom sera. These results allow us to propose strategic solutions in the Public Health Sector for managing this disease. Keywords: antivenom, biotechnology, neglected tropical disease, omics, recombinant antibody.

show abstract

Section: Snakebite In the Neotropics: Ecological And Environmental As...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Drawbacks Of Available Antivenomsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Current situation of snakebites envenomation in the Neotropics: Biotechnology, a versatile tool in the production of antivenoms.

Romo

Arias

Martin-Solano

2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…These distinct patterns may have relevant translational implications for the snakebite therapy [ 20 , 23 , 29 ]. The manufacturing of horse-derived antivenom has been discontinued in Ecuador since 2012, and therefore, the country imports polyvalent antivenom produced using Bothrops asper , Crotalus durissus , and Lachesis muta to treat Viperidae accidents [ 31 , 32 ]. On the other hand, Elapidae envenomations are a rare but represent a significant health problem due to the lack of or scarce availability of anti-elapid antivenoms in the public healthcare system [ 33 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

First Insights into the Venom Composition of Two Ecuadorian Coral Snakes

Hernández-Altamirano

Salazar-Valenzuela

Medina-Villamizar

et al. 2022

IJMS

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Micrurus is a medically relevant genus of venomous snakes composed of 85 species. Bites caused by coral snakes are rare, but they are usually associated with very severe and life-threatening clinical manifestations. Ecuador is a highly biodiverse country with a complex natural environment, which is home to approximately 20% of identified Micrurus species. Additionally, it is on the list of Latin American countries with the highest number of snakebites. However, there is no local antivenom available against the Ecuadorian snake venoms, and the biochemistry of these venoms has been poorly explored. Only a limited number of samples collected in the country from the Viperidae family were recently characterised. Therefore, this study addressed the compositional patterns of two coral snake venoms from Ecuador, M. helleri and M. mipartitus, using venomics strategies, integrating sample fractionation, gel electrophoresis, and mass spectrometry. Chromatographic and electrophoretic profiles of these snake venoms revealed interspecific variability, which was ascertained by mass spectrometry. The two venoms followed the recently recognised dichotomic toxin expression trends displayed by Micrurus species: M. helleri venom contains a high proportion (72%) of phospholipase A2, whereas M. mipartitus venom is dominated by three-finger toxins (63%). A few additional protein families were also detected in these venoms. Overall, these results provide the first comprehensive views on the composition of two Ecuadorian coral snake venoms and expand the knowledge of Micrurus venom phenotypes. These findings open novel perspectives to further research the functional aspects of these biological cocktails of PLA2s and 3FTxs and stress the need for the preclinical evaluation of the currently used antivenoms for therapeutic purposes in Ecuador.

show abstract

“…Resultados. En cinco años se hospitalizaron 147 pacientes (29,4 por año), sin que se presentaran muertes. Corresponden a 26, 34, 32, 29 y 26 casos, en el 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 y 2021, respectivamente.…”

unclassified

Epidemiología y características clínicas de las mordeduras de serpientes venenosas en el norte de la Amazonía del Ecuador (2017-2021)

et al. 2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Introducción. En Ecuador, las mordeduras de serpientes venenosas son un problema de salud pública. Sin embargo, no existe información hospitalaria reciente desde la Amazonía.Objetivo. Analizar retrospectivamente las características clínico-epidemiológicas de las mordeduras de serpientes en pacientes ingresados en un hospital de la Amazonía del Ecuador.Materiales y métodos. Se llevó a cabo un estudio transversal en el hospital provincial de Nueva Loja (Sucumbíos), que colinda con Colombia, 2017-2021. La información sobre las variables demográficas, epidemiológicas y clínicas, y la condición al egreso hospitalario, se obtuvieron de la ficha epidemiológica del Ministerio de Salud Pública.Resultados. En cinco años se hospitalizaron 147 pacientes (29,4 por año), sin que se presentaran muertes. Corresponden a 26, 34, 32, 29 y 26 casos, en el 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 y 2021, respectivamente. Según el sexo, los más afectados fueron los hombres (n=99; 67,3 %), según el grupo etario, los de 21 a 30 años (n=28; 19,0 %) y, según la raza, los de etnia mestiza (n=94; 63,9 %), estudiantes y agricultores. La mediana de edad fue de 28 años (rango: 4 a 81). Hubo mayor prevalencia en abril, junio y septiembre. Todos los accidentes fueron causados por serpientes Viperidae. Veinte (13,6 %) casos fueron leves, 90 (61,2 %), moderados, y 37 (25,2 %), graves. La mordedura fue más frecuente en los pies (45 casos). El 53,1 % recibió suero antiofídico antes de la hospitalización y en el 19,8 % de los pacientes se colocó un torniquete. La mediana de tiempo de llegada al hospital fue de 5 horas (rango: 1-192), y lo más frecuente fue entre 2 y 3 horas (41 casos). No se encontraron diferencias estadísticamente significativas según la gravedad del caso.Conclusiones. Se evidenció una gran prevalencia de mordeduras de serpientes en el norte de la región amazónica-Ecuador, con mayor incidencia en la estación lluviosa y todas causadas por Viperidae. Es importante resaltar la mortalidad nula. Las campañas informativas sobre prevención y primeros auxilios, como la desmotivación del uso de torniquetes, serían fundamentales para reducir los casos, especialmente, en los grupos vulnerables.

show abstract

Snake antivenom production in Ecuador: Poor implementation, and an unplanned cessation leads to a call for a renaissance

Cited by 7 publications

References 30 publications

Current situation of snakebites envenomation in the Neotropics: Biotechnology, a versatile tool in the production of antivenoms.

Current situation of snakebites envenomation in the Neotropics: Biotechnology, a versatile tool in the production of antivenoms.

First Insights into the Venom Composition of Two Ecuadorian Coral Snakes

Epidemiología y características clínicas de las mordeduras de serpientes venenosas en el norte de la Amazonía del Ecuador (2017-2021)

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About