Venom yield and its relationship with body size and fang separation of pit vipers from Argentina

Roodt, Adolfo Rafael de; Boyer, Leslie V.; Lanari, Laura Cecilia; Irazú, Lucía; Laskowicz, Rodrigo Daniel; Sabattini, Paula Leticia; Damin, Carlos Fabián

doi:10.1016/j.toxicon.2016.08.013

Cited by 10 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…There is variability in the amount of venom injected by a snake during an incident and it seems obvious that a juvenile specimen would inject a smaller amount of venom, when compared to an adult snake, even considering that not all of the gland's contents are injected during the bite. However, previous studies have already shown that large snakes have more venom, and produce more serious envenomations than smaller snakes, overturning the popular belief that smaller snakes are more dangerous than larger ones (De Roodt et al, 2016;De Roodt et al, 1998;Janes Jr. et al, 2010). In our study, for all extractions we recorded a positive correlation between body size (body mass and length) and the venom volume of each specimen.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 65%

“…Despite those variations in venom composition, there was no significant variation between groups (p = 0.09). For adult and old snakes, those percentages in venom composition were recorded for both left (LF) and right fang (RF) (n = 18; t = -1.66, p = 0.11) ( fangs are functional and it is possible that in nature, where they are more sensitive to environmental changes and diseases, snakes usually display differences for venom expelled by each fang (De Roodt et al, 2016). Since the captivity maintains stable environment conditions and prevents the appearance of diseases, the variability between fangs tends to reduce considerably (De Roodt et al, 1998).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Influence of size, sex and age on venom yield of <em>Bothrops leucurus</em> (Serpentes, Viperidae) in captivity conditions

Braga

Oitaven

Rocha

et al. 2022

bah

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Snake venom is an expensive metabolic weapon used for digestion and defense. Detailed studies on the production of venoms are important for the manufacture of antivenoms and for the therapeutic management of snakebites. Bothrops leucurus is one of the snakes of medical importance responsible for a large number of accidents in Northeast Brazil. To establish the correlation between Bothrops leucurus venom (Blv) yield, under captive conditions, and the morphological characteristics (body mass and length), sex and age, 31 specimens were milked during one year, grouped by sex and age (juvenile, adult and long-lived), totaling 106 extractions in that period. We evaluated the electrophoretic profile (SDS-PAGE) under reducing conditions, the 50% lethal dose (LD50) and the minimum coagulant dose (DMC) of the extracted venoms. The body size was positively correlated with venom production in B. leucurus snakes. Regardless of sex and age, the venom showed no differences between liquid and solid composition or between right and left fang, however, the production of venom in females was twice the one found in males and more lethal. The clotting ability was lost as the animals aged, indicating that older snakes are not the best choice for venom pools in the production of antivenoms. These results are important for the choice of animals to antivenom production, and to understand the biological effects of snake venoms under captive conditions.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 65%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of size, sex and age on venom yield of <em>Bothrops leucurus</em> (Serpentes, Viperidae) in captivity conditions

Braga

Oitaven

Rocha

et al. 2022

bah

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“…As we have discussed some venoms do not necessarily have death as primary endpoint; immobilisation, pre-digestion or pain (in the case of predator deterrence) may be the objective. Potency has been linked to prey-specificity and venom yields (the mass of venom the species produces in its venom glands), parameters that are likely associated with spatial environment, body size, metabolism ( Healy et al, 2019 ; De Roodt et al, 2016 ), phenotypic, geographical and sexual factors ( Mirtschin et al, 2002 ). How a venom is used also influences the type and quantity of venom produced.…”

Section: The Road To Integrative Snake Venomicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mutual enlightenment: A toolbox of concepts and methods for integrating evolutionary and clinical toxinology via snake venomics and the contextual stance

et al. 2021

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Snakebite envenoming is a neglected tropical disease that may claim over 100,000 human lives annually worldwide. Snakebite occurs as the result of an interaction between a human and a snake that elicits either a defensive response from the snake or, more rarely, a feeding response as the result of mistaken identity. Snakebite envenoming is therefore a biological and, more specifically, an ecological problem. Snake venom itself is often described as a “cocktail”, as it is a heterogenous mixture of molecules including the toxins (which are typically proteinaceous) responsible for the pathophysiological consequences of envenoming. The primary function of venom in snake ecology is pre-subjugation, with defensive deployment of the secretion typically considered a secondary function. The particular composition of any given venom cocktail is shaped by evolutionary forces that include phylogenetic constraints associated with the snake's lineage and adaptive responses to the snake's ecological context, including the taxa it preys upon and by which it is predated upon. In the present article, we describe how conceptual frameworks from ecology and evolutionary biology can enter into a mutually enlightening relationship with clinical toxinology by enabling the consideration of snakebite envenoming from an “ecological stance”. We detail the insights that may emerge from such a perspective and highlight the ways in which the high-fidelity descriptive knowledge emerging from applications of -omics era technologies – “venomics” and “antivenomics” – can combine with evolutionary explanations to deliver a detailed understanding of this multifactorial health crisis.

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“…In addition to environmental pressures, the evolution of snake venoms may correlate with the biological characteristics (e.g., body size, hunting behaviour) of the species themselves. One of the most recognizable traits of snakes is body size, and it is associated with the amount of venom injected into the prey (de Roodt et al., 2016) and the type and method of prey capture (Glaudas et al., 2019). However, the effect of body size on the diversity of snake diets is controversial.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecological and biogeographic processes drive the proteome evolution of snake venom

Siqueira-Silva

Lima

Chaves-Silveira

et al. 2021

Global Ecol Biogeogr

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Aim The emergence of venom is an evolutionary innovation that favoured the diversification and survival of snakes. The composition of snake venoms is known in detail from venom gland proteomic data. However, there is still a gap of knowledge about the forces that lead to the expression of different toxins in different proportions in the venom cocktail across space and time. Location World. Time period Modern. Major taxa studied Elapidae and Viperidae. Methods We integrated proteomic data with phylogenetic comparative methods to understand how ecological and biogeographic processes drive the evolution of snake venom. Results We observed that more productive environments favour a more complex venom, with more toxins in similar proportions. We found that taxa that live on islands, where there is lower variability of resources, tended to present less complex venom dominated by few toxins. In such cases, the extent of an island's isolation seems to be a relevant factor for faster fixation of specific venom compositions. Main conclusion We show that ecological and biogeographic processes, which can act differentially over time and space, affect the gene expression of toxins in snake venoms.

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Venom yield and its relationship with body size and fang separation of pit vipers from Argentina

Cited by 10 publications

References 24 publications

Influence of size, sex and age on venom yield of <em>Bothrops leucurus</em> (Serpentes, Viperidae) in captivity conditions

Influence of size, sex and age on venom yield of <em>Bothrops leucurus</em> (Serpentes, Viperidae) in captivity conditions

Mutual enlightenment: A toolbox of concepts and methods for integrating evolutionary and clinical toxinology via snake venomics and the contextual stance

Ecological and biogeographic processes drive the proteome evolution of snake venom

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