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Home / Equine Research Bank / Clin Vaccine Immunol / Antibody responses to natural rattlesnake envenomation and a...
Clinical and vaccine immunology : CVI2013; 20(5); 732-737; doi: 10.1128/CVI.00004-13

Antibody responses to natural rattlesnake envenomation and a rattlesnake toxoid vaccine in horses.

Abstract: Antivenom antibody titers following administration of rattlesnake venom for antivenom production in horses are well documented; however, antivenom antibody titers following natural rattlesnake envenomation in horses are not. Antibody titers produced in response to the commercially available rattlesnake venom vaccine are also not published. Our study objectives were to measure antivenom antibody titers in rattlesnake-bitten horses and compare them to titers in horses vaccinated with the rattlesnake venom vaccine. Additionally, titers were compared in pregnant versus nonpregnant horses to assess the affect of pregnancy on vaccine response and were measured pre- and postsuckle in foals of vaccinated mares to detect passive transfer of vaccine immunoglobulins. Blood samples were collected from 16 rattlesnake-bitten horses. Thirty-six horses (11 pregnant mares, 12 nonpregnant mares, 13 geldings) were vaccinated using a Crotalus atrox venom toxoid vaccine. Blood was collected before administering each vaccination and 30 days following the third vaccination. Blood was collected from foals of vaccinated mares pre- and postsuckle. All serum was assayed for anti-Crotalus atrox venom antibodies using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Rattlesnake-bitten horses had higher (P = 0.001) titers than vaccinated horses. There was no significant difference between titers in vaccinated pregnant versus nonpregnant horses. One mare had a positive titer at foaling, and the foals had positive postsuckle titers. Antivenom antibody titer development was variable following natural envenomation and vaccination, and vaccine-induced titers were lower than natural envenomation titers. Further studies are required to determine if natural or vaccine antivenom antibody titers reduce the effects of envenomation.
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Publication Date: 2013-03-20 PubMed ID: 23515015PubMed Central: PMC3647753DOI: 10.1128/CVI.00004-13Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article
  • Research Support
  • Non-U.S. Gov't

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This research explores and compares the antivenom antibody responses in horses due to both natural rattlesnake bites and a specific commercially available rattlesnake venom vaccine. The study also investigates the effect of pregnancy on vaccine response and the transfer of vaccine immunoglobulins from vaccinated mares to their foals.

Objective and Methodology

  • The study aims to measure and compare the levels of antivenom antibodies in horses that have been bitten by a rattlesnake and those administered with a rattlesnake venom vaccine. Furthermore, the study also investigates the influence of pregnancy on vaccine response and the transfer of vaccine-induced antibodies from a mare to her foal.
  • For the experiments, blood samples were collected from 16 horses that had been bitten by rattlesnakes. 36 other horses (including 11 pregnant mares, 12 nonpregnant mares, and 13 geldings) were vaccinated with a type of rattlesnake venom vaccine derived from the venom of Crotalus atrox, a species of rattlesnake. Blood was collected both before and after the vaccination process.
  • In addition, blood was obtained from foals of the vaccinated mares both pre-and post-suckling to investigate if the immunoglobulins (antibodies) formed due to vaccination can be passively transferred to the foals.
  • All collected blood samples were examined for the presence of anti-Crotalus atrox venom antibodies using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), a commonly used method in immunology to detect the presence of an antibody or an antigen in a sample.

Findings

  • The study found that horses that had been bitten by rattlesnakes showed higher levels of antivenom antibodies in their blood compared to horses that had been vaccinated. This indicates that natural envenomation triggers a stronger immune response than vaccination.
  • There was no significant difference in the levels of antibodies present in the blood samples of vaccinated pregnant mares compared to nonpregnant ones, suggesting that pregnancy does not significantly affect a horse’s vaccine-induced immune response.
  • One mare had a positive antivenom antibody titre at foaling, and the foals showed positive antibody levels post-suckling, indicating a possible passive transfer of vaccine-derived immunoglobulins from the mother to the offspring.

Conclusion and Future Implications

  • The study concluded that the development of antivenom antibodies varies significantly between natural envenomation and vaccination. The antibody titers in naturally envenomed horses were found to be higher than those induced by vaccination.
  • Further studies are needed to understand if the levels of natural or vaccine-derived antivenom antibodies can influence the effects of snake envenomation in horses which could have implications for veterinary treatment protocols and vaccine development.

Cite This Article

APA
Gilliam LL, Carmichael RC, Holbrook TC, Taylor JM, Ownby CL, McFarlane D, Payton ME. (2013). Antibody responses to natural rattlesnake envenomation and a rattlesnake toxoid vaccine in horses. Clin Vaccine Immunol, 20(5), 732-737. https://doi.org/10.1128/CVI.00004-13

Publication

Clinical and vaccine immunology : CVI
ISSN: 1556-679X
NlmUniqueID: 101252125
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 20
Issue: 5
Pages: 732-737

Researcher Affiliations

Gilliam, Lyndi L
  • Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA. l.gilliam@okstate.edu
Carmichael, Robert C
    Holbrook, Todd C
      Taylor, Jennifer M
        Ownby, Charlotte L
          McFarlane, Dianne
            Payton, Mark E

              MeSH Terms

              • Animals
              • Antibody Formation
              • Antivenins / blood
              • Antivenins / immunology
              • Crotalid Venoms / immunology
              • Crotalus / immunology
              • Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / veterinary
              • Female
              • Horse Diseases / immunology
              • Horses
              • Male
              • Pregnancy
              • Vaccination / veterinary

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              Citations

              This article has been cited 1 times.
              1. Ryan RYM, Seymour J, Loukas A, Lopez JA, Ikonomopoulou MP, Miles JJ. Immunological Responses to Envenomation. Front Immunol 2021;12:661082.
                doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.661082pubmed: 34040609google scholar: lookup
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