ABILITY OF 6 LATIN-AMERICAN ANTIVENOMS TO NEUTRALIZE THE VENOM OF MAPANA-EQUIS (BOTHROPS-ATROX) FROM ANTIOQUIA AND CHOCO (COLOMBIA)

This investigation compared the ability of six Latin American antiveno ms (monovalent antibothropic INS, Santafe de Bogota; polyvalent INS; p olyvalent probiol, Santafe de Bogota; antibothropic Institute Butantan , IB, Sao Paulo, Brazil; polyvalent Institute Clodomiro Picado, TCP, S an Jose, Costa Rica; polyvalent MYN, Mexico) to neutralize various pha rmacological and enzymatic effects of Bothrops atrox venom from Antioq uia and Choco, north-west of Colombia. Our results demonstrated conspi cuous differences in the ability of the six antivenoms. In terms of ne utralization of lethality, the highest efficacy was observed in the po lyvalent INS and the lowest in the polyvalent MYN antivenom. All antiv enoms were highly effective in the neutralization of hemorrhage, polyv alent INS and probiol being the highest. In the neutralization of edem a-forming activity, the most effective antivenom was the polyvalent (I CP); monovalent (INS) and polyvalent (MYN) were the least effective. A ll antivenoms were effective in the neutralization of the myotoxic act ivity of B. atrox venom, the most effective being the polyvalent (INS) and antibothropic (IB). Defibrinating activity was neutralized by all antivenoms; polyvalent (MYN) showed the lowest efficiency. Polyvalent (ICP) antivenom had the highest neutralizing ability against the indi rect hemolytic effect of B. atrox venom; polyvalent (MYN) did not neut ralize this enzymatic activity. Overall, the polyvalent antivenom (INS ) showed the highest neutralizing ability.