FIRST DESCRIPTION OF HUMORAL IMMUNE RESPONSE IN CROTALUS DURISSUS TERRIFICUS (SERPENTES: CROTALINAE)

REGNER, P.; COLAVECCHIA, SB.; FERNÁNDEZ, B.; COSTA DE OLIVEIRA V. ; MUNDO, S. L.; DE ROODT A.

Milan

Simposio; 10th International Veterinary Immunology Symposium; 2013

International Veterinary Immunology Symposium

Humoral immune response in snakes have been studied in some species, nevertheless data regarding the kinetics of the antibodies response in vipers is limited. The aim of this work was to study the humoral immune response of Crotalus durissus terrificus (CDT, “South American rattlesnake”) against bovine seralbumin (BSA). Immunoglobulins were obtained from viper plasma by precipitation (33% ammonium sulfate), desalinized through a Sephadex G-25, then, samples were separated through Sephadex G-200 column. Two peaks were identified; the first corresponded to IgM and the second to two types of IgY. Fractions were characterized by SDS-PAGE and used separately as immunogens in New Zealand rabbits. Three doses of 1 mg of protein were injected each 15 days. Immunoglobulin fractions of immunized rabbits were characterized by SDS-PAGE and the immunoreactivity by Ouchterlony and ELISA against viper sera and fractions used as antigens. Vipers were immunized with 1 mg of BSA by the subcutaneous route in a period of 65 days (6 immunizations each 15-21 days). Immune response against BSA was studied by ELISA using our rabbit IgG anti viper-antibodies and a peroxidase conjugated goat anti-rabbit IgG. Sera of vipers showed immunochemical reactivity 18 fold over the basal reactivity at 65 days postimmunization. These results indicate that the antibodies produced are useful to identify specific antibodies to BSA induced in CDT. Unlike the observations on other species of snakes, BSA is able to induce humoral immune response in vipers.