Abstract
The European continent is inhabited by medically important venomous Viperinae snakes. Vipera ammodytes, Vipera berus, and Vipera aspis cause the greatest public health problems in Europe, but there are other equally significant snakes in specific regions of the continent. Immunotherapy is indicated for patients with systemic envenoming, of which there are approximately 4000 annual cases in Europe, and was suggested as an indication for young children and pregnant women, even if they do not have systemic symptoms. In the present study, the safety and venom-neutralizing efficacy of Inoserp Europe—a new F(ab’)2 polyvalent antivenom, designed to treat envenoming by snakes in the Eurasian region—were evaluated. In accordance with World Health Organization recommendations, several quality control parameters were applied to evaluate the safety of this antivenom. The venom-neutralizing efficacy of the antivenom was evaluated in mice and the results showed it had appropriate neutralizing potency against the venoms of several species of Vipera, Montivipera, and Macrovipera. Paraspecificity of the antivenom was demonstrated as well, since it neutralized venoms of species not included in the immunization schemes and contains satisfactory levels of total proteins and F(ab’)2 fragment concentration. Therefore, this new polyvalent antivenom could be effective in the treatment of snake envenoming in Europe, including Western Russia and Turkey.
Highlights
The European continent is inhabited by medically important venomous snakes of the subfamilyViperinae [1,2]
There are other significant snakes in some specific regions, Montivipera xanthina and Macrovipera lebetina are the most dangerous species in Turkey [5]; M. xanthina is distributed around Central Europe and the Middle East, whereas Macrovipera lebetina is distributed in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Northern Africa, Central
Lyophilized Inoserp Europe antivenom is a sterile lyophilized white powder formulated to be reconstituted with 10 mL of sterile water for injection
Summary
The European continent is inhabited by medically important venomous snakes of the subfamilyViperinae [1,2]. The European continent is inhabited by medically important venomous snakes of the subfamily. According to the World Health Organization, the venomous snakes causing the greatest public health problems in Europe are Vipera ammodytes, Vipera berus, and Vipera aspis [2]. V. berus, usually known as European adder, is extremely widespread in Europe [1,3]. V. ammodytes, commonly known as nose-horned viper, is considered the most venomous European snake and primarily inhabits the southern and eastern regions of Europe [1,3,4]. There are other significant snakes in some specific regions, Montivipera xanthina and Macrovipera lebetina are the most dangerous species in Turkey [5]; M. xanthina is distributed around Central Europe and the Middle East, whereas Macrovipera lebetina is distributed in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Northern Africa, Central
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