PLoS ONE (Jan 2013)

Production of the first effective hyperimmune equine serum antivenom against Africanized bees.

  • Keity Souza Santos,
  • Marco Antonio Stephano,
  • José Roberto Marcelino,
  • Virginia Maria Resende Ferreira,
  • Thalita Rocha,
  • Celso Caricati,
  • Hisako Gondo Higashi,
  • Ana Maria Moro,
  • Jorge Elias Kalil,
  • Osmar Malaspina,
  • Fabio Fernandes Morato Castro,
  • Mário Sérgio Palma

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0079971
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 8, no. 11
p. e79971

Abstract

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Victims of massive bee attacks become extremely ill, presenting symptoms ranging from dizziness and headache to acute renal failure and multiple organ failure that can lead to death. Previous attempts to develop specific antivenom to treat these victims have been unsuccessful. We herein report a F(ab)(´)(2)-based antivenom raised in horse as a potential new treatment for victims of multiple bee stings. The final product contains high specific IgG titers and is effective in neutralizing toxic effects, such as hemolysis, cytotoxicity and myotoxicity. The assessment of neutralization was revised and hemolysis, the primary toxic effect of these stings, was fully neutralized in vivo for the first time.