Comparative venom proteomics of banded krait (Bungarus fasciatus) from five geographical locales: Correlation of venom lethality, immunoreactivity and antivenom neutralization
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
7-1-2020
Abstract
The banded krait, Bungarus fasciatus is a medically important venomous snake in Asia. The wide distribution of this species in Southeast Asia and southern China indicates potential geographical variation of the venom which may impact the clinical management of snakebite envenomation. This study investigated the intraspecific venom variation of B. fasciatus from five geographical locales through a venom decomplexing proteomic approach, followed by toxinological and immunological studies. The venom proteomes composed of a total of 9 toxin families, comprising 22 to 31 proteoforms at varying abundances. The predominant proteins were phospholipase A(2) (including beta-bungarotoxin), Kunitz-type serine protease inhibitor (KSPI) and three-finger toxins (3FTx), which are toxins that cause neurotoxicity and lethality. The venom lethality varied with geographical origins of the snake, with intravenous median lethal doses (LD50) ranging from 0.45 - 2.55 mu g/g in mice. The Thai Bungarus fasciatus monovalent antivenom (BFMAV) demonstrated a dose-dependent increasing immunological binding activity toward all venoms; however, its in vivo neutralization efficacy varied vastly with normalized potency values ranging from 3 to 28 mg/g, presumably due to the compositional differences of dominant proteins in the different venoms. The findings support that antivenom use should be optimized in different geographical areas. The development of a pan-regional antivenom may be a more sustainable solution for the treatment of snakebite envenomation.
Keywords
Venomics, Snakebite envenomation, Pre-synaptic neurotoxins, Bungarotoxin, Venom variation
Divisions
molecular,sch_med
Funders
Ministry of Higher Education, Government of Malaysia [Grant no. FRGS/1/2019/SKK08/UM/02/2]
Publication Title
Acta Tropica
Volume
207
Publisher
Elsevier
Publisher Location
RADARWEG 29, 1043 NX AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS