Abstract

TEIBLER, G. P.; MARUNAK, L. S.; BOGADO, E. F.  and  POLLITT, C.. Equine laminitis in vitro induced by whole snake poison and Fosfolipasa A2 of Bothrops alternatus from Argentina. Rev. vet. [online]. 2022, vol.33, n.2, pp.146-151. ISSN 1669-6840.  http://dx.doi.org/10.30972/vet.3326174.

Bothrops alternatus (yarará grande, víbora de la cruz) is a snake belonging to the Viperidae family and is widely distributed in Argentina. In the northeast, this snake group for the majority of the snakebite accidents. There are reports about envenomation in horses with clinical signs including swelling, hemorrhage, dermo and myonecrosis at the bite sight in addition to systemic effects such as impaired blood coagulation, hemorrhage and damage to vital organs. An additional consequence in the horse is laminitis which reduces the work capacity of the survivor on a long-term basis. This occurs independent of the site where the venom was injected. laminitis induces pain and claudication, and it can evolve to deform the hoof. This study uses explants from freshly slaughtered horses as an in-vitro assay from the limbs of normal horses in order to demonstrate the ability of Bothrops snake venom to cause laminitis. Explants were incubated with whole venom and phospholipases A2 (PLA2). The objective was to reproduce laminitis in vitro to corroborate the clinical data reported in snake venom accidents. Equine laminitis induced by whole venom was characterized by damage to the lamellar dermo-epidermal junction, loosening of the lamellar basement membrane and cytotoxic effects. Epidermal basal cells showed changes in the shape and size of their nuclei and other abnormalities.

Keywords : snake poison; basal membrane; dermo-epidermal union.

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