Article Review: "Functional and proteomic comparison of Bothrops jararaca venom from captive specimens and the Brazilian Bothropic Reference Venom"

This article was published in the Journal of Proteomics on March 1^st, 2018. The article was written by: Iasmim Baptista deFarias, Karen deMorais-Zani, Caroline Serino-Silva, Sávio S. Sant Anna Marisa M.T. daRocha Kathleen, F Grego, Débora Andrade-Silva, Solange M.T. Serrano Anita, and M.Tanaka-Azevedo. This article is focusing on the reduction of the number of snakes that have been donated to Butantan Institute to produce antivenom. The species that they use for their antivenom is Bothrops jararaca, which is a pit viper species that is endemic to the area.  The institute has also been breeding captive species. The comparison for the effectiveness between wild species and the captive bred species. This topic has become relevant due to the need for the increasing amount of snake bites from Bothrops jararaca. By raising the snakes in captivity, they are able to increase their lifespan. By increasing the lifespan, the snakes will be able to produce more venom to be used to produce antivenom. Since the snakes venom maintains the same potency in captivity versus in the wild, maintaining a safe population in the lab is important.  

Article Link: https://www-sciencedirect-com.nuncio.cofc.edu/science/article/pii/S1874391917304323