Inter-individual variability in equine antibody responses to African snake venoms follows heavy-tailed distributions with implications for antivenom production

  Inter-individual variability in equine antibody responses to African snake venoms follows heavy-tailed distributions with implications for antivenom production Abstract Variability in the antibody response of horses used for snake antivenom manufacture is well recognized, yet its statistical structure and implications for industrial productivity remain poorly characterized. In this study, we quantified antivenom antibody titers by ELISA in a cohort of 14 horses immunized with venoms from the clinically most important snakes in sub-Saharan Africa. To integrate antibody levels with plasma availability, we calculated the Cumulative Plasma Productivity (CPP) by converting individual plasma volumes into titer-corrected equivalents and sequentially pooling these volumes according to their corrected contribution. Distributional analysis revealed right-skewed, heavy-tailed patterns better approximated by a log-normal model than by a strict Pareto (power-law) form, with approximately 20–3...

New data on the Arachnofauna (Arachnidae Araneae Opiliones) of Enna and surrounding areas (Sicily, Italy) with some first reports for Sicily

 


New data on the Arachnofauna (Arachnidae Araneae Opiliones) of Enna and surrounding areas (Sicily, Italy) with some first reports for Sicily

ABSTRACT


In this paper we present faunistic data on Arachnid collected, with sampling on sight during 2019 and 2020, in Enna (Sicily, Italy. The arachnofauna of this area of the Island is poorly studied, to date only 16 species of spiders are reported for this municipality. 180 taxa of spiders are known in total now, 15 of this (1 first report in Italy) and 6 genera are new for Sicily, in particular Pritha nana (Simon, 1868) (Filistatidae), Micaria coarctata (Lucas, 1846), Micaria dives (Lucas, 1846), Poecilochroa loricata Kritscher, 1996 (Gnaphosidae) (new for Italy), Agroeca sp.Scotina celans (Blackwall, 1841) (Liocranidae), Bolyphantes luteolus (Blackwall, 1833), Centromerus arcanus (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1873), Lepthyphantes minutus (Blackwall, 1833), Linyphia mimonti Simon, 1885, Megalepthyphantes collinus (L. Koch, 1872), Walckenaeria corniculans (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1875), Walckenaeria monoceros (Wider, 1834) (Linyphiidae), Synageles venator (Lucas, 1836) (Salticidae) and Enoplognatha afrodite Hippa et Oksala, 1983 (Theridiidae) and 3 species of opilions. Additional biological and taxonomic notes on these spiders are also provided.


New data on the Arachnofauna (Arachnidae Araneae Opiliones) of Enna and surrounding areas (Sicily, Italy) with some first reports for Sicily https://doi.org/10.31396/Biodiv.Jour.2024.15.2.363.375