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

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  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...

Interaction of Human Lymphocyte Scavenger Receptors CD5 and CD6 with Toxins from Naja haje, Androctonus australis and Apis mellifera Venoms

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Image Credit: Luis A. Roque, Arácnido Taxonomy

Interaction of Human Lymphocyte Scavenger Receptors CD5 and CD6 with Toxins from Naja haje, Androctonus australis and Apis mellifera Venoms

Abstract

Animal venoms induce systemic inflammatory response syndrome through their interaction, inter alia, with pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) of the innate immune system. CD5 and CD6 are lymphoid members of the scavenger receptor cysteine-rich superfamily, endowed with PRR activity against microbial-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs) derived from bacteria, fungi, viruses and/or parasites. In this study, we aimed to investigate CD5 and CD6 interaction with cobra (Naja haje), scorpion (Androctonus australis) and honeybee (Apis mellifera) venoms. Binding assays revealed direct, dose-dependent and specific interaction of soluble human CD5 and CD6 receptors with protein nature components from the three venoms. Proteomic analysis identified venom nerve growth factor, basic phospholipase A2 (PLA2) and cobra venom factor, in cobra venom, and scorpion venom toxins targeting potassium (α-KTx 8.1) and sodium channels (Neurotoxin-1″ and G-TI) as potentially interacting components with CD5 and CD6. Further studies confirmed direct binding of bee venom main components, phospholipase A2 and melittin, to both soluble CD5 and CD6 receptors. Interestingly, in vitro PLA2 activity from cobra and bee venom was significantly reduced by both soluble CD5 and CD6 receptors. These findings broaden the PRR properties of CD5 and CD6 and support their potential involvement in envenomation pathophysiology.

Khemili, D., Carrillo-Serradell, L., Planells-Romeo, V., Aragón-Serrano, L., Djilani, S., Hammoudi-Triki, D., Zerouti, K., Mouffok, A., Lozano, F., & Velasco-de-Andrés, M. (2026). Interaction of Human Lymphocyte Scavenger Receptors CD5 and CD6 with Toxins from Naja haje, Androctonus australis and Apis mellifera Venoms. Biomolecules, 16(5). https://doi.org/10.3390/biom16050681