Coulter A R, Harris R D, Sutherland S K
Med J Aust. 1980 May 3;1(9):433-5.
The treatment of snakebite could be simplified if the identity of the offending snake was more frequently known. A positive identification, which allows the use of a specific monovalent antivenom, probably occurs in less than 20% of cases. Recently published methods of venom detection (RIA and ELISA) take at least three hours to complete. We have developed a sandwich enzyme immunoassay (EIA) which is capable of detecting 0.5 ng of crude snake venom in about 90 minutes or 2 ng of crude venom in about 30 minutes. This substantial reduction in incubation times, while still retaining the sensitivity required, was due to the use of protein A purified rabbit IgG antivenom from hyperimmune serum and the enzyme horseradish peroxidase (HRPO). A rapid identification of the offending snake by this method may reduce the use of large-volume polyvent antivenoms, thus avoiding the clinical and economic disadvantages of such preparations. Other advantages would be an increased understanding of the clinical syndrome produced by the individual species of snake, and accumulation of data about the incidence of envenoming attributed to specific snakes.
如果能更频繁地确定致伤蛇的种类，蛇咬伤的治疗就能得到简化。能确定蛇的种类从而使用特定单价抗蛇毒血清的情况，可能不到20%。最近公布的毒液检测方法（放射免疫分析和酶联免疫吸附测定）至少需要三个小时才能完成。我们开发了一种夹心酶免疫测定法（EIA），能够在约90分钟内检测出0.5纳克粗蛇毒，或在约30分钟内检测出2纳克粗蛇毒。孵育时间大幅缩短，同时仍保持所需的灵敏度，这是由于使用了从超免疫血清中用蛋白A纯化的兔IgG抗蛇毒血清和辣根过氧化物酶（HRPO）。通过这种方法快速确定致伤蛇的种类，可能会减少大容量多价抗蛇毒血清的使用，从而避免此类制剂的临床和经济弊端。其他优点包括能更好地了解不同种类蛇产生的临床综合征，以及积累有关特定蛇致伤发生率的数据。
