THESIS: K.C. Barbaro submitted this dissertation for the degree of Master of Microbiology and Immunology publicly examined at the Department of Microbiology and Immunology of the Paulista Medicine School, São Paulo, Brazil in 1991.
Advisor: Professor Ivan Mota
ABSTRACT. A pool of venom of several individual Loxosceles gaucho spiders was obtained by electrical stimulation. Gel filtration on Sephadex G 100 yielded three fractions named A, B, and C. The dermonecrotic activity in rabbits and the lethal activity in mice were detected exclusively in fraction A. Analysis by SDS-PAGE showed that the proteins responsible for the dermonecrotic and lethal effects had a molecular weight of approximately 35 and 33 kDa. Immunoblotting analysis showed that the proteins responsible for the dermonecrotic and lethal activities were very immunogenic, and the first to induce detectable amounts of antibodies. A search for antibodies against the venom in 14 patients with loxoscelism revealed antibodies in only 4 patients. The highest antibody titer detected was 1:640 (ELISA).
CORRESPONDENCE TO:
K.C. BARBARO - Laboratório de Imunopatologia - Instituto Butantan - Av. Vital Brazil 1500 - CEP 05503-900 - São Paulo - SP - Brasil.
Publication Dates
-
Publication in this collection
08 Jan 1999 -
Date of issue
1995
