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Bekešová B, Petrilla V, Polláková M, Andrejčáková Z, Vlčková R, Dyba B, Sopková D, Petrillová M, Petrovová E, Legáth J. A Comparative Analysis of the Cytotoxic and Vascular Activity Effects of Western Diamondback Rattlesnake ( Crotalus atrox) and Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake ( Crotalus adamanteus) Venoms Using a Chick Embryo Model. Animals (Basel) 2024; 14:1634. [PMID: 38891681 PMCID: PMC11171291 DOI: 10.3390/ani14111634] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2024] [Revised: 05/28/2024] [Accepted: 05/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Crotalus snakebites induce various toxicological effects, encompassing neurological, myotoxic, and cytotoxic symptoms, with potentially fatal outcomes. Investigating venom toxicity is essential for public health, and developing new tools allows for these effects to be studied more comprehensively. The research goals include the elucidation of the physiological consequences of venom exposure and the assessment of toxicity using animal models. Chicken embryos serve as valuable models for assessing venom toxicity through the chick embryotoxicity screening test (CHEST) and the chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay, particularly useful for evaluating vascular impacts. C. adamanteus venom application resulted in higher embryotoxicity and morphological abnormalities, such as Siamese twins. The CAM assay demonstrated the hemorrhagic effects of venom, varying with venom type and concentration. The irritant potential of both venom types was classified as slight or moderate depending on their concentration. Additionally, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity was performed to receive information about organ toxicity. The results show that both venoms induced changes in the whole embryo, heart, and liver weights, but the C. adamanteus venom was identified as more toxic. Specific venom concentrations affected AChE activity in embryonic tissues. These findings underscore the embryotoxic and vasoactive properties of Crotalus venoms, providing valuable insights into their mechanisms of toxicity and potential applications in biomedicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbora Bekešová
- Department of Biology and Physiology, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy, Komenského 73, 041 81 Košice, Slovakia; (V.P.); (M.P.); (Z.A.); (R.V.); (D.S.)
| | - Vladimír Petrilla
- Department of Biology and Physiology, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy, Komenského 73, 041 81 Košice, Slovakia; (V.P.); (M.P.); (Z.A.); (R.V.); (D.S.)
- Zoological Department, Zoological Garden Košice, Široká 31, 040 06 Košice-Kavečany, Slovakia
| | - Magdaléna Polláková
- Department of Biology and Physiology, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy, Komenského 73, 041 81 Košice, Slovakia; (V.P.); (M.P.); (Z.A.); (R.V.); (D.S.)
| | - Zuzana Andrejčáková
- Department of Biology and Physiology, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy, Komenského 73, 041 81 Košice, Slovakia; (V.P.); (M.P.); (Z.A.); (R.V.); (D.S.)
| | - Radoslava Vlčková
- Department of Biology and Physiology, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy, Komenského 73, 041 81 Košice, Slovakia; (V.P.); (M.P.); (Z.A.); (R.V.); (D.S.)
| | - Barbara Dyba
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of the National Education Commission, Podchorążych 2 Street, 30-084 Cracow, Poland;
| | - Drahomíra Sopková
- Department of Biology and Physiology, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy, Komenského 73, 041 81 Košice, Slovakia; (V.P.); (M.P.); (Z.A.); (R.V.); (D.S.)
| | - Monika Petrillová
- Department of General Competencies, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy, Komenského 73, 041 81 Košice, Slovakia;
| | - Eva Petrovová
- Department of Morphological Disciplines, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy, Komenského 73, 041 81 Košice, Slovakia;
| | - Jaroslav Legáth
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy, Komenského 73, 041 81 Kosice, Slovakia;
- Department of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Faculty of Chemistry, Rzeszow University of Technology, Powstańców Warszawy 6, 35-959 Rzeszów, Poland
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Durso AM, Bolon I, Kleinhesselink AR, Mondardini MR, Fernandez-Marquez JL, Gutsche-Jones F, Gwilliams C, Tanner M, Smith CE, Wüster W, Grey F, Ruiz de Castañeda R. Crowdsourcing snake identification with online communities of professional herpetologists and avocational snake enthusiasts. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2021; 8:201273. [PMID: 33614073 PMCID: PMC7890515 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.201273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2020] [Accepted: 12/11/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Species identification can be challenging for biologists, healthcare practitioners and members of the general public. Snakes are no exception, and the potential medical consequences of venomous snake misidentification can be significant. Here, we collected data on identification of 100 snake species by building a week-long online citizen science challenge which attracted more than 1000 participants from around the world. We show that a large community including both professional herpetologists and skilled avocational snake enthusiasts with the potential to quickly (less than 2 min) and accurately (69-90%; see text) identify snakes is active online around the clock, but that only a small fraction of community members are proficient at identifying snakes to the species level, even when provided with the snake's geographical origin. Nevertheless, participants showed great enthusiasm and engagement, and our study provides evidence that innovative citizen science/crowdsourcing approaches can play significant roles in training and building capacity. Although identification by an expert familiar with the local snake fauna will always be the gold standard, we suggest that healthcare workers, clinicians, epidemiologists and other parties interested in snakebite could become more connected to these communities, and that professional herpetologists and skilled avocational snake enthusiasts could organize ways to help connect medical professionals to crowdsourcing platforms. Involving skilled avocational snake enthusiasts in decision making could build the capacity of healthcare workers to identify snakes more quickly, specifically and accurately, and ultimately improve snakebite treatment data and outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- A. M. Durso
- Institute of Global Health, Department of Community Health and Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Gulf Coast University, Ft. Myers, FL, USA
| | - I. Bolon
- Institute of Global Health, Department of Community Health and Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - A. R. Kleinhesselink
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - M. R. Mondardini
- Citizen Science Center Zürich, ETHZ and University of Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | - F. Gutsche-Jones
- Citizen Science Center Zürich, ETHZ and University of Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - C. Gwilliams
- Citizen Science Center Zürich, ETHZ and University of Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - M. Tanner
- Citizen Science Center Zürich, ETHZ and University of Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | - W. Wüster
- Bangor University College of Natural Sciences, Bangor, UK
| | - F. Grey
- Citizen Cyberlab, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - R. Ruiz de Castañeda
- Institute of Global Health, Department of Community Health and Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
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Anderson CG, Greenbaum E. Phylogeography of Northern Populations of the Black-Tailed Rattlesnake (Crotalus molossus Baird And Girard, 1853), With the Revalidation of C. ornatus Hallowell, 1854. HERPETOLOGICAL MONOGRAPHS 2012. [DOI: 10.1655/herpmonographs-d-11-00012.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Lawing AM, Polly PD. Pleistocene climate, phylogeny, and climate envelope models: an integrative approach to better understand species' response to climate change. PLoS One 2011; 6:e28554. [PMID: 22164305 PMCID: PMC3229599 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0028554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2011] [Accepted: 11/10/2011] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Mean annual temperature reported by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change increases at least 1.1°C to 6.4°C over the next 90 years. In context, a change in climate of 6°C is approximately the difference between the mean annual temperature of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and our current warm interglacial. Species have been responding to changing climate throughout Earth's history and their previous biological responses can inform our expectations for future climate change. Here we synthesize geological evidence in the form of stable oxygen isotopes, general circulation paleoclimate models, species' evolutionary relatedness, and species' geographic distributions. We use the stable oxygen isotope record to develop a series of temporally high-resolution paleoclimate reconstructions spanning the Middle Pleistocene to Recent, which we use to map ancestral climatic envelope reconstructions for North American rattlesnakes. A simple linear interpolation between current climate and a general circulation paleoclimate model of the LGM using stable oxygen isotope ratios provides good estimates of paleoclimate at other time periods. We use geologically informed rates of change derived from these reconstructions to predict magnitudes and rates of change in species' suitable habitat over the next century. Our approach to modeling the past suitable habitat of species is general and can be adopted by others. We use multiple lines of evidence of past climate (isotopes and climate models), phylogenetic topology (to correct the models for long-term changes in the suitable habitat of a species), and the fossil record, however sparse, to cross check the models. Our models indicate the annual rate of displacement in a clade of rattlesnakes over the next century will be 2 to 3 orders of magnitude greater (430-2,420 m/yr) than it has been on average for the past 320 ky (2.3 m/yr).
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Affiliation(s)
- A Michelle Lawing
- Department of Geological Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, United States of America.
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