Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 7, 2025
Intranasal Immunization and Milk Collection in Studies of Maternal Immunization in New Zealand White Rabbits Oryctolagus cuniculus
Published on: July 31, 2021
Protective Effectiveness of an Immunization Protocol Against the Toxic Effects of Loxosceles intermedia Venom in
Ana Luísa Soares de Miranda1, Sabrina de Almeida Lima2, Ana Flávia Machado Botelho3
1Department of Veterinary Clinics and Surgery, Veterinary College, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
Abstract:
Loxosceles spp. (brown spiders) bites are responsible for the development of a syndrome consisting mainly of dermonecrotic lesions, and also systemic effects. Rabbits are one of the main experimental models used for better understanding the systemic and local effects of Loxosceles venom. The aim of this study is to evaluate the toxic and protective effects of rabbits immunized with Loxosceles spp. venom. Male New Zealand rabbits were allocated as a control group (CG; n = 5) that received adjuvant (Montanide) and phosphate-buffer saline (PBS), or as venom group (VG; n = 5) that received 21 μg of Loxosceles venom using Montanide as adjuvant. After five immunization cycles, a trial with 7 μg of Loxosceles intermedia (L. intermedia) venom was performed, and dermonecrotic lesions were measured. The rabbits were then euthanized, and their organs were collected for histopathology analysis. Rabbits that had undergone Loxosceles venom immunization protocol showed minor clinical disturbances during the experimental period. The used immunization protocol protected the rabbits against the toxic effect of the Loxosceles venom because they showed minor clinical disturbances during the experimental period.
