Introduction:

It is estimated that 2 000 snakebites occur in Panama every year, 70 % of which are inflicted by Bothrops asper.

Objective:

To determine the biochemical and toxicologic effects and to assess the immunochemical characteristics of a reference pool of B. asper venom representative of Panama.

Methods:

The reference venom was prepared as a homogeneous mixture of the venoms obtained from 78 adult snakes collected in four geographic areas of Panama. Enzymatic and toxicological activities were assessed. The electrophoretic pattern was studied by SDS-PAGE. Immunoreactivity of various antivenoms was analyzed by Western blot.

Results:

B. asper reference venom has lethal, hemorrhagic, myotoxic, edema-forming, coagulant, defibrinating, proteinase and phospholipase A2 activities. SDS-PAGE showed the presence of protein bands with molecular weights ranging from 8 to 70 kDa, with the presence of predominant bands at ≈ 15 kDa and ≈ 30 to 66 kDa, which likely correspond to phospholipases A2 and metalloproteinases, respectively. Immunoblotting showed a high degree of recognition by various antivenoms, especially by antivenoms from Colombia and Costa Rica.

Conclusions:

Following recommendations by the World Health Organization, this reference venom of B. asper of Panama will become a useful tool for the preclinical evaluation of antivenoms distributed in this country.