Nanobodies and Antivenoms: Microbial Minutes
Scientists are coupling microbiology with biotechnology to create snakebite antidotes that overcome limitations of antivenoms.
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Snakebite envenoming, classified as a neglected tropical disease by the World Health Organization, impacts millions of people every year, leading to thousands of deaths. Antivenoms are effective, but they come with health risks and production and accessibility issues. While microbes are not the cause of this snakebite problem, they are part of the solution. Scientists are marrying microbiology with biotechnology to create snakebite antidotes that overcome some of the limitations of antivenoms. And it goes both ways: researchers aren’t just using microbes to help combat venom—they’re also using venom to combat microbes. Key take-aways and resources used in this Microbial Minutes are listed below.Key Take-Aways
- Novel antidotes are needed to treat snakebite envenoming, which harms millions of people every year.
- Small antibody fragments, called “nanobodies”—derived from antibodies in animals like camels and alpacas—may be promising tools for mitigating the effects of envenoming.
- Phage display technology is useful for determining which nanobodies show highest affinity for snake venoms, and thus highest potential for therapeutic use.
- Scientists have also been exploring the antimicrobial potential of venom, or components thereof, from diverse insects and animals.
Resources
- Abd El Maksoud, E.A., et al. Potential therapeutic biomolecules of hymenopteran venom against SARS-CoV-2 from Egyptian patients. Scientific Reports, July 04, 2024.
- Benard-Valle, M., et al. In vivo neutralization of coral snake venoms with an oligoclonal nanobody mixture in a murine challenge model. Nature Communications, May 21, 2024.
- Esmaeilishirazifard, E., et al. Bacterial Adaptation to Venom in Snakes and Arachnida. Microbiology Spectrum, May 23, 2022.
- Khan, N.A., et al. Inhibition of bacterial biofilms by the snake venom proteome. Biotechnology Reports, Aug. 1, 2023.
- Sameh A., et al. Bee venom as an alternative for antibiotics against Staphylococcus aureus infections. Scientific Reports, April 20, 2023.
- Silva, O.N., et al. Repurposing a peptide toxin from wasp venom into antiinfectives with dual antimicrobial and immunomodulatory properties. PNAS, Oct. 12, 2020.
- Wang, W., et al. Phage display-derived alpaca nanobodies as potential therapeutics for Naja atra snake envenomation. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, July 9, 2024.
- Willyard, C. More People Die From Venomous Snakebites Each Year Than Have Ever Died from Ebola. Nature, Sept. 20, 2023.
- Yacoub, T., et al. Antimicrobials from Venomous Animals: An Overview. Molecules, May 21, 2020.
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