Snake venom components and their cross-reactivity: a review.

Snake venoms are complex mixtures of organic and inorganic compounds, many of which display biological activity. It has been demonstrated that antisera raised against whole venom or a single purified venom protein from one species of snake will react with proteins in the venom of other species. This cross-reactivity between species may have applications in determining snake phylogeny, but recent studies on the variation of venom components within a species make these evolutionary conclusions questionable.