[Comparative study of venoms of newborn and adult rattlesnakes (Crotalus durissus durissus)].

Venoms from adult and newborn Central American rattlesnakes (Crotalus durissus durissus) were compared for lethal, proteolytic, hemorrhagic, myonecrotic, edematigenous and in vitro hemolytic activities. Electrophoretic and immunoelectrophoretic patterns showed some differences between these venoms. Venom from newborn snakes was devoid of hemorrhagic and edematigenous activities, whereas the venom from adult specimens induced these effects. On the other hand, newborn snake venom showed higher lethality and indirect hemolytic activity, and lower proteolytic activity, than venom from adult specimens. Both types of venoms induced only slight myonecrosis in mice, as judged by histological observation. The ED50 of an antivenom, in terms of absolute weight neutralized per ml of serum, was lower for the newborn specimens venom than for adult's venom, however, for each venom the number of LD50 neutralized was similar.