Bothrops andianus is a venomous snake found in the area of Machu Picchu (Peru). Its venom is not included in the antigenic pool used for production of the Peruvian anti-bothropic anti-venom. B. andianus venom can elicit many biological effects such as hemorrhage, hemolysis, proteolytic activity and lethality. The Peruvian anti-bothropic anti-venom displays consistent cross-reactivity with B. andianus venom, by ELISA and Western Blotting and is also effective in neutralizing the venom's toxic activities.

Snake envenoming is a globally neglected public health problem. Antivenoms produced using animal hyperimmune plasma remain the standard therapy for snakebites. Although effective against systemic effects, conventional antivenoms have limited efficacy against local tissue damage. In addition, potential hypersensitivity reactions, high costs for animal maintenance, and difficulties in obtaining batch-to-batch homogeneity are some of the factors that have motivated the search for innovative and improved therapeutic products against such envenoming. In this study, we have developed a set of nanobodies (recombinant single-domain antigen-binding fragments from camelid heavy chain-only antibodies) against Bothrops atrox snake venom hemorrhagic and myotoxic components. An immune library was constructed after immunizing a Lama glama with whole venom of B. atrox, from which nanobodies were selecte...