The Antigenic Composition of Ammodytes Viper Venom

A considerable amount of information on the antigenic composition of snake venoms has been gained from cross-neutralizing effects between different venoms (or partially purified fractions) and their antisera. Grasset (1, 2) concludes, from a large number of cross experiments, that many venoms have an antigenic nucleus in common, but the group specificity does not always correspond to the zoological classification of snakes. Within a group, the venoms are supposed to be individually differentiated by secondary antigenic fractions in different proportions. The antiserum of one venom partially neutralizes all the venoms of the same group, but the effect is more complete for venoms containing more of the secondary components in common with the antigen used for immunization. Césari and Boquet (3) and other authors reach similar conclusions. The validity of these assumptions has not been confirmed directly; nevertheless they have proved very valuable for the preparation of polyvalent antisera.