Evelyn de Oliveira

A Novel Phospholipase A2 (D49) from the Venom of the Crotalus oreganus abyssus (North American Grand Canyon Rattlesnake)

Currently, Crotalus viridis was divided into two species: Crotalus viridis and Crotalus oreganus. The current classification divides “the old” Crotalus viridis into two new and independent species: Crotalus viridis (subspecies: viridis and nuntius) and Crotalus oreganus (subspecies: abyssus, lutosus, concolor, oreganus, helleri, cerberus, and caliginis). The analysis of a product from cDNA (E6d), derived from the gland of a specie Crotalus viridis viridis, was found to produce an acid phospholipase A2. In this study we isolated and characterized a PLA2 (D49) from Crotalus oreganus abyssus venom. Our studies show that the PLA2 produced from the cDNA of Crotalus viridis viridis (named E6d) is exactly the same PLA2 primary sequence of amino acids isolated from the venom of Crotalus oreganus abyssus. Thus, the PLA2 from E6d cDNA is actually the same PLA2 presented in the venom of Crotalus oreganus abyssus and does not correspond to the venom from Crotalus viridis viridis. These facts highlight the importance of performing more studies on subspecies of Crotalus oreganus and Crotalus viridis, since the old classification may have led to mixed results or mistaken data.

Hematological profiles of giant anteaters from different biomes

The giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla), a species currently classified as vulnerable, is native to Central and South America. However, few studies have focused on the hematology of this animal, making its clinical evaluation difficult. With regard to reference values for laboratory parameters, existing data are scanty and show differences among most of the variables, even in animals from the same country. Such differences may be attributed to various intrinsic and extrinsic factors. This study therefore sought to determine whether there are similarities in the hematological profiles of giant anteaters from different Brazilian biomes living in captivity in various zoos, based on a statistical comparison of data collected in three studies conducted in Brazil. It was found that, even within the same country, most of the hematological variables of anteaters from different biomes differ from one another. This finding underscores the need to establish regional hematological parameters of reference, since these discrepancies may be generated by multiple factors.