Snake envenoming is a significant cause of mortality and morbidity in sub-Saharan Africa. The only effective treatment,
antivenom, has been in short supply since the 1990s. Whilst the humanitarian response by some
antivenom producers has significantly improved the situation, strategies to ensure the long term stability of
antivenom supply are still necessary. We are investigating whether the potential safety and logistic advantages of camel
IgG antivenom can be exploited to improve
antivenom provision in many countries where
snakebite is endemic. This study assessed the
IgG titre, specificity and avidity of camels immunised with either individual
venom or a mixture of
venoms from the three most medically important snakes of West Africa, the saw-scale viper (Echis ocellatus), the puff adder (Bitis arietans) and the spitting cobra (Naja nigricollis). Seven of the eight immunised camels generated
IgG titres and avidities comparable to, or exceeding, that of commercial equine and ovine
antivenoms that are highly effective in envenomed patients. In this, the first of a series of reports on the potential utility of camelid
IgG antivenom, we describe an immunisation protocol that induced potent, sustained serological response of very high antibody avidity. These attributes suggest, from an immunological perspective, that camel
IgG antivenoms should be as efficacious as current equine and ovine
antivenoms.