ROGER, F., RoGert, A., L~nr, R. and ROIJYER, M. : Comparaison avec le venin de Vipers aspis,entre les résultats des réactions de précipitation, de aéra-neutralisation de la toxicité cellulaire

et de seraprotection chez la souris . Ann. Inst. Pastern, 101, 389, 1961 .

AsTUnY of thecytotoxicandhemorrhagic neutralizingeffects of Vipers aspis antivenin was made using in ultraand In vlvo techniques. It was concluded that the therapeutic value of serum antivenin cannot be fullydetermined with in vitro methods.

P.B .

STxnuss, W. G. and GRUNBAUM, B. W.: Micro~lectrophoresis and immuno~lectrophoresisof snake venoms . Copeta, 4, 488, 1961 .

Ax wrrwr.vsts of the proteins of the venoms of Crotales adamantees, Crotales cerastes and Crotales rober isdescribed using electrophoresis on cellulose acetate membranes with a quantitive analysis of the proteinsdistributed on the strips performed by densitometric means. It is shown that the electrophoresic dispersionpattern and the concentration of the proteins in these venoms varies considerably from species to species.

Immuno-electrophoresis is employed to demonstrate the antigenic components of the venom whichfanned antibodies in the horse. The commercially available antivenin (Wyeth) is used as a precipitatingreagent . Immuno-electrophoresis is also performed on the cellulose acetate membranes instead of the agargel which is usually employed for this purpose. These methods are described as rapid, simple, and highlyresolving .

J.F.G .

Wn~x~e, L. R. : Preliminary tests of the toxin extracted from California sea hares ofthe genusAplysta. Pacific Science, 15, 211, 1961 .

Acerox~ extracts were prepared from fresh digestive glands of the sea hares Aplysta californica and A.vaccarta, and concentrated crude extracts obtained by removal of acetone by evaporation. Such extractswere bio-assayed by intraperitoneal injection into mice and obesrvation of time to death. LD,~ was deter-mined for two extracts (0 028 and 0 036 g wet weight of gland per g weight of mouse). Intraperitoneal in-jection of a fatal dose in mice led quickly to hyperventilation followed by salivation, muscular twitching,uncontrolled movements, ataxia and loss of righting reflex. Complete relaxation and slowing of the heartrate were followed by death. The oral lethal dose was about 12 times the intraperitoneal dose. Extractswere also lethal to chicks, rats, guinea pigs, kittens, shore crabs and frogs. Frogs showed a long-lastingparalysis (except in anterior limbs and rectos abdominis) persisting for about 15 hr and followed 3 to S hrlater by complete recovery, although larger doses were fatal. It is suggested that respiratory paralysis may bethe cause of death in mammals and birds. The origin of the heat-stable toxin or toxins is unknown, but theseaweed upon which the animal feeds is suggested as a possible source.

P.R.S .

Gaeenv~e, C., GOLDHLUM, N., Grrrsrn, S. and DE Vx~s, A.: The action of various snakevenoms and their chromatographic fractions on animal cells in culture. J. Immenol., 88, 526,

1962.Mn~ru~re amounts of the venoms of Vipers palestinae, Walterinnesta aegyptta and Echis colorata causeddestniction of cultured embryonic chick and mouse cells . The cytopathic changes were titrated quantita-atively . E. colorata venom also produced a marked cytopathic effect on monkey kidney cells. Pseudo-cerastes freldü venom had no cytopathic effect . The MLD of the venoms of V. palestinae and W. aegypttawere approximatley 100 times greater than the amounts of these venoms required to produce the cytopathicchanges. There was a definite correlation between the cytopathic effect and the in vitro protease and hemorr-hagic activities of certain venom fractions .

F.E.R .