Association of cfDNA levels and bothrops envenomation

• Published in: Toxicon (Oxford) 2021-03, Vol.192, p.66-73
• Main Authors: de Souza Barbosa, Êndila, Santos Ibiapina, Hiochelson Najibe, Rocha da Silva, Siuhelem, Costa, Allyson Guimarães, Val, Fernando Fonseca, Mendonça-da-Silva, Iran, Carlos de Lima Ferreira, Luiz, Sartim, Marco Aurélio, Monteiro, Wuelton Marcelo, Cardoso de Melo, Gisely, de Almeida Gonçalves Sachett, Jacqueline
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Animals; Biomarkers; Bothrops; Brazil; Cell-Free Nucleic Acids; Crotalid Venoms - toxicity; Female; Humans; Male; Snake Bites - diagnosis; Snakebites
• ISSN: 0041-0101; 1879-3150
• DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2021.01.015

In the Amazon, around 90% of snakebites are caused by the Bothrops genus. Complications arising from Bothrops envenomations result from the inflammatory and coagulotoxic activities of the venom. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) as a biomarker of severity in Bothrops snakebites. Patients were treated at the Fundação de Medicina Tropical Dr. Heitor Vieira Dourado (FMT-HVD), Manaus, in the Brazilian Amazon. cfDNA plasma levels were measured by amplifying the human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) sequence using quantitative RT-PCR. Median levels of cfDNA were compared between envenomed and healthy volunteers and among patients presenting different complications, such as renal failure, bleeding and infection. Of the 76 patients included, 82.9% were male, with a mean age of 32.8 years, and envenomations were mainly classified as severe (39.5%). ROC curve analysis showed a good accuracy of cfDNA levels (AUROC of 0.745) in envenomation diagnosis. A correlation analysis using laboratory variables showed positive correlation with lactate dehydrogenase (p = 0.033) and platelet count (p = 0.003). When cfDNA levels were compared with clinical complications, significant statistical differences were only found among individuals with mild and severe pain (p