Hematological dynamics of horses producing antibothropic serum during the immunization process

ABSTRACT Ophidic accidents caused by snakes of the genus Bothrops are responsible for 70% of notifications in the country. The antiophidic serum is the specific antidote against envenomation caused by these snakes. Aiming to evaluate the health status of horses producing antibotropic serum, the hematological variables and serum iron were delineated along the protocol of three immunizations. The animals were evaluated at 17 experimental moments, being: control (before the immunogen application), four hours, 24h, 48h, 72h and seven days after inoculations, for each immunization. There was a significant decrease in erythrocyte, hemoglobin, and hematocrit values after the second immunization. Serum iron values showed significant decreases during the three immunizations. Significant decreases in lymphocyte values were noted in the first two immunizations, while there was a significant increase in neutrophil values during all three immunizations. Eosinophils, monocytes, and basophils did not show significant difference throughout the three immunizations. The immunization protocol described in this study caused an inflammatory reaction at the site of immunogen application and transient changes in hematological parameters and iron levels, as by the end of the immunization protocol, the variable values returned the reference levels.