Exploring Snake Venoms For Novel Antimicrobial Agents

The increasing prevalence of antibiotic resistance is a major global healthcare concern,
leading to higher mortality rates and rising treatment costs. This crisis is largely attributed
to the excessive and improper use of antibiotics, which accelerates bacterial resistance.
With diminishing pharmaceutical investment in novel antibiotics, there is an urgent need
to explore alternative antimicrobial therapies. Snake venoms represent a promising
avenue due to their complex protein compositions, which include phospholipases A₂
(PLA₂s), L-amino acid oxidases (LAAOs), cathelicidins (CAMPs), and other protein toxins
with antibacterial properties.

In this study, we evaluated the antimicrobial activity of crude venoms from seven snake
species against three bacterial strains—Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus epidermidis,
and Neisseria subflava—using spot assays, the well diffusion method, and microdilution
assays to determine antimicrobial activity and minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs)
in both solid and liquid media.

On solid media, complete inhibition of E. coli, S. epidermidis, and N. subflava was
observed with Macrovipera lebetina lebetina venom at 375 μg/50 μL and Bitis gabonica
(Gaboon viper) venom at 675 μg/50 μL. Additionally, Naja nigricincta venom exhibited
complete inhibition of N. subflava at 325 μg/50 μL. In liquid media, complete inhibition
of all three bacterial strains occurred with M. lebetina lebetina venom at 500 μg/mL, while
B. gabonica venom inhibited N. subflava at 1350 μg/mL.

These findings highlight the potential of snake venoms as novel antimicrobial agents.
However, further research is necessary to assess their clinical applicability and safety.
Continued investigation into venom-derived compounds may pave the way for innovative
therapeutic strategies to combat antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections.