Crotalidae Polyvalent Immune Fab Ovine Brand Name– CroFab
What is Crotalidae Polyvalent Immune Fab Ovine
CroFab is an antivenin used in the management of North American crotalid envenomation (rattlesnakes, copperheads, and cottonmouths/water moccasins).
It is produced by immunizing healthy sheep with one of the following North American snake venoms: Crotalus atrox (western diamondback rattlesnake), Crotalus adamanteus (eastern diamondback rattlesnake), Crotalus scutulatus (Mojave rattlesnake), and Agkistrodon piscivorus (cottonmouth or water moccasin).
Venom-specific antibody fragments (Fab) of IgG are produced for each of the four venoms and are mixed to obtain the final antivenin product known as Crotalidae polyvalent immune Fab.
Since CroFab utilizes antibody fragments, which are smaller and lack the most immunogenic portions of the antibody, this formulation is less likely to induce an antibody response than products based on intact IgG.
In addition, sheep-derived polyclonal antibodies are known to produce a decreased allergic response in humans when compared to equine-derived antibodies.
Crotalidae polyvalent immune Fab (ovine) was FDA-approved in October 2000
Indications
- crotalid snake bite
For the management of North American crotalid snake bite (rattlesnakes, copperheads, and cottonmouths/water moccasins)
Side Effects
- anaphylactic shock
- anaphylactoid reactions
- angioedema
- anorexia
- antibody formation
- anxiety
- back pain
- bronchospasm
- chest pain (unspecified)
- chills
- cough
- dizziness
- dyspnea
- edema
- erythema
- fever
- headache
- hyperhidrosis
- hypotension
- myalgia
- nausea
- pruritus
- rash
- serum sickness
- sinus tachycardia
- tachypnea
- tremor
- urticaria
- wheezing
Monitoring Parameters
- CBC with differential
- clotting time
- INR
- platelet count
Contraindications
- breast-feeding
- children
- coagulopathy
- diarrhea
- fever
- heart failure
- hepatic disease
- hyperthyroidism
- infants
- latex hypersensitivity
- malnutrition
- neoplastic disease
- ovine protein hypersensitivity
- papain hypersensitivity
- pregnancy
- thimerosal hypersensitivity
- vitamin K deficiency
Interactions
- Measles Virus; Mumps Virus; Rubella Virus; Varicella Virus Vaccine, Live
- Varicella-Zoster Virus Vaccine, Live