Abstract: Aim To study whether antivenom from laying hens can be used for the detection of venom antigens. Methods Chickens (white Leghorn) were immunized with detoxicated king cobra venom by formaldehyde and egg yolk immunoglobulin (IgY) isolated from yolk; IgY was labelled with the horseradish peroxidase (HRP). Experimental condition and parameters were determined by chessboard test. The specificity, sensitivity, precision, and stability of this method were assayed in the experiment. Results This method could detect as low as 32 μg·L^-1 of the king cobra antigens. A good linear relation was found within 32 - 750 μg·L^-1 of king cobra venom concentrations (r = 0.963). There was no cross reactivity for the reagents with Agkistrodon acutus Guenther venom or Vipera russelli siamensis Smith venom; slight cross reactivity with Bungarus multicinctus Blyth venom or Bungarus fasciatus Chmeider venom; and notable cross reactivity with cobra venom. The average intra-assay relative standard deviation (RSD) was 1%-3%, and the inter-assay RSD was less than 8%. The reagents (including IgY and HRP-IgY) were stable; no differences (P>0.05) were observed for the detection of venom antigens when the reagents were stored at 37 ºC up to 6 d. Conclusion IgY is a good reagent for diagnosis of snakebite after eliminating the genus cross reactivity.

Key words: king cobra venom, king cobra venom, yolk immunoglobulin, yolk immunoglobulin, hens, hens, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays