Introduction

Antivenoms are considered essential medicines for treating snakebite envenomings. Conventional production is based on the immunization f large animals, mainly horses, with mixtures of representative venoms of a determined geographical area. The hyperimmune plasma obtained after immunization is followed by fractionation methods  ^[1]. In
order to guarantee a good quality of the antivenom, purification steps and control of infectious risks are mandatory assessments. Nevertheless, equine-derived antivenoms usually induce dose-related early and delayed anaphylactic reactions in patients, such as serum sickness which produce vasculitis, glomerulonephritis and arthritis ^[2]On the other hand, antivenom production still remains a high-cost process leading to a global ongoing reduction in the manufacturers. Since snakebite envenoming remains a global health issue and has been recently included into Category A of Neglected Tropical Diseases by the World Health Organization, great efforts are needed to provide availability of these complex biological medicines in the primary health-care system.

IgY-Technology not only has economical and productive advantages but also follows the 3Rs concept in animal experimentation. In Costa Rica, Navarro et al. (2016) compared
the animal maintenance costs, procedures and supplies needed to keep horses and hens showing that the production prime cost can be reduced around a 40%^[3]. Furthermore, sampling is non-invasive since the bleeding of the animal is replaced by egg collection, and therefore pain and distress of animals are sensibly reduced.

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