This disclosure relates to materials and methods useful for vaccinating mammals against the effects of envenomation by venomous organisms (including the Western Rattlesnake) by making use of venom from multiple distinct populations, subspecies or species of the organism, to make a vaccine more broadly protective against other populations, subspecies or species. This disclosure also relates to a method for determining which organisms which are capable of envenomation should be pooled for optimizing the coverage and efficacy of a vaccine which is produced from the venoms (or toxoid derivatives) in the combination.
