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Photos show the process of collecting snake venom to produce life-saving anti-venom
Photos show the process of collecting snake venom to produce life-saving anti-venom
Elias Chavez,Bethany Johnson,Abby NarishkinJan 15, 2024, 05:50 IST
A snakebites into cellophane covering the top of a shot glass and releases its venom into the glass.Jack Swart/Pablo Jimenez/Adityaman Singh/A.C. Fowler/Alana Yzola/ Business Insider
As many as 137,000 people die from snakebites every year.
Venom from snakes can cause internal bleeding, attack the nervous system, and even stop the heart.
The World Health Organization reported that between 4.5 and 5.4 million people get bitten by snakes annually. Of those who are bitten, between 1.8 and 2.7 million develop clinical illness, and between 81,000 and 138,000 die from complications from the venom.
Anti-venom can save the lives of thousands, but anti-venom isn't always widely available. In places like India and sub-Saharan Africa, thousands of people die each year from snakebites.
The process of producing anti-venom is a multilayered and dangerous process involving horse blood, high-tech labs, and, of course, handling some of the most toxic snakes in the world.
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The first step in the process is extracting the venom from the snakes.
A snake drips venom from its fangs.Jack Swart/Pablo Jimenez/Adityaman Singh/A.C. Fowler/Alana Yzola/ Business Insider
A snake handler takes the snake out of its enclosure and pins its head down to reduce the risk of being bitten.
A snake handler presses a snake head down under a clear disk.Jack Swart/Pablo Jimenez/Adityaman Singh/A.C. Fowler/Alana Yzola/ Business Insider
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Once the head is secured, the handler has the snake release its venom into an empty shot glass.
A snake releases venom into a shot glass.Jack Swart/Pablo Jimenez/Adityaman Singh/A.C. Fowler/Alana Yzola/ Business Insider
Collett milks over a hundred of some of Australia's most venomous snakes each week.
Billy Collett milks a coastal Taipan of its venom.Jack Swart/Pablo Jimenez/Adityaman Singh/A.C. Fowler/Alana Yzola/ Business Insider
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Once the venom is collected, it is frozen before it is freeze-dried.
A vile of frozen snake venom.Jack Swart/Pablo Jimenez/Adityaman Singh/A.C. Fowler/Alana Yzola/ Business Insider
The venom is then freeze-dried at -56 degrees Celsius to draw moisture out and preserve it for longer.
Venom being freeze-dried at -56 degrees Celsius.Jack Swart/Pablo Jimenez/Adityaman Singh/A.C. Fowler/Alana Yzola/ Business Insider
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The next step in anti-venom development utilizes horses.
Horses gather in a stable in Costa Rica.Jack Swart/Pablo Jimenez/Adityaman Singh/A.C. Fowler/Alana Yzola/ Business Insider.
Horses have been used in anti-venom production since the 1800s.
Albert Calmette, the inventor of anti-venom.Business Insider
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Horses are still used to produce anti-venom to this day.
A horse getting its blood drawn at an anti-venom facility in Costa Rica.Jack Swart/Pablo Jimenez/Adityaman Singh/A.C. Fowler/Alana Yzola/ Business Insider
Plasma is separated from the blood, then the antibodies are extracted from the plasma and eventually become anti-venom.
Small bottles of anti-venom capped in a lab.Jack Swart/Pablo Jimenez/Adityaman Singh/A.C. Fowler/Alana Yzola/ Business Insider
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Approximately 10 to 20 vials are needed per individual to counteract the effects of venom.
A lab worker holds a bottle of anti-venom.Jack Swart/Pablo Jimenez/Adityaman Singh/A.C. Fowler/Alana Yzola/ Business Insider
In India, there are 58,000 snakebite deaths annually.
A man drops a snake into a bag to take back to a lab and extract its venom.Jack Swart/Pablo Jimenez/Adityaman Singh/A.C. Fowler/Alana Yzola/ Business Insider.
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The Irula cooperative in India combines the venom of four of India's most poisonous snakes to produce an anti-venom.
A man milks a snake into a glass jar in India.Jack Swart/Pablo Jimenez/Adityaman Singh/A.C. Fowler/Alana Yzola/ Business Insider.
Sub-Saharan Africa has a similar problem with access to anti-venom.
A scientist with the Kenya Snake Research and Intervention Center extracts snake venom while making anti-venom.Jack Swart/Pablo Jimenez/Adityaman Singh/A.C. Fowler/Alana Yzola/ Business Insider.
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A vial of anti-venom in places in Africa can cost $100 a vial.
Vials of snake anti-venom.Jack Swart/Pablo Jimenez/Adityaman Singh/A.C. Fowler/Alana Yzola/ Business Insider
Despite the library of local snake venom, the Kenya Snake Research and Intervention Center still faces roadblocks.
A scientist drops snake venom into a petri dish.Jack Swart/Pablo Jimenez/Adityaman Singh/A.C. Fowler/Alana Yzola/ Business Insider.
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Scientists are looking into ways to develop anti-venom without horses to reduce costs.
Matyas Bittenbinder conducts research on snake venom in his lab in Leiden, Netherlands.Jack Swart/Pablo Jimenez/Adityaman Singh/A.C. Fowler/Alana Yzola/ Business Insider.
The Naturalis Museum in the Netherlands has a collection of 30,000 preserved snakes for research.
Snakes sit preserved in jars at the Naturalis Museum.Jack Swart/Pablo Jimenez/Adityaman Singh/A.C. Fowler/Alana Yzola/ Business Insider