• Question: When you get bitten by a snake, don't they use the snakes venom to make an antidote? And if so wouldn't the venom just make your condition worse because it caused your pain?

    Asked by Lily Reigate to Alex, Anaïs, Peter, Shreesha on 18 Mar 2015.
    • Photo: Shreesha Bhat

      Shreesha Bhat answered on 18 Mar 2015:

      Hi lily,

      yes, they do use sanke venom to make an antidote, but its a different and interesting process. If you have learnt about immunization and vaccines, you will know that our bodies produce antibodies to counter an antigen, same principle is used here. The venom from the snake is diluted and injected to animals. Animals in turn produce antbodies which are collected, and used as an antidote. Hence, its not the direct venom which is used, but infact the antibodies to the venom which are injected as an antidote.

    • Photo: Peter Maskell

      Peter Maskell answered on 18 Mar 2015:

      see above

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