Chemistry: Toxins // Biology: Adaptations

Fry, a venom researcher at the University TEXAS coral snake:

Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas,
Venomous animals of Queensland in Australia. “There are
hundreds of thousands of [venomous]
and northeastern Mexico

produce some of the species out there.”

deadliest poisons on Many of these animals use their venom

the planet. They’re also
saving people’s lives.
the way snakes do, to kill or immobilize prey.
how antivenom
Others, such as stingrays, use it to defend is made
against attackers. When male platypuses fight
To make life-saving antivenoms, scientists enlist the help of

Biting
over territory, they stab at each other with
venom-shooting spurs on their hind legs.
What makes venom such an effective
weapon is its chemical composition. Venoms
contain a mixture of poisonous molecules
called toxins. When one animal injects
another with venom, the toxins circulate
horses that live on specialized ranches. The scientists inject the
animals with a tiny, harmless dose of venom, which causes their
immune systems to produce antibodies—proteins that attack and
disable the venom toxins. Then the scientists can collect the anti-
bodies and use them to treat people who have been bitten or stung.
antibodies
toxins

Back
throughout the victim’s body and prevent it
from operating normally.
An eastern coral snake’s venom, for
instance, contains neurotoxins that block
Continued on
WHITE- the next page
LIPPED
TREE VIPER: venom
A ranch hand injects a small,
Southeast Asia 2 harmless dose of venom
A technician extracts and into a horse. The toxins in the
1

M
later purifies venom from the venom trigger the horse’s immune
species for which scientists want system to produce antibodies that
ost people in their right minds drug companies, and other to make an antivenom. neutralize those particular toxins.

Kern/naturepl.com (Pit Viper); Joel Sartore/National Geographic/Getty Images (Coral Snake) illustrations by damien scogin.
page 14: Kevin K. Caldwell/FLickr/Getty Images (Top Left); Dorling Kindersley/Getty Images (Bottom Left); page 15: Michael D.
avoid handling dangerous institutions around the U.S.
snakes. But not Mark that are studying these snakes
watch Hockmuller, who picks up and other venomous creatures. blood
plasma
a video
www.scholastic.com
dozens of them every day. They’re learning what makes venom so
/scienceworld Hockmuller runs the Serpentarium, a harmful, how to counteract its sometimes-
research facility at Texas A&M University- deadly effects on human victims, and how it Red
Kingsville that’s home to about 450 snakes. can even help us treat disease. blood
4 bonus It’s Hockmuller’s job to care for the reptiles
cells
skills and collect the extremely poisonous venom Chemical 3 Over the next year, the horse
4 A ranch hand draws blood
sheets they produce. Weapons
receives several booster from the horse. A machine
www.scholastic.com shots with increasing amounts extracts the plasma, the part of the
/scienceworld of venom. Eventually, the horse blood that contains the antibodies.
Today, Hockmuller and an assistant pull When you think
produces so many antibodies that The rest of the blood is returned
a Mojave rattlesnake out of its cage. This of venomous crea- it’s immune to the venom. to the horse.
desert snake doesn’t particularly like being tures, snakes may
handled—and its bite can kill a person. be the first animals
Hockmuller grips the snake’s that come to mind,
head between his bare but they’re far from
fingers and carefully the only ones. There
guides it toward a cup are spiders, scorpions,
covered with plastic lizards, insects, fish,
film. The snake strikes and even mammals that
When a patient comes in with
WESTERN at the cup, piercing the film with its make venom (see Venom The plasma is sent to a lab, 6 a bite or sting, doctors use an
DIAMONDBACK fangs and spraying its venom into the Diversity, p. 17).
5 where chemists purify it and IV line to inject the antivenom into
RATTLESNAKE: package it as a liquid or freeze- the patient’s veins. The antibodies
Southwestern container below. “Just about every order BEAUTIFUL dried powder. It is then shipped in circulate through the body and
U.S. and Later, Hockmuller will ship the of animal has venomous pit viper: vials to hospital pharmacies. neutralize the toxin molecules.
northern Mexico venom to researchers at universities, members,” says Bryan Grieg Thailand

www.scholastic.com/scienceworld 15
 stinger
venom diversity
Venom is such a useful adaptation that many different
types of animals have evolved to produce it. They
use their venom for hunting, fighting, or defense.

Blue-ringed Octopus
All octopuses use venom to hunt, but only
STING
this 15 cm (6 in.)-long Australian
MACHINE: A species is dangerous to
honeybee’s humans. Its bite can kill a
stinger, shown
here under swimmer within minutes.
bulb a powerful
microscope,
stores venom in
a tiny sac. When stingray
the bee stings, When these fish feel
the central bulb threatened, they use barbs on their whip-
pumps venom
venom sac into the stinger. like tails to inject their attackers with
venom. It contains toxins that damage
muscle tissue and cause extreme pain.
or stings. These Venom Benefits
lifesaving drugs are Treating bites isn’t the only reason to
signals between the brain and muscles of prepared in advance and kept in hospital collect venom from animals like snakes. slow loris
its prey. This paralyzes the prey so that the pharmacies for when they’re needed. Scientists are studying the effects of The world’s only venomous primates,
snake can more easily eat it. Other venoms, To make antivenom, scientists collect a the toxins in venom so that they can slow lorises lick or rub toxin-producing
like that of the diamondback rattlesnake, sample of venom and inject it into an animal use those effects to our advan- glands on their arms to fill their
antivenom mouths with toxins. Then they bite
include toxins that prevent blood from clot- (see How Antivenom Is Made, p. 15). The tage—to treat disease.
ting and cause their victims to bleed to death. dose is too low to hurt the injected animal. Take the toxins that potential predators.

Geographic/Getty Images (Pit Viper); © Ted Kinsman/Science Source (Stinger); © Scott Camazine/Science Source (Bee)
Every venomous species uses a slightly But the toxins trigger its disease-fighting prevent blood clots from

Daniel Heuclin/naturepl.com (Harvesting Venom); © RIA Novosti/Science Source (Anti-venom); Joel Sartore/National
different mix of toxins that are specially immune system to produce antibodies— forming, says Elda E. Sanchez, bark scorpion
SNAKE
MILKING: adapted to disable its targets. For snakes, specialized proteins that attack and disable co-director of the National Natural These arachnids use venom to prey on
Researchers those targets are usually rodents and other those particular toxins. Scientists then collect Toxins Research Center at Texas insects, spiders, and even other
extract venom prey. But snakes may also strike people who the antibodies and turn them into antivenom. A&M. The large dose in a snakebite

Venom Diversity from Top to Bottom: David Doubilet/National Geographic/Getty Images;Predrag

from snakes scorpions. Their sting

Vuckovic/iStockphoto.com; © Frans Lanting/Media Bakery; © Craig K. Lorenz/Science Source

like the Gaboon make them feel threatened—and their toxins When a person comes into the hospital is dangerous. “But when you isolate can be life-threatening
viper (above) to can have similar lethal effects on us. with a snakebite, doctors first question the those molecules,” says Sanchez, “they
make antivenom to small children.
and other drugs. patient to try to find out what type of snake can be used to [prevent] strokes and
Treating Toxins bit him or her. Antivenom works only on the heart attacks, which are caused by
In the U.S., 8,000 to 10,000 people are type of venom from which it was made, so blood clots.”
bitten by dangerous snakes every year, doctors have to choose the right one. If they Scientists are discovering lots of new
says Leslie Boyer, a toxinologist at the can’t identify the snake, the doctors use an medical uses for venom ingredients. The
University of Arizona. These bites antivenom made from a blend of venoms venom of the black mamba, an African snake discovered that melittin can also kill the
have the potential to be deadly, but from snakes common to the area. Then they with one of the deadliest bites on Earth, dangerous HIV virus in a laboratory dish.
these days, almost all snakebite inject it into the victim’s veins. contains toxins that numb its victims. Last Because venom is so useful in medicine,
yellow- victims in the U.S. survive. That’s “The antibodies go into the person’s blood- year, scientists figured out how to separate it may ultimately save the lives of many more
blotched
palm pit because scientists like stream,” says Boyer. “They go throughout those compounds and turn them into a people than it kills, says Fry. Unfortunately,
viper: Boyer have learned the body, and wherever they encounter the painkilling drug. many venomous creatures are now critically Core
Guatemala
and Mexico how to make molecules of toxin, they neutralize it.” Others are studying melittin, the main endangered. If they become extinct, we may Question
antivenoms— Antivenom saves people’s lives. But it can’t component of honeybee venom. Bees inject never discover what their venom could do. Why do scientists
medications reverse any damage the venom has already melittin through their stingers. The chemical “Venomous species have already done all collect venom from
that block done, says Boyer, so it’s important for people compound irritates the skin of their victims this work for us,” says Fry. “We just have to snakes and other
the effects of who have been bitten or stung by venomous and triggers a severe allergic reaction in be smart enough to keep them around.” 9 venomous creatures?
venomous bites animals to seek medical attention quickly. some people. But this past March, scientists —Mara Grunbaum

16 september 16, 2013 www.scholastic.com/scienceworld 17