ABOUT SNAKE VENOM & PRICE LIST
Snakes contain among the most toxic venoms in the world which is one of the reasons they're so feared. Learn about snake venom and how it works here at the Snake Bite Program. We also provide educational programs on snake venom for schools, businesses and more. For our price list on snake venom, please see the bottom of this page.
ABOUT SNAKE VENOM
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Venom is injected into people through fangs which secrete venom from the venom glands (modified salivary glands). Typically, snake venom is classified as either haemotoxic or neurotoxic and such venom typically immobilises and digests prey.
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Snake venoms from around the world typically consist of between 20 - 100 mostly peptides and proteins whos composition and toxicity vary significantly amongst the species of snakes. Other factors including age, sex, available food, and environmental conditions can have an impact on the venom produced by each snake.
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Snake venoms are incredibly complex with diverse combinations of toxins that vary between different species even if closely related. Much is yet to be precisely identified about snake venoms. For now, snake venoms are named either after the snake the venom was found in or after the primary pharmacological effect on the victim.
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Snake Venom consists of 90% water as well as enzymatic and non-enzymatic proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, and biogenic amines. The aspect of the venom which kills or harms is called "venin". There is significant variability in composition of venom among snake species and the susceptibility to venom from potential prey. In other words, how venom affects a frog can differ to humans.
TOXINS WITHIN SNAKE VENOM & THE LD50
There are different toxins within snake venom. These can include:
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Neurotoxins: These prevent nerve cells in the brain from sending signals to the rest of the body.
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Haemotoxins: Causes red blood cells to burst or die or otherwise disrupt blood clotting
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Myotoxins: Destroy muscles, prevent contraction or affect function.
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Cytotoxic: Kills cells of the body
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Venom yields can vary significantly between even the same species of snakes. Generally, the larger the snake, the greater the venom that can be produced. The LD50 is the amount of venom that will be a lethal dose to 50% of a large number of test animals of a particular species expressed as (mg/kg).
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Snake bites can have different effects, symptoms and survival rates depending upon the snake. In Australia, if bitten by the highly venomous species, without treatment this is likely to result in death. In other countries, snake bites can also lead to a loss of limbs, permanent disabilities, and reduced quality of life. Even if treated, the snake venom can have permanent effects on humans as their venom is often extremely toxic to mammals. This is why snake venom research and production are essential to save lives.
BENEFITS OF SNAKE VENOM IN MEDICINE
There are however benefits to snake venom that are currently being researched in the development of medicines. For example, king cobra venom contains Ohanin which is a pain killer 20 times more powerful than morphine.
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Venoms also serve as medicine development and research libraries as they contain around 10 - 50 million compounds of proteins, peptides, enzymes, carbohydrates, lipids and other unidentified substances. To date, we have only characterised less than 1:1000 of the known available compounds for the purpose of medicine.
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Still, many components are being examined as to their therapeutic application potential. The main issues are sourcing high quality venom samples, poor screening tests, practical difficulties in purifying and characterising molecules and that there are so few experts in this field.
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The Snake Bite Program aims to be an industry and world leader in producing the highest quality venoms for the purpose of research.
Goals Re: Snake Venom
To Develop the highest quality venom from snakes in Australia and around the world for medical purposes
Research venom genotypes for science and laboratories
Be a world leader in venom production through advanced venom production facilities
SNAKE VENOM SALES
The snake venom milking and sales will require the acquisition of venomous snakes and their storage. The process is as follows:
• Venomous snakes stored on site in accordance with WHO guidelines.
• Snakes are milked individually.
• All venom is kept in cold storage until freeze dried.
• Venom is freeze dried and kept in long storage.
• These are sold to relevant manufacturers.
As time progresses and facilities/land acquired, the intention is to create antivenom in accordance with WHO guidelines for export to international markets
VENOMS FOR SALE (CURRENTLY AVAILABLE)
Snake Venom Costs | Cost 200mgs | Cost 1gm |
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Red Bellied Black Snake (Pseudechis porphyriacus) | $175 | $750 |
Coastal Taipan (Oxyuranus scutellatus) | $300 | $1500 |
Inland Taipan (Oxyuranus microlepidotus) | $350 | $1500 |
Eastern Brown Snake (Pseudonaja textilis) | $880 | $4000 |
Tiger Snake (Notechis Scutatus) | $350 | $1500 |