In Australiawhere the reputation of your fauna lethal is widely knownsome of the most dangerous animals became unsuspected allies of the medicine.
He poison of species such as the funnel spider and various highly venomous snakes is used as raw material for the production of Antidotes that thousands of lives saved. According to BBC Worldhe Australian reptile park Heads a program that transformed Fear in a public health tool.
From 1981year where the spiders of spiders of the Australian reptile park was created, No one died By spider sting in the country. This achievement is based so much on scientific advances as in the Citizen participation.
Common people collaborate capturing funnel spiders (ATRX ROBUSTUS) and delivering them to the park, which is essential to maintain the production of antidotes.
In a room known as the “Mardhand of Spiders”, Emma Tenispecialized caregiver and marine biologist, extracts the poison with a technique that requires extreme precision. Use tweezers and a pipette connected to a suction hose to collect the poison of up to 80 daily copies.
Each spider produces a minimum amount of poison, but its power is such that only a few drops They can be lethal. To get enough for a single antidote road, some must be ordered 200 spiders.
Teni considers his work as a form of face collective fears Towards these animals. “Possibly the most lethal in the world,” he says in reference to funnel spiders. Despite the risk, your work also has a educational component Before the public visiting the park.
Male spiders are between Six and seven times more toxic that females, which makes them the main source of poison for antidotes. They are milked every two weeks, while females are destined for a breeding program for ensure the continuity of the supply.
Once in the park, spiders They are classified and stored in controlled conditions. The extraction, which requires experience, is carried out periodically and demands a constant flow of specimens to guarantee continuous production.
From the decade of 1950the park also supplies snake poison to the Australian government. BBC World He informed that this program reduced deaths due to snake bite to between one and four per year.
Billy CollettDirector of Operations, explained that extracting poison from snakes such as the viper of death, taipán, tiger snake and eastern brown snake implies both Skill as respect. The latter is considered the second most poisonous in the world and the most prone to bite in Australia.
The poison collected It is stored and lilyphilized Before being sent to the laboratory CSL Seqirus in Melbournewhere it becomes antidotes.
In CSL seqirus, the production process can take up to 18 months. For antidote against snakes they are used Horses; For the fun spider, rabbits. Controlled dose of poison is administered to stimulate the Antibody production.
Then the Hyperimmune plasmawhich is purified and bottled. Annually, some 7,000 antidote ampouleswith a validity of 36 months.
Jules Baylissresponsible for the Antidotos Development Team in CSL Seqirus, highlighted BBC World he Logistics Challenge which implies ensuring the availability of the antidote in rural and remote areaswhere contact with poisonous animals is more likely.
The distribution of antidotes is planned according to the prevalence of venomous species by region. For example, taipán is common in northern Australia, but not in Tasmania. Services like him Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia and the National Navy receive supplies for Attend emergencies in difficult access areas.
The impact also extends to Papua New Guineawhich annually receives some 600 vials for free. According to Chris Larkinexecutive of CSL seqirus, the effect of the program is even more significant In that country due to the high incidence of snake bites and deaths. BBC World He estimated that Australian antidotes saved about 2,000 lives over there.
Since the implementation of the Spider Program, no death was recorded by sting in Australia. In the case of snakes, the deaths remain in minimal figures, compared to the 140,000 deaths per year by worldwide bites, according to the World Health Organization.
The medium emphasizes that the testimonies of the Park personnel add a human dimension to this work. Teni, nicknamed “spider girl”, turned her task an opportunity to educate the public. Collett insists that snakes They should not deter tourists: “If a snake bites you, Australia is the best place: we have the best antidote. It’s free,” he told BBC World.
The combination of science, education and citizen commitment allowed the most feared animals of Australia to transform fundamental allies For public health. An example of how poison can, paradoxically, become a source of life.
