Venom Variations

When bitten by venomous snakes, antivenoms, consisting of antibodies raised against venom proteins, are our only defence. Yet, the complexity of antivenom production, and of venom itself, can jeopardise their availability and effectiveness. India records the highest number of serious snakebites worldwide, with an estimated 58,000 deaths annually, and the spectacular spectacled cobra (Naja naja, pictured) is a major culprit. Its wide distribution across the subcontinent makes it a common threat, but also means the composition of its venom is highly variable, shaped by ecological factors like climate and diet. As a result, the effectiveness of commercially-available antivenoms, produced using venom from only one region, varies between different populations, to the point of being completely useless against cobras from one desert area. New approaches to antivenom manufacture are needed to improve treatments, first by developing regionally-effective therapies, and in the long-term by harnessing new methods to produce more broadly-effective antivenoms.

Written by Emmanuelle Briolat

Emmanuelle Briolat

Writer

A researcher specialising in visual signals in Lepidoptera, camouflage and the effects of light pollution, Emmanuelle’s writing covers a range of topics, from biomedical research to children’s books about moth defences.

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• Image by Ashok Captain and Indian Herpetological Society
• Research by R. R. Senji Laxme, Saurabh Attarde and Suyog Khochare, and colleagues, Evolutionary Venomics Lab. Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
• Image originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
• Research published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, February 2021