What is anti-venom?
Anti-venom is the substance that you are given to counteract the effects of envenomation. Snake anti-venoms are made by collecting venom from a species of snake, sterilising and purifying it, then injecting a sublethal dose into a horse, increasing the dosage over time. This stimulates the production of antibodies to that type of snake’s venom. Serum is collected from the horse and treated to produce the specific (monovalent) anti-venom. There are five types of anti-venom: brown, black, tiger, death adder and taipan, plus a “broad spectrum” polyvalent anti-venom for any Australian snake. When the anti-venom is administered in a hospital with intensive care facilities (required to counter any adverse affects such as an anaphylactic reaction to the anti-venom – rare but possible), the antibodies attach to molecules in the circulating venom in a patient’s body, rendering them harmless (CSL Biosciences & Australian Venom research Unit 2007).
