Yep, You Can Milk A Snake – These Scientists Extract Venom From Some Of The Deadliest Snakes

Between the audience’s quiet gasps, there was a commentary from the two people involved that boomed into the observation room. They were explaining the intricate protocol that is needed to make sure the snake and the person extracting were safe. These people are snake milkers or venom extractors – and most of them get into the profession through the love of snakes.

I have been obsessed with snakes, especially venomous snakes, since I was a little boy. Most of the decisions I made in life had to do with my pursuit of this unusual profession.

Carl M. Barden

“Currently, my favorite snake is probably our largest male King Cobra, Cyrus, a 12-foot [3.7-meter] male, who is a force to be reckoned with. My favorite species is always hard to decide, but I would say I typically settle on the Eastern Coral Snake, simply beyond magnificent!!!!!,” Carl M. Barden, Director of Medtoxin Venom Laboratories at the Reptile Discovery Center and snake venom extractor at the facility, told IFLScience.

“I have been obsessed with snakes, especially venomous snakes, since I was a little boy. Most of the decisions I made in life had to do with my pursuit of this unusual profession,” Barden said.

“I saw Bill Haast, the Director of the Miami Serpentarium on 60 Minutes one night as a teenager, Bill was collecting venom from Cobras for research. That one episode basically set the course of my life. Went to college, became a reptile keeper at a zoo, then became an airline pilot to fund my dream of building a Serpentarium.”

The cost of snakebite mortality

All around the world, people are living extremely close to a venomous species of snake. It is estimated that each year, 5.4 million people are bitten by snakes, resulting in 1.8 to 2.7 million envenomings and between 81,410 and 137,880 deaths (with three times as many permanent disabilities and amputations). Unfortunately, this is probably an underestimate, as often, many deaths occur in rural locations. 

In 2017, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared envenomation by snakebite as a highest priority neglected tropical disease. That same year, the Snakebite Envenoming Working Group was established, focusing on reducing mortality and disability by 50 percent by 2030.  

Forget about everything you have heard – traditional remedies, arterial tourniquets, cutting and sucking the venom out, etc. Just get the victim to the nearest hospital.

Johan Marais

Transporting the patient to a hospital is the best way to survive an envenomation. Snakebites are often very deadly because victims may live far from a supply of antivenom or a hospital that can administer the drug intravenously. 

“Forget about everything you have heard – traditional remedies, arterial tourniquets, cutting and sucking the venom out, etc. Just get the victim to the nearest hospital,” Johan Marais, the director of the African Snakebite Institute, told IFLScience.  

How do we harvest venom?

Snake venoms are incredibly complex, with different species of snakes having distinct chemical makeups.

The proteins in the snake venom can directly affect the victim’s circulatory and nervous system. This can cause widespread destruction of blood vessels, sometimes paralysis, respiratory failure, or necrosis in the affected area, potentially requiring amputation.

Part of making antivenom or conducting venom research involves “milking” specific snake species for their venom.

The extraction usually takes place in a secure room with an experienced handler. Assuming the snake is relatively calm (which is always the hope!), the handler gently restrains it – typically with one hand behind the head and the other supporting the rest of its body. The snake’s head is then guided toward a collection beaker covered with a thin film. When the fangs pierce the film, the snake instinctively injects venom into the vial beneath – kind of like a very intense juice box.

“We are primarily a production facility, but often work closely with research projects and antivenom production companies to make sure we are providing the necessary venom and compounds for a given application,” Barden told IFLScience. 

There is still a lot of danger in collecting snake venom, and it takes intense skill and safety protocols to ensure that everyone and every snake is safe. 

There are a host of safety protocols in place in the event of a bite. The main thing is we have antivenom on site for every species at the Serpentarium. 

Carl M. Barden

“There are a host of safety protocols in place in the event of a bite. The main thing is we have antivenom on site for every species at the Serpentarium. We also maintain a close relationship with our primary hospital, so the ER staff knows us and knows what we do. We have a working relationship with our regional Poison Control Center and a close working relationship with the Director. We also drill for snakebite. In addition, we have a host of medications on hand to treat an acute allergic reaction and anaphylaxis due to venom allergy,” said Barden.  

Will we always need to use snakes to get snake venom?

One research group is currently growing isolated venom glands in the lab. By removing venom gland cells from a snake embryo, and putting them through an organoid-making protocol, scientists have managed to recreate a functioning venom gland.

When these mini-glands grow, they actually fill up with venom – which can be harvested – and this lab-made venom is chemically similar to that found in live snakes.

However, for now, the only way to get venom is by directly milking snakes. 

How do traditional antivenoms work?

Despite some very old folk practices of treating snakebites (looking at you, chicken anuses), there is only one approved therapy – antivenom. 

Traditionally, small quantities of venom are injected into large animals like horses, and then the antibodies collected from the animals’ blood are harvested. This is known as antivenom, and if it is administered in a timely fashion after the person has been bitten, it could save lives.  

However, there are a few disadvantages to this type of antivenom. 

• Specificity: Antivenom is very specific to the snake it was created from. Often, the correct snake must be identified before choosing the right treatment. This means that the victim – or someone nearby – needs to be able to identify or capture the snake quickly. 
• Side effects: Antivenom can cause problems of its own. Since it’s made using animal antibodies, it can trigger severe immune reactions. 
• Not covering all bites: There are currently 127 antivenoms on the market, as per one study, but 725 venomous snake species. While some antivenoms can target a few snakes in one, there are still some snakes that we have no matching antivenom for.
• Storage: Antivenoms usually require cold-storage and are almost always administered intravenously, which is hard to manage in rural or remote settings. 
• Global antivenom crisis: Several manufacturers have closed shop over the years, causing prices to skyrocket. Treatment has become more expensive – and sometimes unattainable. This price hike has also led to supply shortages and even counterfeit antivenoms entering the market.

“Our antivenom is made by the South African Vaccine Producers, part of our National Health Laboratories. Their production has been inconsistent for the past three years, and currently they are producing nothing. They say they are busy with an upgrade,” said Marais.

“Fortunately, we have an alternative product called Pan African Premium, imported from India. It covers most of our highly venomous snakes and has WHO approval. At present, we have no spider or scorpion antivenom.”

How close are we to universal antivenom?

Currently, there are many facilities trying to come up with therapies that can target a wider range of species. In one project, scientists studied a wide range of venom and identified the key toxins. They then took 100 billion artificial human antibodies to find out which antibody binds best to the toxins. 

Once promising candidates were found, researchers analyzed the best candidates to work out how they worked and then tested these on animals. Some of them proved effective. 

Antibody therapy could be a great avenue for universal antivenom. These lab-made antibodies would be simpler to produce and less likely to trigger allergic reactions than traditional ones.

What medications are currently being developed?

There’s always exciting research happening in the world of snakebite treatment.

Currently, oral treatments are being developed that a person could take immediately after being bitten, to block the most lethal components of venom. One such example is unithiol. 

Unithiol has been used in the past to treat heavy-metal poisoning. One research team aims to repurpose this medication to treat snakebites. For people who are bitten, unithiol disables enzymes that are common in the dangerous venom – metalloproteinases. In animal models, this seems to work as well as antivenom and is now being trialed in humans, with a phase 2 clinical trial now underway.     

There is another project that has been developing therapies as an alternative to antivenom. There have been trials using new synthetic nanoparticles to create a more effective snakebite treatment. This project is called ADDovenom and it is a collaboration between the UK, Portugal, Belgium, and France. The project utilizes an ADDomer – a virus-like assemblage that is made up of many copies of the same modified proteins. This modification can allow them to grab and neutralize specific targets like snake venom. The project ended earlier this year, and we are currently awaiting publication of its research. 

Snakebites might seem like something out of an Indiana Jones movie, but for millions around the world, they are a terrifying reality. The good news? Science is stepping up. From antibody libraries to lab-grown venom glands and oral treatments that could be kept in a first-aid kit, we’re inching closer to faster, safer, and more accessible ways to treat bites.

But there’s still a long way to go. As researchers race to create universal solutions and innovative alternatives, maybe one day the humble snake milker might be replaced by a pipette in a petri dish, but that is no time soon.