AFP 30 August 05 Opossum blood provides anti-snake-bite serum: researchers
Scientists in Brazil have discovered in the blood of opossums two molecules that can serve as serums against the venom of South America's dangerous jararaca snake, researchers said.
Jonas Perales, a Venezuelan scientist who led the research at Rio's Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, added that the discovery could help fight diseases and showed potential against breast cancer.
"We think that these molecules are more effective than the current serums to suppress" hemorrhaging and muscle paralysis caused by snake bites, Perales said.
He said the research was inspired by observations from Venezuelan farmers, who say that opossums survive snake bites.
The opossum, a marsupial from the Americas, eats snakes. When it senses danger, it releases a malodorous liquid as a defense mechanism.
In Brazil, 90 percent of snake bites involve jararacas or snakes from the same family.
Paperboy Note: I was trying to find the original of this item in the Brazilian papers ... without success, but I did find the link following, which to my uneducated eye may be relevent.
(http://www.dbbm.fiocruz.br/biotech/diag42.html). Plus, if you do a data search on Dr. Jonas Perales, he's quite active in your area of specialisation ... though most of his work appears to be in Portugese.
Opossum blood provides anti-snake-bite serum
