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Search for a highly potent anti-snake venom:
Context:
- Research on venom of snakes
What is the news all about?
- The Madras Crocodile Bank Trust (MCBT) is researching the venom of snakes from different Indian regions in order to create a highly potent Anti Snake Venom (ASV).
What is the importance of this project?
- Besides mortality, snakebite survivors often have to live with severe morbidity, including tissue damage and necrosis, amputations, and kidney failure.
- The aim of the ongoing research project is to determine the efficacy of the existing ASV against these venoms collected from various parts of the country
- Four snake species cause the most number of snakebite deaths in India
- A highly potent Anti Snake Venom (ASV) is crucial for two reasons:
- It will offer better relief for snakebite victims
- It will reduce the quantity of ASV required for treatment
What are the challenges?
- Producing ASV is a tedious process that involves injecting venom from four different species of snakes into horses.
- One horse can produce up to 50 vials of ASV depending on the weight of the animal.
- There is only one venom extraction centre in the country, in Tamil Nadu which functions under the aegis of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in Tamil Nadu
