Snake Carries Its Own Antivenom in Its Blood... Scientists Turn It Into a Weapon Against Other Snakes

Researchers have long known that rattlesnakes are immune to their own venom, but the precise mechanism behind this resistance remained unknown until now.

A team from the University of Maryland in the United States discovered that the blood of the western diamondback rattlesnake contains a group of proteins known as the FETUA family, which act as a natural shield that neutralizes snake venoms.

According to the study published in the journal PNAS on July 29, researchers identified in 2022 a single protein from this family capable of disabling metalloproteinases present in the snake’s own venom.

The new finding is that combining several proteins from this family produced a mixture ten times more potent than the current commercial antivenom derived from sheep blood, according to laboratory experiments on mice.

The new mixture not only neutralized the venom of the rattlesnake itself but also provided broad protection against the venoms of other snake species. The team hopes this discovery will pave the way for a cheaper and safer antivenom, as snakebites cause between 80,000 and 140,000 deaths annually worldwide, according to the scientific journal Nature.