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Go to linode.com/scishow to learn more and get a $100 60-day credit  on a new Linode account. [♪ INTRO] One of the biggest challenges in public  health is preventing the rise of superbugs, relentless bacteria strains able to  evade our attempts to destroy them. And as more infectious diseases  build resistance to medicines that have historically been used  to successfully fend them off, some strains are even able to defy  multiple types of antibiotics.

Antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections  are one of the top ten greatest threats to our health around the world, and  the situation could get a lot worse. So with a lot of our commonly used  antibiotics becoming less effective against a wider range of bacteria, we  need to look for other options, and fast. One way to develop more effective  drugs is to turn to sources we’ve never used before.

And that’s where some of the  world’s most venomous snakes might just come in handy. Venomous snakes use their specialized fangs to inject a powerful concoction into their prey. This venom is a highly toxic  mix of hundreds of molecules used to subdue a meal before swallowing  it whole, as well as help digest it.

But it turns out venom has powerful  antimicrobial properties too. This might serve to protect the snakes  from infection if their preferred prey carry parasites and bacteria that could  otherwise harm them as they consume it. Over the years, numerous antimicrobial  agents have been discovered in the venom for different species of snakes.

And some of these components have now  been isolated from venom and tested against common troublesome bacterial  infections experienced by humans. For example, King cobra venom is  shown to be effective against E. coli, as well as strains of  staphylococcus and salmonella. There are two main ways we  treat bacterial infections: either by stopping their growth,  or disrupting their cell membranes.

In the case of snake venom, it appears  numerous enzymes and certain protein fragments use the cell membrane  approach to kill the unwanted microbes, releasing their internal fluids. Since snake venom is such  a complex mix of molecules, this research is uncovering a broad  selection of antimicrobial elements for potential applications as medicine. But there are big differences in the composition and concentrations of proteins  found between species.

And that means not all venoms are alike  in terms of antimicrobial abilities. In fact, different species might fight  distinct microbes more effectively than others. For example, Western diamondback  rattlesnake venom also works well against E. coli, but venom from a species  of South American pit viper doesn’t.

So we may have our work cut out for  us when it comes to figuring out what venoms, or more specifically  which of their isolated components, to use against which bacteria. And there’s another factor as well: actually converting those venoms into treatments. For the most part, research has  focused on two families of snakes.

One being Elapidae, which  includes the cobras, mambas, and coral snakes, some of the  most deadly snakes to humans. Studies have also centered around  species from the Viperidae family, the vipers and rattlesnakes. There’s also Colubridae,  a very large family of snakes.

There are only a small number of  venomous species found in this family, and even those that do produce toxins  just don’t have particularly potent venom, at least not to humans. Colubrid snakes haven’t been as well  studied for their antimicrobial properties, but there could be big benefits to  turning our attention towards them. For one, there may be more adverse side  effects for humans when we’re using compounds isolated from the  more deadly snake families.

So some researchers believe that  studying colubrid venoms might actually clue us in to treatments that are  safer and better tolerated by humans. And while there’s a lot of promise  for tackling bacterial infections using properties from venom, we  haven’t gotten to the best part: we might be able to use it to  fight off other microbes too. Venom tested from each of the three snake families have also been shown to exhibit  anti-parasitic properties.

For example, certain venoms were  effective against the parasite Leishmania. It causes leishmaniasis, a  potentially deadly infection that can create skin sores and interfere  with the function of internal organs. Finding new ways to fight  off these types of parasites would benefit people around the world.

All that said, there’s still a ways to go  before you’ll be able to open your medicine cabinet and take your pick of  snake venom-based treatments. New antibiotics are difficult to develop. There haven’t been any approved for years  now, and it’s not for lack of trying.

So despite all we now know about snake venom, it will be difficult to turn it into  something we can safely consume. For instance, the size of  many of the molecules in venom makes them hard for us to manufacture. We’d have to find a way to efficiently  synthesize them for use in medicines.

We’ll also need to find ways  to make them more long-lasting, as well as find a form that could  actually be taken up and used by the body, so that they’d actually work  in a pill or something similar. And maybe most importantly, we still need to figure out how these  specific proteins can be used to affect unwanted microbes without hurting  our tissues at the same time. Because.

It’s snake venom. But the research is looking very promising,  and one day we might just be able to thank a viper or a rattlesnake  for saving our lives. I think then we’ll be feeling  pretty guilty about the bad rap we’ve given them all these years.

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