Chicken eggs to treat snake bites

Published January 7, 2003

NEW DELHI: Indian scientists said on Monday they would soon be able to use chicken eggs to treat snake bites.

“The new method involves taking antibodies from chicken eggs which are concentrated in the egg yolk to produce antivenom,” said P.V. Subba Rao, scientific director of the Vittal Mallya Scientific Research Foundation (VMSRF) in Bangalore.

Scientists at VMSRF have spent three years researching the chicken antivenom, which they said was cost-effective and free of side effects.

“Once we complete the chronic toxic study, we will be the first in the world to inject chicken antibodies into human beings,” Rao said, noting that so far chicken antibodies had only been administered orally. He said tests to check antibodies for any viral or bacterial toxin would be completed by next year.

Anti-venom had been extracted from horses but was a very painful process that produced heavy bleeding in the animals, which sparked protests by animal rights advocates.—AFP

Opinion

Editorial

Doctor attacked
09 Jun, 2026

Doctor attacked

AN act of reprehensible violence has shaken the medical community. On Saturday, an employee of the Provincial Civil...
AJK flare-up
Updated 09 Jun, 2026

AJK flare-up

The situation started deteriorating after a trader affiliated with the JAAC was reportedly shot in an altercation with law-enforcers.
Fault lines
09 Jun, 2026

Fault lines

THE April 8 ceasefire that halted hostilities between Israel and Iran has encountered its most serious test yet....
Soft on traders
08 Jun, 2026

Soft on traders

THE Fixed Tax Asaan Scheme for traders with an annual turnover of up to Rs200m has been designed as a ‘pragmatic...
Ceasefire in name
Updated 08 Jun, 2026

Ceasefire in name

Both sides accuse the other of violating the truce that was supposed to halt the conflict in April, yet neither appears willing to abandon negotiations altogether.
Damaged childhoods
08 Jun, 2026

Damaged childhoods

CHILD abuse is so prevalent that the UN ranked Pakistan as the least safe country for children. Even so, more than...