Everything Science Forum

Venomous snails aid medical science 
By Louise Yeoman
BBC producer 
 

Dr Jon-Paul Bingham, of Clarkson University, has an unusual note on his file at the local hospital in New York State.

If he is admitted unconscious, they are to check to see whether he has been harpooned by a deadly snail.

Every week, he milks lethal marine molluscs called cone shells for their venom, using a condom, barbecue tongs and a fish. If anything goes wrong, though, it is no laughing matter.

Cone shells look like a seaside souvenir from the tropics. You find them in places like the Great Barrier Reef or Hawaii. The shells themselves are sometimes two to three inches long, often with striking patterns which make them collectable.

The snails inside are not all poisonous but the fish-eating ones are right up there with snakes and scorpions in the danger stakes. If you get stung by one of them, there will be enough venom in your system to kill up to 15 people; but it is not entirely hopeless.

"Get on a life support system. There have been cases where people have survived," Jon-Paul says helpfully.

Ok- How's that for job?!  :o

More at - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4846504.stm

They must be really useful.

"These snails will produce millions of changes in their toxins that they use to kill their prey" - Dr Jon-Paul Bingham, Clarkson University

There are over 500 species of cone snails, marine animals found in coastal areas. Each species produces many different venoms. Venom produced by the snails is injected into victims by means of their proboscis. In most cases this venom is not harmful to humans, although there have been a few reported cases of fatality following evenomation. The most scientifically interesting venoms are those produced by conus geographus and conus magus.

More at -  http://www.portfolio.mvm.ed.ac.uk/studentwebs/session2/group13/snails.html