system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
How does extracting venom from animals help us create antidotes?
gpt
Let's use snake venom as an example. Venom is extracted from a venomous snake and then dosed (carefully) into a mammal, often a horse or sheep. That animal develops antibodies to fight the venom. Those antibodies are harvested (from blood serum), processed, stabilized, and packaged into antivenom for humans or pets. The antibodies can be included in whole (generally more effective but high risk of allergic reaction) or just certain parts (less effective, lower allergic risk).