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Snake Anti-Venom From Chicken Eggs
Makarand writes "Scientists have found a way to collect snake anti-venom from chicken eggs
according to this
article in The Times Of India.
In this newly developed technique 12 week old birds injected with sub-lethal doses of venom followed by
a booster dose after 2-3 weeks started to lay eggs with anti-venom antibodies
concentrated in the yolk.
Anti-venom produced in horses sometimes has other proteins that can cause
allergic reactions, kidney failure and serum sickness in some people. Anti-venom
from chicken is expected to have no such side-effects.
This newly developed process is also an improvement
in the quantity of anti-venom produced -
antibodies produced by 1 litre of horse blood could be
obtained from just 50 chicken eggs."
To answer your question directly, the
birds are likely left to suffer. As one who
owes his life to animal testing, I'm completely
at peace with it.
Hell, if saving my life required me to stomp
little chicks with army boots, I'd do it.
That being said, I used to be a member of PETA.
I know it's a cliche, but it's true: you'd be
in favor of having animals die if your own life
were on the line. Myself, I used to have the
opinion that I'd rather die than have animals
suffer for my benefit. Then I had to face
that question _for real_. It's quite different,
and no amount of philosophizing can get your
mind around the fact that you're going to die.
In any event, there are guidelines for use of
animals in testing. Steps must be taken to
reduce pain to the animals, to the extent this
does not interfere with the test. While I wish
animals didn't have to suffer, I gotta say:
it's *nice* to be alive, even at the expense of
the suffering of animals.