What is Antivenom?
{{For|the Marvel Comics character|Anti-Venom (comics)}} [[Image:Snake Milking.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Milking a snake for the production of antivenom.]] An '''antivenom''' is a [[medicine]] used to protect against a specific venom. (A venom is a [[poison]] released by a snake or [[insect]].) Frequently the venom of some creature such as a [[cobra]] will be harvested and a little will be injected using a [[hypodermic needle]] into a horse every day for a long time. The horse's body will develop an [[immunity]] to the venom, so more and more venom from the snake can be injected every day. After the horse is immune, its blood can be drawn little by little to get the part of the blood that makes the horse immune. That part can then be injected into humans who have been bitten by cobras. There are antivenoms for the very large and very dangerous funnel-web spiders found in Australia, and for the widow spiders (such as the black widow) found all around the world. [[File:LatrodectusMactansVentral34.JPG|thumb|right|250px|Latrodectus mactans, a black widow spider]] [[File:Atrax robustus.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Atrax robustus, an Australian funnel-web spider.]] {{med-stub}} [[Category:Drugs]]