Venom is a poisonous substance secreted by an animal, typically for the purpose of defense or prey capture, that can cause serious injury or death to humans. Venomous animals include snakes, spiders, scorpions, jellyfish, cone snails, and some species of fish and frogs. While most venomous bites result in only minor symptoms, some can lead to serious medical conditions such as tissue damage, organ failure, and even death.
There are two main types of venom: neurotoxic and cytotoxic. Neurotoxic venom attacks the nervous system and can cause paralysis or even death. Cytotoxic venom destroys cells and tissues and can lead to necrosis (cell death). Some venoms contain both neurotoxins and cytotoxins.
Most venoms are produced in specialized glands located near the animal’s mouth or stingers. When an animal feels threatened, it will release its venom through a duct into the attacker. The amount of venom injected depends on the type of animal and the size of its prey. For example, a snake may inject a large amount of neurotoxic venom when attacking a human, while a spider may only inject a small amount of comparatively less dangerous cytotoxic venom when attacking an insect.
Once injected into the victim’s body, the venom begins to work immediately. In some cases (such as with bee stings), there may be no noticeable effect for several minutes as the poison spreads through the victim’s body before any symptoms appear. In other cases (such as with snakebites), the effects may be immediate and potentially life-threatening.
The severity of symptoms caused by a venomous bite or sting depends on many factors including the type of animal involved, the amount of Venom injected, where on the body the injection occurred, and individual allergies or sensitivities. For example, someone who is allergic to bee stings may experience far more severe symptoms than someone who is not allergic after being stung by a bee; whereas someone who is not allergic to snake Venoms may experience only minor discomfort if bitten by a non-venomous snake