MadSci Network: General Biology |
No because the toxins in snake venoms are proteins. They cannot cross the mucus-membrane and the proteinases in the stomach would make short work of them. This is why carnival people can get away with drinking snake venom. However, if they have just flossed their teen and have bleeding gums or have an ulcer then this could provide a route of entry for the venom. If an animal died, however, from eating a poisonous animal such as the fugu fish, where the toxin is an organic toxin (tetrodotoxin in this case), then they would also suffer the same effects since organic toxins can cross the mucus membrane and also aren't broken down by the stomach proteinases. Cheers Bryan Dr. Bryan Grieg Fry ARC-APD Research Fellow http://www.venomdoc.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Deputy Director Australian Venom Research Unit, Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010 Australia Phone 61 3 8344 7753 Fax 61 3 9348 2048 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Population and Evolutionary Genetics Unit Museum Victoria GPO Box 666E, Melbourne VIC 3001 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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