Australian scientists invent blood test to speed up snake bite treatment

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Aussie researches develop a test that rapidly detects toxins
Doctors hope results will be available within one hour
They say the test will reduce the chance of permanent nerve damage

By Australian Associated Press and Taylor Auerbach

Published: 23:13 EST, 1 June 2014 | Updated: 04:27 EST, 2 June 2014

Snake bites just got a tiny bit less scary.

A team of Australian scientists has developed a cutting-edge blood test that could dramatically reduce the time it takes to treat victims nipped by venomous reptiles.

The researchers have worked out a way to determine if a person has poison in their system, allowing doctors to give antivenom much earlier than at present.

Beating the bite: Australian scientists have developed a blood test that could dramatically reduce the time it takes to treat serious snake bites

Importantly, the test could protect people from irreversible nerve damage which results from a number of different types of snake bites.

Medical guidelines say antivenom should be given only if a person has symptoms or has positive blood results.

However, symptoms can take up to eight hours to appear, and the current blood test takes about 12 hours, says lead researcher Dr Kalana Maduwage of the University of Newcastle.

Dr Maduwage says a one-hour bedside test could be available within a year.

So far, his test detects venom from all poisonous snakes in Australia and New Zealand.

The next step is to include all snakes in the world, says Dr Maduwage, who presented his research at a meeting of Australian Society for Medical Research in Sydney on Monday.

Australia is home to most of the most dangerous snakes on the planet including the inland taipan and the notorious eastern brown snake.

Untreated, bites from these snakes result in death up to 80 per cent of the time and can kill in hours.