Taiwan Lab making AV

[NicoleRussell]

Laboratory is instrumental in developing snake antivenins
>
> Poisonous snakes present the greatest threat to people in Taiwan
> between March and October. According to statistics, about 300
> people in Taiwan are bitten by poisonous snakes each year and
> need to be rushed to the hospital to be injected with antivenins
> based on the type of snake bite. The serums are developed by the
> Kunyang Laboratory at the Center for Disease Control under the
> Department of Health. The quality of the antivenins developed is
> so good that they have even been exported to places such as the
> United States, Germany, Italy and Southeast Asia.
>
> The Kunyang Laboratory is one of the least known units under the
> Center for Disease Control. On Thursday, the laboratory emerged
> from its veil of secrecy. The laboratory is constantly on alert,
> waiting to immediately tackle and guard against any infectious
> diseases that could be a threat to the people of Taiwan. It is
> the nation's highest-level laboratory facility devoted to
> infectious diseases. During the SARS epidemic several years ago,
> the laboratory played an important role in working to find ways
> to combat the virus. Presently, the laboratory is working on
> research and producing snake antivenins, Tetanus toxoids, and
> Bacille Calmette Guerin vaccines.
>
> The Kunyang Laboratory is presently raising 100,000 mosquitoes in
> a controlled environment in the facility. It also has over 800
> white mice, 71 poisonous snakes, over 40 horses and 18 ferrets.
> In addition, the facility is home to any number of rabbits,
> guinea pigs, macaques, and a wide range of insects. Many of the
> animals that have put in years of "service" have retired from
> their jobs as the subjects of experiments and are now readying to
> live out the rest of their lives in comfortable surroundings at the lab.
>
> Liu Ting-ping, the director of the Antivenin and Vaccine Research
> Center at the Center for Disease Control, said that since many of
> the poisonous venoms of snakes here are unique to Taiwan, Taiwan
> began research and development of antivenins that dates back all
> the way to the Japanese colonial period. Taiwan has already
> successfully developed and put into production antivenins for the
> poisonous venom of the pointed scaled pit viper and the turtle
> designed snake. The venoms of these snakes cause hemorrhaging in
> humans. Meanwhile, it has also developed antivenins for the
> Bungarus multicinctus and the Daboia russellii formosensis
> snakes, the venoms of which attack a person's nervous system. The
> laboratory has also successfully developed an antivenin for
> persons bitten by the Deinagkistrodon acutus snake. In addition,
> it has developed an antivenin against the poison of the chain
> snake, and testing of the antivenin is presently in the clinical stage.
>
> The poisonous snake section of the animal testing department at
> the Kunyang Laboratory contains 71 poisonous snakes. Each of the
> snakes has its own living space. In the winter, heat is pumped
> into each of the cages, while in the summer, air-conditioning is
> piped in. Every two weeks, each of the snakes is fed a white
> mouse and a chick. Each month, laboratory workers extract venom
> from the snakes. In addition, every year each of the snakes is
> de-wormed twice. The snakes in the facility actually live longer
> lives than snakes in the wild, since 99 percent of poisonous
> snakes in the wild have parasites.
>
> The poisonous snake section also employs an individual who is
> charged with taking good care of the snakes. In this case, it is
> veterinarian Lin Ming-cheng. Dr. Lin is responsible for feeding
> the snakes and making sure that they remain well. He has also
> been responsible for extracting venom from the snakes for the
> past eight or nine years. Things do not always go smoothly,
> however. One time he was not careful and was bitten by a pointed
> scaled pit viper. The bite caused his index finger to atrophy.
> Ever since that event, he has decided against partaking in any
> dangerous work if he is even the least bit tired.
>
> The Kunyang Laboratory also has a laboratory that houses insects
> that carry diseases. The room is about seven or eight pings in
> size, and has a collection of mosquitoes from all different parts
> of Taiwan and Japan. The room is home to about 100,000
> mosquitoes. The unit is instrumental in carrying out research on
> Japanese encephalitis and Dengue fever.
>
> Meanwhile, the Council of Agriculture's Animal Health Research
> Institute is situated in Danshui Township of Taipei County. It is
> another center for the study of animal infectious diseases and
> has been in the forefront of animal medicine and technology in
> Taiwan for over 100 years. In 1936, it successfully found a way
> to prevent rinderpest. Over the years, it has also made many
> contributions in the fight against foot and mouth disease in
> pigs, mad cow disease, Newcastle disease, which affects chickens,
> and other animals of economic value.
>
> In the course of their research, the Kunyang Laboratory and the
> Animal Health Research Institute at times have to kill animals.
> However, in a show of respect to the animals who have given their
> lives, a commemorative plaque has been established to pay tribute
> to them.
>
> Source:Liberty Times(2006/02/17 12:07:45)
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