The tiny Irukandji jellyfish, endemic to northern Australia, can be extremely harmful - a simple sting can cause excruciating pain - but ironically, its venom can save lives.
Jamie Seymour has been stung eleven times. A professor of toxicology at James Cook University in Queensland, northeastern Australia, he studies the world's most dangerous marine animals to understand how their toxins contribute to the production of antitoxins.
Dozens of irukandji jellyfish, some no bigger than a sesame seed, swim in tanks in his warehouse.
In another tank swims a coral rockfish, the most venomous fish in the world. Its hard spines pierce the skin, causing severe pain that can knock a person unconscious or even kill them. Seymour survived one of its stings.
From his warehouse, the biologist points out other deadly species, including the cube jellyfish, which can kill those it stings in 10 minutes.
Seymour told Agence France-Presse, "Australia is undoubtedly the continent with the most venomous animals in the world," knowing that deaths from these creatures' bites are rare.
According to the most recent data available, there were 32 animal-related deaths per year in Australia between 2001 and 2017, most of them from attacks by horses or cows.
Since 1883, the tiny Irukandji jellyfish has killed two people, while the cube jellyfish has killed 69.
Seymour points out that "between 3,000 and 5,000 deaths are recorded in Australia each year related to drugs, alcohol or car accidents" and explains that "the possibility of being bitten or stung by an animal in Australia is reasonable".
His camp is the only one that extracts toxins from these deadly sea creatures and turns them into anti-venom, knowing that the process is difficult.
Researchers remove the tentacles, or sensory sensors, of the cube jellyfish and then freeze them before extracting the venom.
There is no antivenom for the small Irukandji jellyfish.
As for coral rockfish, one way to extract their venom is to insert a syringe into their venom glands and withdraw a few milliliters of the deadly liquid. Once researchers have collected enough venom, they send it to the lab, where it is turned into an anti-venom.
An animal that produces natural antibodies, such as a horse, is then injected with a small amount of the venom over a six-month period.
The animal's plasma is then collected and the antibodies extracted, then purified and converted into human antitoxin.
These materials are then shipped to hospitals in Australia and some Pacific islands, where they can be administered in the event of a sting or bite.
"We have some of the best antivenoms in the world, there's no doubt about that," says Seymour, adding, "The time and effort that goes into producing them sets us apart from most other countries."
Scientists believe that climate change may be increasing the risk of stings.
About sixty years ago, November and December was the time when stings from the small Irukandji jellyfish increased.
Now, rising ocean temperatures are extending this period into March, forcing these deadly jellyfish to move further south.
Seymour's students have discovered that temperature changes alter the level of venom in animals.
The professor says, "For example, if you make antivenom for an animal at a temperature of 20 degrees Celsius, and you are exposed to a sting from an animal that lives in the wild at a temperature of 30 degrees Celsius, the antivenom will not be effective."
Venom from stinging animals can be used to treat a wide range of other health conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis.
There is still a significant lack of funding in this area of research.
"Venom is a lot like ratatouille, it has a whole bunch of different ingredients," says Seymour, adding, "What we are trying to do is separate those ingredients and figure out what each one does."
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