This snake oil is no “snake oil”.
Invasive Burmese python has become a major problem in the US, especially in swampy states like Florida. But when it comes to coronavirus prevention, these giant snakes can be part of the solution thanks to their medicinal snake oil.
Reptile hunters who once tried to reduce the population of out-of-control pythons in the Everglades are now tracking predators for a whole new reason: in search of the abundance of squalene, a lipid produced by the body’s sebaceous glands. . The substance has become a key ingredient in the manufacture of COVID-19 vaccines.
“There are some healing properties in the snake,” said Dusty Crum, also known as the “Wildman,” according to Fox 13. Tampa Bay. “If you go back to traditional medicine, they’ve been using python and python components for thousands of years,” he told a reporter last month.
Squalene is natural in many plants and animals, including humans, and is frequently used in skin care and cosmetics as an emollient antioxidant and skin protector. As for its medicinal applications, scientists claim that squalene facilitates our immune response to get the most out of vaccines, a therapeutic additive called adjuvant. Although the ingredient is not currently listed as part of Pfizer or Moderna coronavirus vaccines, shark-derived squalene was used in at least five potential vaccine prescriptions tested last year, according to data from the Organization. World Health.
One of the most common ways to get spare squalene is through shark liver, where oil is plentiful, but worries about overfishing have motivated researchers to look for a source elsewhere.
Enter: the invading Burmese pythons of Florida, which have wreaked havoc on the state in recent years.
“A typical 12-foot python can do enough scaling for about 3,400 doses of vaccine,” Daryl Thompson, a spokeswoman for Global Research and Discovery Group Sciences, said in a statement to Fox 13.
“It’s not as much as a shark can do, but it’s much more sustainable,” added Thompson, who plans to present the findings on the python ladder to the Biomedical Authority for Advanced Research and Development, as part of the program. vaccine search supported by the government last year Warp rate.
At the same time, Florida wildlife experts are eager to see an ethical solution to the state’s python problems.
“We’re taking a bad situation and doing something good about it,” Crum said. “This has the potential to help heal many people and potentially save many lives.”
However, some animal advocates argue that python shark hunting is only transferring a threat from one species to another.
“Harvesting something from a wild animal will never be sustainable, especially if it is a superior predator that does not breed in large numbers,” said Stefanie Brendl, founder of shark conservation group Shark Allies, in a recent statement to the Telegraph.
“We are not trying to slow down or hinder the production of a vaccine,” Brendl added. “We are simply asking that tests of non-animal-derived squalene be done in conjunction with shark shark so that it can be replaced as soon as possible.”