# Natural antivenom and antipoison production = very few fatalities?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natural-antivenom-and-antipoison-production-very-few-fatalities/747058>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 25, 2016, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natural-antivenom-and-antipoison-production-very-few-fatalities/747058 "2016-02-25T02:24:26Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![caters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@caters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caters)\
**Post date:** [February 25, 2016, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natural-antivenom-and-antipoison-production-very-few-fatalities/747058/1 "2016-02-25T02:24:26Z")

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If the antivenom production takes 5 minutes and venom is used to heal the body whereas antipoison is used to inactivate the poison making it safe to be excreted and takes 7 minutes to form and there is a small chance of anaphylaxis then a simple formula can be used.

Here it is:

# of poison and venom cases per year - (# of poison and venom cases per year \* chance of anaphylaxis(assuming everyone that gets anaphylaxis deserves to die)) = # of survivors

So if there are 1,000,000 humanoids in a given area of civilization and all humanoids survive animal borne illnesses and there is a 1% chance of anaphylaxis with bee stings and there are 10,000,000 bees and the chance of a bee sting is anywhere from 10-15% that is 1000-1500 deaths from anaphylaxis from bee stings.

Likely all the humanoids with anaphylaxis have bad genes and so over years and years anaphylaxis is selected against.

This would cause the immune system of the humanoids to be more resistant to IgE formation since IgE is what causes allergies and anaphylaxis but the immune system is trying to make IgG.

A few thousand deaths is low in a population of a million or more.

But would this be feasible for 1000-1500 of the humanoids that are stung by a bee in a population of 1,000,000 to get anaphylaxis and die given that anaphylaxis is unlikely and the venom is going to be digested anyway?

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**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\
**Post date:** [February 25, 2016, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natural-antivenom-and-antipoison-production-very-few-fatalities/747058/2 "2016-02-25T02:42:34Z")

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Your premise seems to be based on the idea that those 1000-1500 people are going to get anaphylaxis, which is not only not unlikely, but guaranteed in this scenario. If the venom were going to get ingested (and therefore be ineffective, I’m assuming), they wouldn’t die, so, again, that’s outside the bounds of your premise.

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**Author:** ![caters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@caters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caters)\
**Post date:** [February 25, 2016, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natural-antivenom-and-antipoison-production-very-few-fatalities/747058/3 "2016-02-25T04:49:25Z")

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I mean being digested in white blood cells if you think the venom is beeing diverted to the stomach and digested there.

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**Author:** ![excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e8c25b/32.png) [@excavating\_for\_a\_mind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/excavating_for_a_mind)\
**Post date:** [February 25, 2016, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/natural-antivenom-and-antipoison-production-very-few-fatalities/747058/4 "2016-02-25T13:28:00Z")

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> [@caters](#):
>
> …the venom is beeing diverted …

I see what you did there.