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What animal has the strongest immune system?
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Melanie Jiang
What animal has the strongest immune system?
Though not strictly pathogenic in nature, Opossums (Didelphis virginiana) are well known to be able to recover from broad range of deadly toxins/venoms due to -- at least in part -- lethal toxin-neutralizing factor (LTNF).
According to Lipps (1999), who tried putting LTNF into mice:
Death due to intraperitoneal (IP) injection of a predetermined lethal dose of venom from major families of snakes, for instance Crotalidae, Elapidae, Viperidae and Hydrophiidae, is prevented in mice by subsequent IP inoculation of LTNF. Furthermore, LTNF neutralizes the lethality of scorpion and bee venoms and toxins from various animals, plants and bacteria. Thus, natural LTNF from opossum serum has potential as a universal therapy for envenomation caused by animals, plants and bacteria.
Also, because of their low body temperature, opossums rarely if ever get rabies unlike all other mammal species.
Opossums have also been known to eat a wide variety of foodstuffs including carrion, bones, and even garbage without getting sick -- suggesting they have strong immune systems associated with their gut.
Though not strictly pathogenic in nature, Opossums (Didelphis virginiana) are well known to be able to recover from broad range of deadly toxins/venoms due to -- at least in part -- lethal toxin-neutralizing factor (LTNF).
According to Lipps (1999), who tried putting LTNF into mice:
Death due to intraperitoneal (IP) injection of a predetermined lethal dose of venom from major families of snakes, for instance Crotalidae, Elapidae, Viperidae and Hydrophiidae, is prevented in mice by subsequent IP inoculation of LTNF. Furthermore, LTNF neutralizes the lethality of scorpion and bee venoms and toxins from various animals, plants and bacteria. Thus, natural LTNF from opossum serum has potential as a universal therapy for envenomation caused by animals, plants and bacteria.
Also, because of their low body temperature, opossums rarely if ever get rabies unlike all other mammal species.
Opossums have also been known to eat a wide variety of foodstuffs including carrion, bones, and even garbage without getting sick -- suggesting they have strong immune systems associated with their gut.
I'm going to accept this answer (till something better comes up). Opossum, as a scavenger and a snake hunter, evolved to be immune to many diseases and toxins/poison where sum of these pathogens/toxins can kill many or most number of different species. Here is a relevant quote also: "They are nearly impervious to rabies because their body temperature is too low to host the rabies virus. They also rarely catch Lyme disease from tick bites, and are immune to the stings of honeybees and scorpions, botulism toxin, and snake venom." More
Though not strictly pathogenic in nature, Opossums (Didelphis virginiana) are well known to be able to recover from broad range of deadly toxins/venoms due to -- at least in part -- lethal toxin-neutralizing factor (LTNF).
According to Lipps (1999), who tried putting LTNF into mice:
Also, because of their low body temperature, opossums rarely if ever get rabies unlike all other mammal species.
Opossums have also been known to eat a wide variety of foodstuffs including carrion, bones, and even garbage without getting sick -- suggesting they have strong immune systems associated with their gut.
Though not strictly pathogenic in nature, Opossums (Didelphis virginiana) are well known to be able to recover from broad range of deadly toxins/venoms due to -- at least in part -- lethal toxin-neutralizing factor (LTNF).
According to Lipps (1999), who tried putting LTNF into mice:
Also, because of their low body temperature, opossums rarely if ever get rabies unlike all other mammal species.
Opossums have also been known to eat a wide variety of foodstuffs including carrion, bones, and even garbage without getting sick -- suggesting they have strong immune systems associated with their gut.
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