Box jellyfish anti-venom closer: Australian scientists

Australian scientists say they are closer to developing anti-venom for one of the world's deadliest toxins, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported on Friday.

QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute spokesman Jason Mulvenna said scientists discovered box jellyfish venom was similar to snakes and spiders, but also found proteins that were unique to box jellyfish.

"This is the easy bit, now we've got to work out what each of these proteins are doing, how it interacts with the body, and how we can abate that effect and help people who've been stung," Mulvenna said.

Due to the venom's toxicity, a senior lifeguard said any anti-venom would need to be accessed in less then two minutes.

James Cook University's associate professor Jamie Seymour said global warming has extended the box jellyfish habitat.

"Thirty to 40 years ago the length of the season was about a month to a month-and-a-half," Seymour said. "The length of the season now is about five-and-a-half to six months. It's increasing as water temperatures go up."

In Queensland, swimmers are confined to specially designated netted areas as box jellyfish stings cause severe pain, according to Xinhua news agency.

The box jellyfish has killed 60 Australians so far.