On the noxious black Amazonian scorpion, Tityus obscurus (Scorpiones, Buthidae): Taxonomic notes, biology, medical importance and envenoming treatment

• Published in: Toxicon (Oxford) 2023-06, Vol.228, p.107125-107125, Article 107125
• Main Authors: Martins, Jonas Gama, de Castro Figueiredo Bordon, Karla, Moreno-González, Jairo A., de Almeida, Bruno Rafael Ribeiro, Pardal, Pedro P.O., Lira, André Felipe de Araújo, Cândido, Denise M., Arantes, Eliane Candiani, Procópio, Rudi Emerson de Lima
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Animals; Antivenins - therapeutic use; Arboreal scorpion; Biology; Black scorpion; Child; Clinical manifestations; Ethnobotanical knowledge; Female; Humans; Male; Scorpion envenoming symptoms; Scorpion Stings; Scorpion Venoms - toxicity; Scorpions; Traditional treatment
• ISSN: 0041-0101; 1879-3150
• DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2023.107125

Tityus obscurus has caused mild, moderate and severe accidents of medical relevance in the eastern Brazilian Amazon and French Guiana. Tityus obscurus has sexual dimorphism although males and females have uniform black coloration. In the Amazon, one of the habitats of this scorpion is seasonally flooded forests (igapós and várzeas). However, most stings occur in terra firme forest areas (non-flooded region), where most rural communities are located. Adults and children stung by T. obscurus may experience an “electric shock” sensation for more than 30 h after the sting. Our data shows that people inhabiting remote forest areas, including rubber tappers, fishermen and indigenous people, with no access to anti-scorpion serum, use parts of native plants, such as seeds and leaves, against pain and vomiting caused by scorpion stings. Although there is a technical effort to produce and distribute antivenoms in the Amazon, many cases of scorpion stings are geographically unpredictable in this region, due to the lack of detailed knowledge of the natural distribution of these animals. In this manuscript, we compile information on the natural history of T. obscurus and the impact of its envenoming on human health. We identify the natural sites that host this scorpion in the Amazon, in order to warn about the risk of human envenoming. The use of specific antivenom serum is the recommended treatment for accidents involving venomous animals. However, atypical symptoms not neutralized by the available commercial antivenom are reported in the Amazon region. Facing this scenario, we present some challenges to the study of venomous animals in the Amazon rainforest and possible experimental bottlenecks and perspectives for establishing a method aimed at producing an efficient antivenom. [Display omitted] •Tityus obscurus challenges the therapeutic efficacy of the commercially available specific antivenom.•Tityus obscurus venom triggers manifestations that can last up to 30 h after exposure to the sting.•People in rural and indigenous communities are stung by scorpions inside their homes and during unprotected manual labor.•Seeds, roots and leaves of native plants are used as traditional treatments against scorpion stings in the Amazon.•Medically important Amazonian scorpion venoms lack clinical, proteomic and immunological studies.