Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Scorpionism and Dangerous Species of Mexico

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Toxinology

  • 374 Accesses

Abstract

The incidence of scorpionism in Mexico is one of the highest around the world. With more than 250,000 accidents reported every year, it has become a serious health problem. Seven scorpion species belonging to the Centruroides genus are the main culprits of the cases of human envenomations in this country. The experience acquired after more than 40 years of handling scorpion-stung patients in the Red Cross Hospital of León, Guanajuato, Mexico, is here detailed. Nationwide statistics from the Mexican Secretary of Health are also contributed. Scorpion-venom intoxications are divided into three categories in accordance to the seriousness of the symptoms. Patients with moderate and severe symptoms are immediately treated with specific anti-scorpion polyvalent antivenoms (generically denominated “fabotherapeutic”) made in Mexico, with outstanding results. The nationwide application of the Norma Oficial Mexicana for the treatment of scorpion stings has resulted in a dramatic reduction of deceases due to scorpionism.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Archivos Cruz Roja Mexicana. Delegación León, Guanajuato. 1971–2011.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boyer L. History of scorpion antivenom: one Arizonan’s view. Toxicon. 2013;69:14–20.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Calderon-Aranda ES, Dehesa-Davila M, Chavez-Haro A, Possani L. Scorpion stings and their treatment in Mexico. In: Bon C, Goyffon M, editors. Envenomings and their treatments. Paris: Institut Pasteur-Fondation Mérieux; 1996. p. 311–6.

    Google Scholar 

  • Celis A, Gaxiola-Robles R, Sevilla-Godínez E, Orozco Valerio MJ, Armas J. Tendencia de la mortalidad por picaduras de alacrán en México, 1979–2003. Rev Panam Salud Publica. 2007;21(6):373–80.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • CENAPRECE – Centro Nacional de Programas Preventivos y Control de Enfermedades (http://www.cenavece.salud.gob.mx/).

  • DGE – Dirección General de Epidemiología/Secretaría de Salud (http://www.epidemiologia.salud.gob.mx/dgae/boletin/intd_historicos.html).

  • Gomez MV, Dai ME, Diniz CR. Effect of scorpion venom, tityustoxin, on the release of acetylcholine from incubated slices of rat brain. J Neurochem. 1973;20(4):1051–61.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • González-Romero S, González-Hermosillo JA, González RA, Flores ME, Mijangos-Vargas G. Alteraciones electrocardiográficas en sujetos picados por alacrán. Arch Inst Cardiol. 1991;61(1):15–20.

    Google Scholar 

  • INEGI – Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía (http://cuentame.inegi.org.mx/poblacion/).

  • Kubo N, Shirakawa O, Kuno T, Tanaka C. Antimuscarinic effects of antihistamines: quantitative evaluation by receptor-binding assay. Jpn J Pharmacol. 1987;43(3):277–82.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lourenço WR, Cloudsley-Thompson JL, Cuellar O, von Eickstedt VRD, Barraviera B, Knox MB. The evolution of scorpionism in Brazil in recent years. J Venom Anim Toxins. 1996;2(2):121–34.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • LoVecchio F, McBride C. Scorpion envenomations in young children in central Arizona. J Toxicol Clin Toxicol. 2003;41(7):937–40.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Maraboto-Martínez JA, Chávez-Haro A, García-Willis C, Rivas M, Alagón A. Mexican Institute of Social Security: epidemiological data on scorpion and snake accidents and their treatment. 12th World Congress on Animal Plant and Microbial Toxins; Cuernavaca, Mexico; 1997.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nisani Z, Hayes WK. Defensive stinging by Parabuthus transvaalicus scorpions: risk assessment. Anim Behav. 2011;81:627–33.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • NOM-033-SSA2-2002. Norma Oficial Mexicana para la vigilancia, prevención y control de la intoxicación por picadura de alacrán. http://www.salud.gob.mx/unidades/cdi/nom/033ssa202.html.

  • Pedraza-Escalona M, Possani LD. Scorpion ß-toxins and voltage-gated sodium channels: interactions and toxicity effects. Front Biosci, Landmark. 2013;18(2):572–87.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Possani LD, Becerril B, Delepierre M, Tytgat J. Scorpion toxins specific for Na+-channels. Eur J Biochem. 1999;264:287–300.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Quintero-Hernández V, Ortiz E, Rendón-Anaya MR, Schwartz EF, Becerril B, Corzo G, Possani LD. Scorpion and spider venom peptides: gene cloning and peptide expression. Toxicon. 2011;58:644–63.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rendón-Anaya M, Delaye L, Possani LD, Herrera-Estrella A. Global transcriptome analysis of the scorpion Centruroides noxius: new toxin families and evolutionary insights from an ancestral scorpion species. PLoS ONE. 2012;8(8):e43331.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Riaño-Umbarila L, Juárez-González RV, Olamendi-Portugal T, Ortíz-León M, Possani LD, Becerril B. A strategy for the generation of specific human antibodies by directed evolution and phage display. An example of a single-chain antibody fragment that neutralizes a major component of scorpion venom. FEBS J. 2005;272:2591–601.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rodríguez de la Vega RC, Possani LD. Minireview: current views on scorpion toxins specific for K+-channels. Toxicon. 2004;43:865–75.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rodríguez de la Vega RC, Possani LD. Overview of scorpion toxins specific for Na + channels and related peptides: biodiversity, structure-function relationships and evolution. Toxicon. 2005;46:831–44.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rodríguez de la Vega RC, Vidal N, Possani LD. Scorpion venom peptides. In: Karstin A, Sabatier JM, editors. Handbook of biologically active peptides. 2nd ed. San Diego: Academic Press, Elsevier; 2013. p. 423–9.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz EF, Capes EM, Diego-García E, Zamudio FZ, Fuentes O, Possani LD, Valdivia HH. Characterization of hadrucalcin, a peptide from Hadrurus gertschi scorpion venom with pharmacological activity on ryanodine receptors. Br J Pharmacol. 2009;157(3):392–403.

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • SINAIS – Sistema Nacional de Información en Salud/Secretaría de Salud (http://sinais.salud.gob.mx/mortalidad/).

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cruz Roja Mexicana, Delegación León, Yaquis 236 Poniente, León, 37270, Guanajuato, Mexico

    Alfredo Luis Chávez-Haro

  2. Departamento de Medicina Molecular y Bioprocesos, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autonóma de México, Avenida Universidad 2001, Cuernavaca, 62210, Morelos, Mexico

    Ernesto Ortiz

Authors
  1. Alfredo Luis Chávez-Haro
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ernesto Ortiz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ernesto Ortiz .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore

    P. Gopalakrishnakone

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

About this entry

Cite this entry

Chávez-Haro, A.L., Ortiz, E. (2013). Scorpionism and Dangerous Species of Mexico. In: Gopalakrishnakone, P. (eds) Toxinology. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6647-1_23-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6647-1_23-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-007-6647-1

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Biomedicine and Life SciencesReference Module Biomedical and Life Sciences

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation