Captive Maintenance and Venom Extraction of Tityus serrulatus (Brazilian Yellow Scorpion) for Antivenom Production

Summary

Here, we present successful maintenance and venom extraction protocols for large-scale Tityus serrulatus Lutz and Mello, 1922 (Brazilian yellow scorpion) husbandry, with the aim of providing venom for subsequent scorpion antivenom production to meet the demand of the Brazilian health system.

Abstract

Scorpion envenomation is a public health problem in several tropical and subtropical countries. Tityus serrulatus Lutz and Mello, 1922 (Brazilian yellow scorpion) are responsible for approximately 150,000 envenoming cases per year in Brazil, of which 10% require antivenom treatment to reverse life-threatening venom effects. Therefore, thousands of T. serrulatus individuals are maintained under controlled captivity conditions for venom extraction, subsequently used in the production of the national supply of scorpion antivenom. Instituto Butantan is the main antivenom-manufacturing laboratory in Brazil, providing about 70,000 vials of scorpion antivenom for the Brazilian health system. Thus, the husbandry protocols and venom extraction methodologies are key points for the success of large-scale, standardized venom production. The objective of this article is to describe the captivity protocols of T. serrulatus husbandry, encompassing the husbandry routine and the venom extraction procedures, following good manufacturing practices, and ensuring animal welfare. These practices allow for the maintenance of up to 20,000 animals in captivity, with a routine of 3,000 to 5,000 scorpions milked monthly according to antivenom manufacturing demand, achieving an average of 90% of positive extraction.

Introduction

Scorpions are arthropods belonging to the class Arachnida, order Scorpiones, which comprises approximately 2,621 species^1,2. These animals have a wide geographical range and are present on all continents except Antarctica¹. Envenomation caused by scorpions results in the morbidity or death of thousands of people every year globally³. In 2019, it was estimated that there were more than 1.2 million accidents and 3,500 annual deaths caused by these animals. In Brazil, the number of cases has been increasing exponentially, reaching more than 100,000 cases per year si....

Protocol

Protocols involving invertebrate animals are exempt from Instituto Butantan's Committee on the Use and Care of Animals' approval. However, the maintenance of scorpions described here follows ethical parameters, and animal welfare is respected according to the needs of the species.

1. Housing

1. Keep the scorpions in communal polypropylene containers as enclosures (height 35 cm, width 35.5 cm, length 72 cm) containing a maximum of 350 animals.
2. Maintai.......

Discussion

The application of the methods described allows us to keep a large number of T. serrulatus individuals and gives us consistent predictability of the number of scorpions needed for annual venom production. This way, we are able to provide enough batches of venom in advance to supply the antivenom manufacturing process. At the same time, the development of pre-established schedules for maintenance, feeding, and venom extraction is an essential part of the activities and assists in complying with the described prot.......

Materials

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Carboard sheet	NA	NA
Egg tray	NA	NA	cardboard 36 places egg trays
Electro stimulator device	Instituto Butantan	ART-FV-01	Internally designed for the venom extraction
Kraft paper	NA	NA	regular kraft paper
Making tape	NA	NA	White masking tape (24 mm x 50 m)
Polyproplene container	NA	NA	70 L Polypropylene box (H – 35 cm, W – 35.5 cm, L - 72 cm)
Polyproplene tray	NA	NA	Polypropylene tray (H – 3.0 cm, W – 18.5 cm, L - 30 cm)
Self-adhesive plastic	NA	NA