PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
Scorpions are predatory arachnids whose venomous sting primarily affects people in tropical and subtropical regions. Most scorpion stings can only cause localized pain without severe envenomation. Less than one-third of the stings cause systemic envenoming and possibly lead to death. About 350,000 scorpion stings in Northern Africa are recorded yearly, resulting in about 810 deaths. In Eastern/Southern Africa, there are about 79,000 stings recorded yearly, resulting in 245 deaths. Farmers and those living in poverty-stricken areas are among the most vulnerable to getting stung by scorpions. However, compared to adults, children are at greater risk of severe envenomation. Scorpion venom is made up of complex mixtures dominated by peptides and proteins that confer its potency and toxicity. These venom toxins have intra- and interspecies variations associated with the scorpion\'s habitat, sex, diet, and age. These variations alter the activity of antivenoms used to treat scorpion sting envenomation. Thus, the study of the proteome composition of medically important scorpion venoms needs to be scaled up along their geographical distribution and contributions to envenomation in Southern and Northern Africa. This will help the production of safer, more effective, and broad-spectrum antivenoms within these regions. Here, we review the clinical implications of scorpion sting envenomation in Southern and Northern Africa. We further highlight the compositions of scorpion venoms and tools used in scorpion venomics. We discuss current antivenoms used against scorpion sting envenomation and suggestions for future production of better antivenoms or alternatives. Finally, we discuss the therapeutic properties of scorpion venom.
摘要：
蝎子是掠食性蜘蛛，其毒刺主要影响热带和亚热带地区的人们。大多数蝎子叮咬只能引起局部疼痛，而没有严重的毒害。不到三分之一的刺痛会引起全身性毒鸣，并可能导致死亡。每年在北非记录约350,000只蝎子刺伤，导致约810人死亡。在东部/南部非洲，每年有大约79,000次刺痛记录，造成245人死亡。农民和生活在贫困地区的人最容易被蝎子st伤。然而,与成年人相比，儿童受到严重毒害的风险更大.蝎毒由复杂的混合物组成，这些混合物主要由赋予其效力和毒性的肽和蛋白质组成。这些毒液毒素具有与蝎子栖息地相关的种内和种间变异，性别,饮食，和年龄。这些变化改变了用于治疗蝎子刺毒的抗蛇毒血清的活性。因此，对医学上重要的蝎毒的蛋白质组组成的研究需要根据其地理分布和对南部非洲和北非的毒液的贡献进行扩大。这将有助于更安全的生产，更有效,和这些区域内的广谱抗蛇毒血清。这里,我们回顾了南部和北部非洲蝎子叮咬的临床意义。我们进一步强调了蝎毒的成分和蝎毒组学中使用的工具。我们讨论了当前用于蝎子叮咬毒液的抗蛇毒血清，以及对未来生产更好的抗蛇毒血清或替代品的建议。最后,我们讨论蝎毒的治疗特性。
