Susan - What an interesting post, thanks for sharing your experiences.
While scorpions may be feared, they're also fascinating. The Cooperative Extension service at the College of Agriculture & Life Sciences at the University of Arizona has a lot of information about them. According to their website:
The venom of scorpions is used for both prey capture, defense and possibly to subdue mates. All scorpions do possess venom and can sting, but their natural tendencies are to hide and escape. Scorpions can control the venom flow, so some sting incidents are venomless or only mild envenomations. Scorpion venoms are complex mixtures of neurotoxins (toxins which affect the victim's nervous system) and other substances; each species has a unique mixture. Despite their bad reputation, only one species in the western U.S. (the bark scorpion, Centruroides exilicauda) and about 25 others worldwide have venom potent enough to be considered dangerous to humans.
The world's most dangerous scorpions live in North Africa and the Middle East (species in the genera Androctonus, Buthus, Hottentotta, Leiurus), South America (Tityus), India (Mesobuthus), and Mexico (Centruroides). In some of these areas, scorpion stings may be a significant cause of death, but reliable data on human mortality are not readily available. Some studies suggest typical mortality rates up to about 4% in hospital cases, with children and the elderly being most susceptible. Death by scorpion sting, if it occurs, is the result of heart or respiratory failure some hours after the incident. During the 1980's Mexico averaged about 800 deaths each year. However, in the past 20 years there have been no reported fatalities in the US due to scorpion stings.
About 40-60 species occur in Arizona, although many are undescribed. The bark scorpion (Centruroides exilicauda) is the only species in Arizona of medical importance. The venom of the bark scorpion may produce severe pain (but rarely swelling) at the site of the sting, numbness, frothing at the mouth, difficulties in breathing (including respiratory paralysis), muscle twitching, and convulsions. Death is rare, especially in more recent times. Antivenin is available for severe cases. Certain people, however, may be allergic to the venom and can experience life-threatening side effects when stung (as occurs with bee stings). No cases of anaphylaxis have been reported in Arizona.
You can find the full text here: http://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/insects/az1223/
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Susan - What an interesting post, thanks for sharing your experiences.
While scorpions may be feared, they're also fascinating. The Cooperative Extension service at the College of Agriculture & Life Sciences at the University of Arizona has a lot of information about them. According to their website:
The venom of scorpions is used for both prey capture, defense and possibly to subdue mates. All scorpions do possess venom and can sting, but their natural tendencies are to hide and escape. Scorpions can control the venom flow, so some sting incidents are venomless or only mild envenomations. Scorpion venoms are complex mixtures of neurotoxins (toxins which affect the victim's nervous system) and other substances; each species has a unique mixture. Despite their bad reputation, only one species in the western U.S. (the bark scorpion, Centruroides exilicauda) and about 25 others worldwide have venom potent enough to be considered dangerous to humans.
The world's most dangerous scorpions live in North Africa and the Middle East (species in the genera Androctonus, Buthus, Hottentotta, Leiurus), South America (Tityus), India (Mesobuthus), and Mexico (Centruroides). In some of these areas, scorpion stings may be a significant cause of death, but reliable data on human mortality are not readily available. Some studies suggest typical mortality rates up to about 4% in hospital cases, with children and the elderly being most susceptible. Death by scorpion sting, if it occurs, is the result of heart or respiratory failure some hours after the incident. During the 1980's Mexico averaged about 800 deaths each year. However, in the past 20 years there have been no reported fatalities in the US due to scorpion stings.
About 40-60 species occur in Arizona, although many are undescribed. The bark scorpion (Centruroides exilicauda) is the only species in Arizona of medical importance. The venom of the bark scorpion may produce severe pain (but rarely swelling) at the site of the sting, numbness, frothing at the mouth, difficulties in breathing (including respiratory paralysis), muscle twitching, and convulsions. Death is rare, especially in more recent times. Antivenin is available for severe cases. Certain people, however, may be allergic to the venom and can experience life-threatening side effects when stung (as occurs with bee stings). No cases of anaphylaxis have been reported in Arizona.
You can find the full text here: http://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/insects/az1223/
May 14, 2010 - 5:50pmThis Comment
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