Scorpionism in Central America, with special reference to the case of Panama

Abstract

Scorpionism in the Americas occurs mainly in Mexico, northern South America and southeast Brazil. This article reviews the local scorpion fauna, available health statistics, and the literature to assess scorpionism in Central America. Notwithstanding its high toxicity in Mexico, most scorpion sting cases in Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica are produced by species in the genus Centruroides that are only mildly toxic to humans despite the existence of ion channel-active toxins in their venoms. Regional morbidity is low with the exception of Panama, where an incidence of 52 cases per 100,000 inhabitants was recorded for 2007, with 28 deaths from 1998 to 2006. Taxa belonging to the genus Tityus (also present in the Atlantic coast of Costa Rica) are responsible for fatalities in Panama, with Tityus pachyurus being the most important species medically. Most Tityus species inhabiting Panama are also found in northern South America from which they probably migrated upon closure of the Panamanian isthmus in the Miocene era. Incorporation of Panama as part of the northern South American endemic area of scorpionism is thereby suggested based on the incidence of these accidents and the geographical distribution of Panamanian Tityus species.

Scorpions maintenance in captivity for venom extraction purposes in Costa Rica

“…On the other hand, C. limbatus is the most common species in the Caribbean, and C. bicolor the most common in the South Pacific (Víquez, 1999). Scorpions of the genus Tityus showed arboreal habits and can be found in unaltered to less altered forests (Borges et al, 2012); this made its observation and capture difficult, resulting in less encounters.…”

“…Approximately 2 000 species of scorpions can be found around the world, and are classified in 15 families (Fet & Soleglad, 2005;Rein, 2013). Very few of these animals are considered "dangerous" for human beings, and the main scorpionism cases have been reported for regions such as: Australia (Isbister, Volschenk, & Seymour, 2004), Asia (Dehghani, Vazirianzadeh, Nasrabadi, & Moravvej, 2010), Africa (Laïd et al, 2012), and America: especially Latin America (Borges, Miranda, & Pascale, 2012). An approximate number of 30 species of scorpions are potentially harmful for human beings, where 19 species belong to the family Buthidae, and the genus Centruroides and Tityus, found in America (Chippaux & Goyffon, 2008).…”

“…An approximate number of 30 species of scorpions are potentially harmful for human beings, where 19 species belong to the family Buthidae, and the genus Centruroides and Tityus, found in America (Chippaux & Goyffon, 2008). The Centruroides genus is distributed from the North part of the American continent to Central America, and the Tityus genus is found from Central America through South America (Borges et al, 2012).…”

Scorpion Venoms

“…Genera Centruroides (n ¼ 11), Tityus (n ¼ 8), and Diplocentrus (n ¼ 7) contain 70 % of de described Central American species (Armas and Maes 1998;Borges et al 2012; Fig. Koch).…”

“…Koch, both belonging to the family Buthidae, are responsible for systemic scorpionism in the Pacific versant of Mexico, southeastern Brazil, the Amazonia, and northern South America . from Panama and Trinidad/ Tobago were proven lethal to humans (Borges 2013;Borges et al 2012). 1), but scarcity of data has hampered the toxicological/ clinical evaluation of local dangerous species and scorpionism ).…”