Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Turk Hijyen ve Deneysel Biyoloji Dergisi, cilt.78, sa.1, ss.107-116, 2021 (Scopus)
© 2021. All rights reservedScorpions are arthropods covered with a thick layer of chitin, whose adult individuals have a length between 11.5 and 220 mm. Since they cause situations of poisoning and due to their predatory nature, humans usually fear them. In scorpion envenomation, it is necessary to apply anti-venom especially for patients with severe symptoms. Turkey is a suitable country for scorpion life in terms of climate. Today, it is reported in the world that there are 2512 species of scorpions in terms of 21 families and 195 genera. In addition, when the recent increase is taken into account, it is reported that the number of Scorpion species in Turkey has reached 50 and will continue to increase. Although the most venomous scorpion species known in Turkey is Leirus abdullahbayrami, scorpion anti-venom is obtained from Androctonus crassicauda. The studies show that the antivenom from A. crassicauda in Turkey which had been produced in a continuous manner since 1942 gave better results than other anti-venoms. A. crassicauda, which is shown as one of the five most poisonous scorpions in the world, is about 90 to 100 mm in length, has dark brown or black color, and has claws which are very chunky and a very curved tail. It is one of the most important species regarding medical terms in Turkey. A. crassicauda is mainly found in the regions of Southeastern Anatolia and in the areas of the cities of Iğdır and Kars which have low altitude levels, located in Eastern Anatolia in Turkey. It is stated that the responsible scorpion is the A. crassicauda with respect to the majority of patients who are admitted to the hospital with complaints of scorpion stings especially in the Southeastern Anatolia Region. Scorpion sting events, occurring mostly during the summer period still continues to be a major problem both in Turkey and the world’s other countries. The scorpion anti-venom produced from A. crassicauda has taken its place as a national monograph of the Turkish Pharmacopoeia, which was prepared for the first time after many years. This review aims to provide detailed information on the history of anti-venom preparations in Turkey, starting from the foundation of the Turkish Republic up until the present day.