Original Scientific Article
Light and transmission electron microscopical changes associated with Leiurus quinqestriatus venom in rabbits
Salah H. Afifi * ,
Reham El-Kashef ,
A. Sh. Seddek ,
Diefy A. Salem

Mac Vet Rev 2016; 39 (1): 51 - 57

10.1515/macvetrev-2015-0067

Received: 10 July 2015

Received in revised form: 11 October 2015

Accepted: 19 November 2015

Available Online First: 27 November 2015

Published on: 15 March 2016

Correspondence: Salah H. Afifi, afifi_s_4@hotmail.com
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Abstract

Thirty California female rabbits were obtained from the Animal Care Center, College of Agriculture, South Valley University and acclimated to laboratory conditions for one week. The Leiurus quinquestriatus (LQ) venom was collected from mature scorpions by electrical stimulation of the telson. A single dose of crude venom of 0.4 ml/kg (diluted in normal saline with a ratio of 1:1) was injected into a peripheral ear vein. The lungs, brains, hearts, kidneys, were sampled and fixed in 10% formalin from rabbits sacrificed at zero, 30 minutes, 1hr, and 4hrs, post-envenomation (three animals at each sacrifice). Respiratory distress and neurological manifestations were the main clinical signs. Congestion of the lungs was started at one hour postenvenomation. Vascular changes including hyperemia and hemorrhage were also observed till 24 hours post-envenomation. The main histopathological changes of the lungs were edema, hemorrhage, emphysema, and eosinophilic bronchitis. Transmission electron microscopy revealed several eosinophils with abundant granules and breakdown of their membranes suggesting degranulation. The cerebrum showed malacia and edema. Myocardial damage expressed by focal area of myolysis at half-hour post-envenomation and interstitial edema by at 1, and 4 hour post-envenomation was also evident. In conclusion, scorpion venom induced consistent and relevant histopathological changes in all examined organs.

Keywords: Leiurus quinqestriatus venom, rabbits, light and transmission electron microscopy

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Copyright

© 2015 Afifi S.H. This is an open-access article publishedunder the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License whichpermits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium,provided the original author and source are credited.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declared that they have no potential conflict of interest with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article.

Citation Information

Macedonian Veterinary Review. Volume 39, Issue 1, Pages 51-57, p-ISSN 1409-7621, e-ISSN 1857-7415, DOI: 10.1515/macvetrev-2015-0067, 2016

The all content of the Macedonian Veterinary Review, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License.