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Limulus, the real "great gift crab" of human beings
Release time：2023-02-07 05:41:52 source：korpimaankyynel.com author：World Geography
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Limulus, the real "great gift crab" of human beings
Scientists collect blood from horseshoe crabs at the Charles River Laboratory in South Carolina. Photography: TIMOTHY FADEK, CORBIS/GETTY Horseshoe crab (hòu), also known as horseshoe crab, looks like an alien creature, and its body flows with magical blue blood, and it is this blue blood that has made a major contribution to the health of all human beings . They often face brutal bloodletting trials to help develop many of the world's injectable drugs, vaccines, and even Covid-19 vaccines. While their numbers are rapidly declining, the life or death of the king crab is a matter for each of us. Original work: CARRIE ARNOLD Compilation: Brother Box (the picture comes from Wikipedia) Limulus (hòu), an out-and-out "living fossil", the sagittarius to which Limulus belongs has existed on earth for 450 million years, 200 million years earlier than dinosaurs Over the years; they have seen so many creatures go from emergence to extinction, while themselves remain the same as they were hundreds of millions of years ago. Today's Limulus is almost indistinguishable from the late Jurassic Limulus: Kin and Błażejowski Today, there are four species of Limulus in the world: American Limulus, which was listed as Vulnerable (VU) by IUCN in 2012; Scorpion Limulus, the smallest Species of horseshoe crab, IUCN data deficient (DD); Giant horseshoe crab, IUCN data deficient (DD); Chinese horseshoe crab, listed as endangered by IUCN in 2019 (EN); Delaware Bay, New Jersey, USA is one of the famous spawning places for horseshoe crabs PHOTO: SEAN CRANE Each spring, guided by the full moon, thousands of horseshoe crabs crawl to the beaches of the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States to mate and lay their eggs. To a hungry bird, this is a feast; to a pharmaceutical company, it is an important resource for the safety of human medicines. A turnstone sandpiper eats a king crab in Delaware Bay, New Jersey, USA. Photo: DOUG WECHSLER, MINDEN PICTURES Every year, pharmaceutical companies capture up to 500,000 Limulus musculus, each one takes up 1/3 of the body's blue blood, and then release it into the sea; however, many Limulus simulatus are still unavoidable, and some will be lost within 48 hours Death; 10%-15% die during the blood draw. Scientists collect blood from horseshoe crabs at the Charles River Laboratory in South Carolina. Photography: TIMOTHY FADEK, CORBIS/GETTY (※The reason why the blood of horseshoe crabs is blue is because of the protein that transports oxygen, that is, hemocyanin contains metallic copper) In the 1980s and 1990s, the pharmaceutical industry gave data: the blood was collected The mortality rate of the king crab was only 3%, and the number of horseshoe crabs was very large at the time, and it was not taken seriously by environmentalists at first; the situation began to change in the early 2000s; Death after blood, the number was actually 10 times the original. Capturing and collecting blood is time-consuming and labor-intensive—hence the “limulus reagent” derived from blue blood, which costs about $15,000 a liter. PHOTO: BRIAN SWITEK The blue blood of Limulus is the only known natural source of "Limulus Reagent". Limulus reagents can detect a contaminant called "endotoxins" (toxins released by some bacteria that burst when they die). Even small amounts of "endotoxins" can be fatal in vaccines, injectable drugs, or other sterile medical items such as artificial knees and hip joints. Horseshoe crabs appeared in a distant era before dinosaurs. Although they are also known as "horseshoe crabs", they are not actually crabs, but are closely related to spiders and scorpions. PHOTOGRAPH BY JOEL SARTORE, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PHOTO ARK In 1956, medical researcher Fred Bang noticed a strange feature: when the blood of horseshoe crabs came into contact with endotoxin, the amoebocytes clump together. Bang realized that the limulus amebocytes, part of their ancient immune system, also had properties that could detect deadly bacterial contaminants in human drugs; in 1977, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of limulus reagents. "All the pharmaceutical companies in the world depend on horseshoe crab, and our reliance on this primitive creature is astounding." - Barbara Brummer, New Jersey director of The Nature Conservancy. Today, the research and development of new coronavirus vaccines and therapies is a hot spot in the medical field, and in the process of research and development, it is inevitable to use a large number of Limulus reagents. PHOTO: JOEL SARTORE, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PHOTO ARK In fact, as early as 2013, synthetic alternatives to limulus reagents have been produced - recombinant factor C (rFC) has been approved in Europe, and some pharmaceutical companies in the United States have also begun to use rFC; but this year On June 1, the U.S. Pharmacopeia refused to compare rFC to limulus reagents, saying that the safety of this artificial alternative has not been proven. The US Pharmacopeia decided: "Regulatory barriers remain. We hope that the barriers to the use of synthetic alternatives by drug developers can be reduced." (*US Pharmacopeia: The statutory body in the United States responsible for setting scientific standards for pharmaceuticals and other products) Heinrich Harder in Limulus painting created in 1916 (this picture is from Wikipedia) On the other hand, if rFC or other alternatives are not used, a large amount of blue blood of Limulus will be needed to make a new crown vaccine. By then, these ancient creatures that have existed on the earth for 450 million years , their survival may face major threats, and even threats to the marine ecosystems that depend on them. Delaware Bay, New Jersey, USA, is the main spawning ground for horseshoe crabs. In 1990, as many as 1.24 million horseshoe crabs came here to lay their eggs; in 2019, this number dropped nearly fourfold, and only about 330,000 horseshoe crabs came to Delaware Bay. (2020 statistical work is suspended due to the new crown) Buy "Ocean Citizen" book 20% off for a limited time! If you read this article
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