Inter-individual variability in equine antibody responses to African snake venoms follows heavy-tailed distributions with implications for antivenom production

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  Inter-individual variability in equine antibody responses to African snake venoms follows heavy-tailed distributions with implications for antivenom production Abstract Variability in the antibody response of horses used for snake antivenom manufacture is well recognized, yet its statistical structure and implications for industrial productivity remain poorly characterized. In this study, we quantified antivenom antibody titers by ELISA in a cohort of 14 horses immunized with venoms from the clinically most important snakes in sub-Saharan Africa. To integrate antibody levels with plasma availability, we calculated the Cumulative Plasma Productivity (CPP) by converting individual plasma volumes into titer-corrected equivalents and sequentially pooling these volumes according to their corrected contribution. Distributional analysis revealed right-skewed, heavy-tailed patterns better approximated by a log-normal model than by a strict Pareto (power-law) form, with approximately 20–3...

An integrative study on Mesobuthus rakhshanii (Scorpiones: Buthidae)

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An integrative study on Mesobuthus rakhshanii (Scorpiones: Buthidae)

Abstract

Mesobuthus Vachon, 1950, with 30 described species is widely distributed from the Eastern Mediterranean area to the Eastern Palaearctic. Mesobuthus rakhshanii Barahoei, 2022 is described from the north of Sistan & Baluchestan and southern parts of South Khorasan Provinces. Totally, 213 specimens of M. rakhshanii were collected from the various habitats of these regions during 2021 to 2023. Specimens were studied from morphological, molecular, biological, and ecological point of view. Bayesian inference (BI) analysis based on the COI gene was conducted. Thirty pairs of alive specimens were used for biological study. The maximum entropy model (MaxEnt) was utilized to evaluate the contribution rates of bio-climatic factors and to project suitable habitats for of M. rakhshanii. Unlike other Mesobuthus species, the central median and posterior median carinae of the carapace of M. rakhshanii are not connected. According to the BI, M. rakhshanii forms a sister group with M. navidpouri, indicating that they are the two youngest species within the genus. Mesobuthus mirshamsii was sequenced for the first time and the validity of this species was confirmed. The observed litter size for M. rakhshanii ranged from 22 to 36. Our findings indicate that annual precipitation and the mean temperature of the coldest quarter are the most influential variables affecting the potential distribution of this species. The estimated optimal distribution area for M. rakhshanii is approximately 943,578 km2, representing about 57.25% of Iran's land area. Among the suitable areas, 10.23%, 41.5%, and 5.52% were classified as low, moderate, and high suitability zones, respectively.

Barahoei, H., Madjdzadeh, S.M. & Moeinadini, A. An integrative study on Mesobuthus rakhshanii (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Biologia 81, 112 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11756-026-02170-z