# Microbiota discovered in scorpion venom

## TL;DR

This study discovers bacteria in scorpion venom, challenging the belief that venom is sterile and revealing new insights into venom microbiomes.

## Contribution

The study is the first to analyze microbial diversity directly in scorpion venom rather than venom-producing tissues.

## Key findings

- Scorpion venom contains diverse bacterial communities.
- Venom microbiomes differ across geographic locations.
- The study sampled venom from two scorpion species in different deserts.

## Abstract

With low nutrient availability and presence of numerous antimicrobial peptides, animal venoms have been traditionally considered to be harsh sterile environments that lack bacteria. Contrary to this assumption, recent studies of animal venom and venom-producing tissues have revealed the presence of diverse microbial communities, warranting further studies of potential microbiota in other venomous animals. In this study we used 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing to elucidate whether scorpion venom contained bacteria, to characterize the bacterial communities, and determine if venom microbiomes differed across geologically complex geographic locations. Our study compares the venom microbiome of two scorpion species, sampled from sites in the Mojave and Great Basin deserts, Paruoctonus becki (family of Vaejovidae) and Anuroctonus phaiodactylus (family of Anuroctonidae), and represents the first assessment of microbial diversity ever conducted using the venom secretion itself, rather than the venom-producing organ and its surrounding tissues.