Researchers at Eastern Connecticut State University found that scorpion venom can contain its own microbial communities. The university highlighted the research Friday ahead of Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week, which runs November 18–24.
In a January paper, Eastern professors Barbara Murdoch and Matthew Graham and their co-authors reported that bacterial communities in venom varied among individual scorpions and between the two species they studied.
Abby Heidorn, a 2026 Eastern graduate, led a follow-up study published July 30. The team detected a distinctive group of bacteria in the California swollen-stinger scorpion, expanding the list of scorpions known to carry that group.
The university says the findings could help researchers look for compounds with antimicrobial properties. The studies examined which microbes are present. Whether any of them can yield a treatment remains an open question.