Sheril KirshenbaumSep 13, 2023

With the new #COVID vaccine approved, a reminder that we’re all indebted to the ancient & wondrous horseshoe crab.

Their blue blood contains Limulus Amebocyte Lysate (LAL) which clumps at contact with bacterial toxins. They are caught for their blood to test sterility of medical equipment & injections.

Unfortunately the harvest is unsustainable & populations are in decline. An effective synthetic substitute has been around for 2 decades & we just need the biomedical industry to switch.

Show thread🌸🌹2ck 🌱🐇
@Sheril It's unsustainable because their population is in decline, not because the practice significantly contributes to that decline, correct? My understanding is that typically the animals recover from the bloodletting and are released afterwards.
Sep 14, 2023 at 1:51amWeb
Show thread🌸🌹2ck 🌱🐇Sep 14, 2023

@Sheril

for those interested, here's where I first heard about this: https://maximumfun.org/episodes/sawbones/how-horseshoe-crabs-probably-saved-your-life/

How Horseshoe Crabs (Probably) Saved Your Life | Maximum Fun

Horses? Majestic. Frogs? Maybe royalty. But have you taken a moment to reflect on the humble, half-billion-year old horseshoe crab?

Maximum Fun
Show threadmmbySep 14, 2023

@2ck @Sheril

from this article
https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/02/the-blood-harvest/284078/

"The industry says that not that many of the animals die. Between 10 and 30 percent of the bled animals, according to varying estimates, actually die.."

But what is fucked up is that according to the article, they're only not harvested (i.e. killed) outright because the population is so valuable alive as a chemical source.

The Blood Harvest

Each year, half a million horseshoe crabs are captured and bled alive to create an unparalleled biomedical technology.

The Atlantic
Show threadSarah WSep 14, 2023
@2ck @Sheril
Many perish after this appalling procedure, others are seriously harmed.
There is no excuse.