Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2018 Oct 12;16(10):e2006607.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.2006607. eCollection 2018 Oct.

Saving the horseshoe crab: A synthetic alternative to horseshoe crab blood for endotoxin detection

Tom Maloney  1 , Ryan Phelan  1 , Naira Simmons  2
Affiliations
Review

Saving the horseshoe crab: A synthetic alternative to horseshoe crab blood for endotoxin detection

Tom Maloney et al. PLoS Biol. .

Abstract

Horseshoe crabs have been integral to the safe production of vaccines and injectable medications for the past 40 years. The bleeding of live horseshoe crabs, a process that leaves thousands dead annually, is an ecologically unsustainable practice for all four species of horseshoe crab and the shorebirds that rely on their eggs as a primary food source during spring migration. Populations of both horseshoe crabs and shorebirds are in decline. This study confirms the efficacy of recombinant Factor C (rFC), a synthetic alternative that eliminates the need for animal products in endotoxin detection. Furthermore, our findings confirm that the biomedical industry can achieve a 90% reduction in the use of reagents derived from horseshoe crabs by using the synthetic alternative for the testing of water and other common materials used in the manufacturing process. This represents an extraordinary opportunity for the biomedical and pharmaceutical industries to significantly contribute to the conservation of horseshoe crabs and the birds that depend on them.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Horseshoe crabs are bled at the Charles River Laboratory in Charleston, South Carolina, US.
Photograph by Timothy Fadek.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Walls EA, Berkson J, Smith SA. The horseshoe crab, Limulus polyphemus: 200 million years of existence, 100 years of study. Rev Fish Sci. 2002;10(1):39–73. 10.1080/20026491051677 - DOI
    1. 2017 U.S. Pharmacopoeia-National Formulary [USP 40 NF 35] Volume 1. Rockville, Md: United States Pharmacopeial Convention, Inc; 2016. [85] Bacterial Endotoxins Test. p. 163.
    1. Levin J, Bang FB. Clottable protein in Limulus; its localization and kinetics of its coagulation by endotoxin. Thromb Diath Haemorrh. 1968. March 31;19(1):186–97. 10.1055/s-0038-1651195 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Nakamura T, Morita T, Iwanaga S. Lipopolysaccharide-sensitive serine-protease zymogen (factor C) found in Limulus hemocytes. Eur J Biochem. 1986. February;154(3):511–21. 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1986.tb09427.x - DOI - PubMed
    1. Levin J, Bang FB. A description of cellular coagulation in the Limulus. Bull. Johns Hopkins Hosp. 1964. October; 115:337–45. - PubMed