The European spider Tegenaria agrestis (Walckenaer) (hobo spider) has been implicated as a spider of medical importance in the Pacific Northwest since its introduction in the late 1980s. Studies have indicated that the hobo spider causes necrotic tissue lesions through hemolytic venom or through the transfer of pathogenic bacteria introduced by its bite. Bacterial infections are often diagnosed...

Spider venoms constitute incredibly diverse libraries of compounds, many of which are involved in prey capture and defence. Polyamines are often prevalent in the venom and target ionotropic glutamate receptors. Here we show that a novel spider polyamine, PA366, containing a hydroxyphenyl-based structure is present in the venom of several species of tarantula, and has selective toxicity against ...

Venomics research is being revolutionized by the increased use of sensitive -omics techniques to identify venom toxins and their transcripts in both well studied and neglected venomous taxa. The study of neglected venomous taxa is necessary both for understanding the full diversity of venom systems that have evolved in the animal kingdom, and to robustly answer fundamental questions about the b...

Spiders and scorpions are notorious for their fearful dispositions and their ability to inject venom into prey and predators, causing symptoms such as necrosis, paralysis, and excruciating pain. Information on venom composition and the toxins present in these species is growing due to an interest in using bioactive toxins from spiders and scorpions for drug discovery purposes and for solving cr...

Our goal was to recreate a passive hemagglutination inhibition (PHAI) test to diagnose brown recluse spider (BRS; Loxosceles reclusa) bite envenomation for treatment trials. Guinea pigs received intradermal injections of concentrated spider venom from the following species: Loxosceles reclusa, Argiope aurantia, Argiope trifasciata, Phidippus audax, and Lycosa frondicola. Skin lesion exudate was...

Although known for their potent venom and ability to prey upon both invertebrate and vertebrate species, the Barychelidae spider family has been entirely neglected by toxinologists. In striking contrast, the sister family Theraphosidae (commonly known as tarantulas), which last shared a most recent common ancestor with Barychelidae over 200 million years ago, has received much attention, accoun...

Spiders represent an ancient predatory lineage known for their extraordinary biomaterials, including venoms and silks. These adaptations make spiders key arthropod predators in most terrestrial ecosystems. Despite ecological, biomedical, and biomaterial importance, relationships among major spider lineages remain unresolved or poorly supported. Current working hypotheses for a spider "backbone"...

Spider venoms are composed, among other substances, of peptide toxins whose selectivity for certain physiological targets has made them powerful tools applications such as bioinsecticides, analgesics, antiarrhythmics, antibacterials, antifungals and antimalarials, others. Bioinsecticides an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional agrochemicals. In this paper, the primary structure ...

Surprisingly little is known of the toxic arsenal of cnidarian nematocysts compared to other venomous animals. Here we investigate the toxins of nematocysts isolated from the jellyfish Olindias sambaquiensis. A total of 29 unique ms/ms events were annotated as potential toxins homologous to the toxic proteins from diverse animal phyla, including cone-snails, snakes, spiders, scorpions, wasp, be...