Antivenom Therapy for Medically Important Spiders in the United States

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  Image Credit: Wikipedia Antivenom Therapy for Medically Important Spiders in the United States Luis A. Roque Arácnido Taxonomy Black widow envenomation caused by Latrodectus spp. can be managed with targeted antivenom therapy, whereas no equivalent approved therapy exists for brown recluse envenomation caused by Loxosceles spp. This contrast reflects the uneven development of spider-venom therapeutics in the United States. Introductory summary. In the United States, severe black widow envenomation can be treated with a targeted antivenom, whereas no comparable approved therapy exists for brown recluse envenomation (Clark et al., 1992; Swanson and Vetter, 2005). This disparity reflects differences in venom biology, therapeutic development, and the quality of available clinical evidence. Clinical Context Spiders occupy an important place in natural ecosystems, and only a small number are associated with medically significant bites in the United States. Most suspected spider bite...

Bacteria inhabiting spider webs enhance host silk extensibility

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Bacteria inhabiting spider webs enhance host silk extensibility

Abstract

Spider silk is a promising material with great potential in biomedical applications due to its incredible mechanical properties and resistance to degradation of commercially available bacterial strains. However, little is known about the bacterial communities that may inhabit spider webs and how these microorganisms interact with spider silk. In this study, we exposed two exopolysaccharide-secreting bacteria, isolated from webs of an orb spider, to major ampullate (MA) silk from host spiders. The naturally occurring lipid and glycoprotein surface layers of MA silk were experimentally removed to further probe the interaction between bacteria and silk. Extensibility of major ampullate silk produced by Triconephila clavata that was exposed to either Microbacterium sp. or Novosphigobium sp. was significantly higher than that of silk that was not exposed to bacteria (differed by 58.7%). This strain-enhancing effect was not observed when the lipid and glycoprotein surface layers of MA silks were removed. The presence of exopolysaccharides was detected through NMR from MA silks exposed to these two bacteria but not from those without exposure. Here we report for the first time that exopolysaccharide-secreting bacteria inhabiting spider webs can enhance extensibility of host MA silks and silk surface layers play a vital role in mediating such effects.

Tsiareshyna, M., Wang, TH., Lin, YS. et al. Bacteria inhabiting spider webs enhance host silk extensibility. Sci Rep 14, 11011 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-61723-x