Biofactories Applied to Future Antivenom Production

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  Image Credit: By Ssiltane - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52242648 Biofactories Applied to Future Antivenom Production Abstract Background: Accidents caused by the  Loxosceles laeta  spider constitute a health problem in South America. Envenomation can lead to severe systemic manifestations, eventually compromising the patient’s life. Most regional health authorities consider antivenom administration the basis of effective treatment in the most serious cases. The availability of spider venom is the primary bottleneck for antivenom production. Herein, we present a novel biotechnological approach, based on the expression of recombinant versions of the most relevant toxin in loxoscelism, sphingomyelinase D (SphD), in insect larvae ( Spodoptera frugiperda ).  Methods: We produced two versions of SphD: one conserving its biological activities (wtSphD) and a second alternative that was designed to be genetically detoxified (dSphD...

A new species of Ananteris Thorell, 1891 (Scorpiones: Ananteridae) from the Inini-Camopi Massif in French Guiana

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A new species of Ananteris Thorell, 1891 (Scorpiones: Ananteridae) from the Inini-Camopi Massif in French Guiana

Abstract

One new species belonging to the genus Ananteris Thorell is described from the highest peak of French Guiana called Montagne Bellevue, located in the Inini-Camopi Massif in Central French Guiana. The description of this new species brings further evidence about the biogeographic patterns of distribution presented by most species of the genus Ananteris, which are highly endemic in many natural formations of South America and in particular in French Guiana. The new species is a possible vicariant of Ananteris sabineae Lourenço, 2001, described from the Mitaraka Massif.

Lourenço, Wilson & Ythier, Eric. (2025). A new species of Ananteris Thorell, 1891 (Scorpiones: Ananteridae) from the Inini-Camopi Massif in French Guiana. Revista Ibérica de Aracnología.