Snake Venom and Antivenom Pharmacology

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  SNAKE VENOM & ANTIVENOM Chemistry, Composition, Mechanisms and Pharmacology Abstract This integrated teaching session for Phase III MBBS students focused on the pharmacology and toxicology of snake venom and the principles of antivenom therapy. The lecture covered the chemistry, composition, mechanisms of action, and pharmacological effects of snake venoms and antivenoms. Rational use of antivenoms, indications, administration protocols, adverse reactions, and supportive management strategies were discussed. The session also highlighted the translational importance of venom-derived compounds in modern drug development. Recent advances in antivenom research, including recombinant human monoclonal antibodies, toxin-specific inhibitors, synthetic antibody technologies, and next-generation broad-spectrum antivenoms, were reviewed. Current discoveries and emerging approaches aimed at improving efficacy, safety, affordability, and accessibility of antivenom therapy were also explor...

Evolution of nesting behaviour based on molecular phylogenetics and its implication in communal nesting in spider wasps (Hymenoptera, Pompilidae)

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Evolution of nesting behaviour based on molecular phylogenetics and its implication in communal nesting in spider wasps (Hymenoptera, Pompilidae)

ABSTRACT

A molecular phylogeny of Ageniellini (Pompilidae: Pepsinae) was constructed from Bayesian and maximum likelihood analyses of ultraconserved elements (UCEs), and ancestral states of nesting and reproductive behaviour were reconstructed in the phylogeny. From these analyses, the evolution of nest construction behaviour is inferred in this tribe. Aerial mud nest building behaviour evolved from subterranean nesting behaviour in an ancestor of the subtribe Auplopodina. The results are compared with those of previous studies. The evolution of primitive sociality in Pompilidae is discussed, with special reference to factors important in promoting the evolution of communal behaviour.

Shimizu, A., Sadler-Pitts, E., Yoshimura, J., Kurczewski, F. E., & Pitts, J. P. (2025). Evolution of nesting behaviour based on molecular phylogenetics and its implication in communal nesting in spider wasps (Hymenoptera, Pompilidae). Journal of Natural History, 59(33–36), 2217–2234. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2025.2535446