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...

Another web in the wall: A new Pikelinia Mello-Leitão, 1946 (Araneae, Filistatidae) from Colombia, with notes on its diet and description of the female genitalia of P. fasciata (Banks, 1902)

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Another web in the wall: A new Pikelinia Mello-Leitão, 1946 (Araneae, Filistatidae) from Colombia, with notes on its diet and description of the female genitalia of P. fasciata (Banks, 1902)

Abstract

The new synanthropic crevice weaver spider species, from the family Filistatidae, Pikelinia floydmuraria sp. nov. (male and females) is described from the department of Tolima, Colombia. The female internal genitalia of P. fasciata from the Galapagos islands, Ecuador, is described here for the first time. Additional unidentified species of Pikelinia populations were recorded in the departments of Cauca, Quindío, and Risaralda. Dietary analysis of P. floydmuraria sp. nov. (Tolima) and Pikelinia sp. (Armenia) revealed a predominance of Hymenoptera (~35% of prey), followed by Diptera and Coleoptera. This study expands known diversity and trophic ecology of Pikelinia genus.

Villarreal O, Delgado-Santa L, González-Gómez JC, Rodríguez-Castro GA, Román AC, Agudelo E, García LF (2026) Another web in the wall: A new Pikelinia Mello-Leitão, 1946 (Araneae, Filistatidae) from Colombia, with notes on its diet and description of the female genitalia of P. fasciata (Banks, 1902). Zoosystematics and Evolution 102(1): 357-366. https://doi.org/10.3897/zse.102.175423