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...

Microhabitat Preference of Coremiocnemis cunicularia and Chilobrachys andersoni in Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

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Microhabitat Preference of Coremiocnemis cunicularia and Chilobrachys andersoni in Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

ABSTRACT 

The Theraphosidae, commonly known as tarantulas, is one of the families under the infraorder of Mygalomorphae. Untill today, information regarding the ecology of Theraphosidae in Pulau Pinang, Malaysia, has been lacking, particularly concerning their ecology and natural history. This study aimed to investigate and compare the microhabitat parameters of Chilobrachys andersoni and Coremiocnemis cunciularia in Pulau Pinang across six sampling sites from May 2022 to September 2022. Thirteen different microhabitat parameters related to the burrows of the Theraphosidae were examined to examine if the two tarantula species have specific microhabitat preference. The collected parameters data were analyzed using the chi-square test and T-test. The variations and similarities of the microhabitat parameters of Coremiocnemis cunicularia and Chilobrachys andersoni were illustrated using principal component analysis (PCA) and non-metric multi-dimensional scaling (nm-MDS). It was shown that the type of trail near to the burrow, the height and diameter of the door entrance, soil and surrounding temperature, the distance of the burrow from the trail, plant species richness, and altitude difference between the burrows of Coremiocnemis cunicularia and Chilobrachys andersoni were statistically significant. PCA and nm-MDS analyses demonstrated that the habitat preferences of these two Theraphosidae species differed. In conclusion, this study contributed significant ecological knowledge regarding Theraphosidae, particularly on Pulau Pinang, Malaysia. Further studies on various aspects of Theraphosidae are important for improved conservation management in the future.

Razak, I., Shukor, M., Nasir, D. M., Wahab, A. Z., Hian, C. M., & Ahmad, A. (2026).
Microhabitat preference of Coremiocnemis cunicularia and Chilobrachys andersoni in Pulau Pinang, Malaysia. Sains Malaysiana, 55(3), 363–374. https://doi.org/10.17576/jsm-2026-5503-01