This presentation covers the differences between toxin, poison, and venom. It also covers significant venom characteristics of such animals as Brazilian Wandering Spider, Blue-Ringed Octopus, and Slow Loris.

1. Venom
Alfredo Garcia
Yuliya Kunz
Hannah Meraou

2.  Toxin is a chemical substance produced within
living cells or organisms. (Ex. viruses, proteins, or
peptides)
 Poison is a substance that can cause illness or death
when absorbed or ingested (Ex. Fugu, Ricin)
 Venom is a substance produced by an animal for
self defense and is injected into another animal (Ex.
stingers, fangs, etc.)
Poison vs Venom vs Toxin
Short answer: If it bites you and
you die it’s venomous; if you bite
it and you die it’s poisonous.

3. How Does Venom Affect
the Body?
 Ways that Venom Affects the Body
 Neurotoxic effect targets the brain and nervous
system
 Causes paralysis/lack of muscle control/disrupts
signals between neurons and muscles
 Hemotoxic effect targets the cardiovascular system
 Destroys red blood cells, disrupts blood clotting, causes
organ degeneration and tissue damage
 Cytotoxic effect targets specific cells or organs
 Causes necrosis and cytotoxic apoptosis

4. Treatment
 Antivenom is a biological product used in
the treatment of venomous bites or stings.
 Antivenom is created by milking venom
from a relevant snake, spider, insect, or
fish.
 The venom is then diluted and injected into
a horse, sheep, rabbit, or goat. The subject
animal will undergo an immune response
to the venom, producing antibodies against
the venom's active molecules which can
then be harvested from the animal's blood
and used to treat envenomation.

5. Large Variety of Animals

6. Brazilian Wandering Spider
Kingdom: Animalia
Infrakingdom: Protostomia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Arachnida
Genus: Phoneutria
Species: P. fera and P. nigriventer
• Large (bodies up to 5 cm, leg spans reaching about 15 cm)
• Vary in color (mostly brown and may have a black spot on
their bellies)
• Hairy
http://biologypop.com/most-dangerous-animals/

7. Brazilian Wandering Spider
(BWS)
• Holds Guinness book record as the world’s most
venomous spider.
• Phoneutria = “murderess” (Greek)
• First discovered in Brazil
• Does not build webs, but walks
the jungle floor at night searching
for prey (insects, small
amphibians, mice).
• Aggressive (“warning dance”)
http://www.viralnova.com/brazilian-wandering-spider/
• Can be found in Central and
South America

8. Symptoms of BWS
Envenomation
 Severe burning pain at the site of the
bite due to high concentration of
seratonin
• Local
 Profuse sweating
 Arterial hypertension (sometimes
severe)
 Tachycardia
 Nausea
 Abdominal cramping
 Hypothermia (especially in extremities)
 Vertigo
 Blurred vision
 Convulsions, tremors
 Pulmonary edema
 Priapism in males
 Systemic shock
• Systemic
• Severe Envenomation
(0.5-1% of cases)
 Loss of muscle control
 Paralysis
 Severe respiratory destress
 Pulmonary edema
 Asphyxiation
 Death
http://www.therichest.com/rich-list/most-shocking/the-10-
deadliest-venoms-on-the-planet/?view=all

9. Venom of P. nigriventer
• Causes Priapism in males (penile erection)
Composition
Toxic
proteins
Toxic
peptides
Most studied
examples
Neurotoxin
PhTx3
complex
PnTx2-6
peptide
PnTx2-5
peptide
Act on
Na⁺, K⁺,
Ca²⁺
channels
Glutamate
transporters
Specificity
Inhibition
of Na⁺
channels
Consequences
Depolarization
of muscle fibers
Depolarization of
neuronal
terminals at
neuromuscular
junctions
Results
Shutdown of
neuromuscular
and respiratory
systems if
untreated
Lethal
outcome
Slowed inactivation of
Na⁺ channels in
nitrergic neurons
Increased Ca²⁺
influx
NO/cGMP
signaling turns
on
Increased
production of
NO
Elevation of
intracavernosal
pressure
• Can cause impotence. Subject for research as potential erectile
dysfunction medication

10. Brazilian Wandering Spider –
“Banana Spider”
http://www.viralnova.com/brazilian-wandering-spider/
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/11/04/brazilian-wandering-spider-
worlds-most-deadly-arachnid-sainsburys-bananas-pictures_n_4211637.html
• Lays eggs and builds
webbed nests on bananas.
• Travels to other countries (UK)
on bananas produced in Brazil,
and other parts of South
American continent.

11. Blue-Ringed Octopus (B-RO)
Kingdom: Animalia
Infrakingdom: Protostomia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Cephalopoda
Genus: Hapalochlaena
Species: H. lunulata, H. maculosa, H. fasciata
• Small (body – 5 cm long, 10 cm
with arms.
• Yellow-brown in color with blue
iridescent rings.
• H. lunulata – “greater blue-
ringed”.
• H. maculosa – “lesser blue-ringed”.
(referring to size of rings).http://www.slate.com/blogs/wild_things/2015/06/23/blue_ringed_octopus_venom_causes_numbn
ess_vomiting_suffocation_death.html
http://9gag.com/gag/ajAVLm8/blue-ringed-octopus-highly-venomous-
on-hand

12. Blue-Ringed Octopus
• Found in waters surrounding Australia and in the eastern Indo-
Pacific.
• Often found in shallow costal waters (beach) in Australia.
• Several humans are bitten each year, some fatalities.
• Painless bite – often unnoticed.
• Highly potent venom.
• 25 g octopus contains enough
venom to kill 10 adult human males.
• Among the deadliest animals in the
sea.
http://www.animalspot.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Blue-Ringed-Octopus-Baby.jpg
• No anti-venom available.

13. Symptoms of B-RO
Envenomation
• Onset occurs within 5-10 minutes after bite
 Parasthesias and numbness
 Progressive muscular weakness
 Difficulty breathing and swallowing
 Nausea and vomiting
 Visual disturbances
 Difficulty speaking
 Flaccid paralysis
 Respiratory failure
 Unconsciousness
 Cerebral anoxia
 Death
In severe cases
http://otlibrary.com/blue-ringed-octopus/

14. Venom of B-RO
• Neurotoxin: Tetrodotoxin(TTX)
• Symbiotic relationship with TTX-producing bacteria, that lives in salivary
glands of B-RO.
Result:
Respiratory
failure
This interferes
with muscles
of diaphragm
and chest wall
Produces
flaccid
voluntary
muscle
paralysis
Blocks
propagation of
nervous
impulses in
mammalian
myelinated
peripheral
nerves
Caps Na⁺
channel,
blocking
movement of
Na⁺ ions across
neuronal
membranes
• TTX mechanism of action:
• Organ failure due to lack of oxygen
• No antidote to TTX
• Only possible treatment:
artificial ventilation until TTX clears out from the body.

15. Slow Lorises
 The only known
venomous primate
 Genus Nycticebus
 Reside in Southeast Asia
 Weigh only ~ 2 kg
 A bite can cause erythema, hypotension, shock, muscle
convulsions, respiratory/heart problem, anaphylactic
shock, or death

16. Venom of the Slow Loris
 They apply the poison to their teeth
and fur
 Mothers spread the poison on their
offspring when they leave—deterring
potential predators
 One component of the toxin closely
resembles cat allergen
 Venom originates in brachial glands and only becomes
toxic when mixed with saliva

17. Evolution of Defenses
Do dorsal markings
deter aerial predators?
 The slow loris may have evolved features for Müllerian
mimicry of cobras (Nekaris et al.)
 Extra vertebra in the spine allows snake like movements
 Serpentine aggressive vocalizations and venom

18. Illegal Pet Trade?
 Poachers remove their teeth
 Many die of infection and malnutrition

19. Any Questions?

20. Sources
• Bucaretchi, F., Mello, S. M., Vieira, R. J., Mamoni, R. L., Blotta, M. H., Antunes, E., &
Hyslop, S. (2008). Systemic envenomation caused by the wandering spider Phoneutria
nigriventer , with quantification of circulating venom. Clinical Toxicology, 46(9), 885-889.
doi:10.1080/15563650802258524
• Caldwell, R. (2016, April 18). What makes blue-rings so deadly? Blue-ringed octopus' have
tetrodotoxin. Retrieved April 18, 2016, from
http://www.thecephalopodpage.org/bluering2.php
• Caldwell, R. (2016, April 17). Blue-ringed octopus classification. Retrieved April 18, 2016,
from http://www.thecephalopodpage.org/bluering3.php
• Cartwright, M. (2015, June 23). What It’s Like to Nearly Die From the Venom of a Blue-
Ringed Octopus. Retrieved April 7, 2016, from
http://www.slate.com/blogs/wild_things/2015/06/23/blue_ringed_octopus_venom_cau
ses_numbness_vomiting_suffocation_death.html
• Fessenden, M. (2014, October 2). The Only Primate With a Toxic Bite Might Have Evolved
to Mimic Cobras. Retrieved from http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/only-
primate-toxic-bite-might-have-evolved-mimic-cobras-180952926/?no-ist

21. Sources (Cont.)
• Negri, A. (2014, February 3). Phoneutria nigriventer venom: A source of new medical toolsVenoms.
Retrieved April 7, 2016, from http://flipper.diff.org/apptagsaccount/items/6252
• Nekaris, K. A., Moore, R. S., Rode, E. J., Fry, B. G. (2013). Mad, bad and dangerous to know: the
biochemistry, ecology and evolution of slow loris venom. Journal of Venomous Animals and Toxins
including Tropical Diseases. doi: 10.1186/1678-9199-19-21
• Nunes, K., Costa-Gonçalves, A., Lanza, L., Cortes, S., Cordeiro, M., Richardson, M., . . . Lima, M. D.
(2008, February 26). Tx2-6 toxin of thePhoneutria nigriventer spider potentiates rat erectile function.
Retrieved April 6, 2016, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3019117/
• Richardson, M., & Et. all. (2006). Comparison of the partial proteomes of the venoms of Brazilian spiders
of the genus Phoneutria. CBP, 173-187. Retrieved April 7, 2016, from http://www.wandering-
spiders.net/uploads/tx_psmpublication/Richardson_et_al_2006_CompBiochemPhysol_Comparison_of
_the_partial_proteomes_of_the_venoms_of_Brazilian_spiders_of_the_genus_Phoneutria.pdf
• Szalay, B. J. (2014, November 19). Brazilian Wandering Spiders: Bites & Other Facts. Retrieved April 4,
2016, from http://www.livescience.com/41591-brazilian-wandering-spiders.html
• Blue-ringed Octopuses, Hapalochlaena maculosa. (2015). Retrieved April 10, 2016, from
http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=403
• Brazilian Wandering Spider. (n.d.). Retrieved April 6, 2016, from
http://www.spidersworlds.com/brazilian-wandering-spider/

22. Sources (cont.)
• Brazilian Wandering Spider - Facts, Bite & Habitat Information. (2014). Retrieved April 4, 2016, from
https://animalcorner.co.uk/animals/brazilian-wandering-spider/
• Hapalochlaena lunulata-Blue Ringed Octopus. (2008). Retrieved April 10, 2016, from
https://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/s2013/koehn_kate/classification.htm
• MailOnline, G. M. (2015, June 24). A four-hour erection and then death: The fate awaiting any man bitten
by deadly spider feared to have entered Britain in bunch of Tesco bananas. Retrieved April 4, 2016, from
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3137383/A-four-hour-erection-death-fate-awaiting-man-bitten-
deadly-spider-feared-entered-Britain-bunch-Tesco-bananas.html
• Nycticebus coucang. (2013). Retrieved from
https://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/s2013/gustafso_alli/venom.htm
• Result Filters. (n.d.). Retrieved April 5, 2016, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2425876
• TOXINS PRESENT IN THE BRAZILIAN FAUNA AND FLORA WITH POTENTIAL MEDICAL
IMPORTANCE. (2013). Retrieved April 5, 2016, from
http://braziliantoxins.blogspot.com/2012/04/brazilian-wandering-spider.html
• What is the difference between venom, poison, and toxin? (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-difference-between-venom-poison-and-toxin
• 5 most dangerous spiders. (2013, February 15). Retrieved April 4, 2016, from
http://myscienceacademy.org/2013/02/15/5-most-dangerous-spiders/

23. Sources (Cont.)
 http://www.leisurepro.com/blog/wp-
content/uploads/2011/03/stonefihs2.jpg (stonefish)
 http://www.buzcall.com/images/xotik-pacific-blue-ringed-octopus-4.jpg
(blue-ring octopus)
 http://klazinastanwick.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/JELLY_FISH.jpg
(jellyfish)
 http://www.planetdeadly.com/wp-content/uploads/fat-tail-scorpion-
720x521.jpg (scorpion)
 http://www.slate.com/content/dam/slate/articles/health_and_science/wil
d_things/2015/06/150622_WILD_Platypus.jpg.CROP.promo-
mediumlarge.jpg (platypus)
 https://tribwpix.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/567147645.jpg (black widow)