Scientists have invented a new antivenom for European black widow spider bites that uses human antibodies to mitigate the effects of the arachnid’s painful toxins.
The new treatment could be superior to existing antidotes, but it will need much more testing before it’s available to patients, researchers say.
When European black widows (Latrodectus tredecimguttatus ) bite, they inject into their victims a powerful toxin called alpha-latrotoxin. Alpha-latrotoxin attacks the nervous system and can trigger a condition called latrodectism is rarely fatal
People who have been bitten by a European black widow are typically prescribed pain relief medications, such as opioids and benzodiazepines, to treat their symptoms
Once injected into the human body, these horse antibodies help strengthen a person’s immune response In a small number of cases
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The effectiveness of this horse-derived treatment can also vary considerably
To avoid these potential problems, researchers behind a new study, published Wednesday (June 12) in the journal Frontiers in Immunology
So far this new antivenom has only been tested in lab dishes. But with further testing, the antibodies could eventually provide patients with a safer and more effective antivenom, Michael Hust
In the new study, the team tested more than 10 billion different antibodies in the lab to determine if any were capable of binding and neutralizing alpha-latrotoxin. In all, the team identified 45 human antibodies that could do this, including one in particular, called MRU44-4-A1, which showed “outstandingly” high levels of neutralization, the team wrote in the paper. When an antivenom neutralizes a toxin, it prevents it from binding to cells and thus wreaking havoc in the body.
L. tredecimguttatus , which is predominantly found in the Mediterranean region, is one of more than 30 types of black widow worldwide southern black widows Latrodectus mactans ) that are native to North America.
Although the newly made antibodies seem to work for L. tredecimguttatus toxin, in a separate experiment, the team discovered that only two of the antibodies were effective against the venom of L. mactans . This was “unexpected” as alpha-latrotoxin was not thought to differ between widow spiders, the team wrote in the paper.
It could be years before the new antivenom for European black widow bites ends up in the clinic, the team said. At the very least, a couple of years of research would be needed to test the safety and effectiveness of the new antivenom in cells and animals. These results would then need to be replicated in clinical trials with humans, which could potentially take another 10 years, Maximilian Ruschig
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