This volume provides an overview of the biochemical characterization, structure-function studies, proteomics, bioinformatics, molecular biology, transcriptomics and genomics of various spider species. The book also covers our current knowledge of venom components, toxins and their modes of action. The first section of Spider Venom includes contributions regarding the wide diversity of spider venom components and depicts some of their biological effects (antimicrobial, ion channel modulators, insecticides, this includes peptide and non-peptide toxins), and emphasizes spiders of public health importance. The second section covers transcriptomes, proteomes (and peptidomics), bioinformatics and molecular dynamics. The last section describes antimicrobial, insecticidal toxins, envenomation and the medical potential of spider venoms. Spider venoms are a great and extensive source of bioactive compounds, and as such form a boundless and bountiful area awaiting discovery. It is by virtue of dedicated scientists that new toxins are discovered and that new insights arise, leading the way towards the investigation of their pharmacological effects, and hopefully, as a consequence, arriving at the discovery of venom components as new drug candidates.

Clinical toxinologic conditions are becoming increasingly frequent, more so than is generally recognized. The conditions comprise of clinical aspects such as the diagnosis, management, and prevention of snakebite envenoming, scorpion sting, mushroom toxins, plant toxins, and other natural toxins. Clinical toxinology also deals with the ecology, epidemiology, regional differences, and varieties of fauna accounting for different envenoming manifestations. This handbook includes 30 chapters addressing various topics on clinical toxinology such as the epidemiology and management of snakebites in different Asian and African countries, disability following snakebite, effect of snake venoms on hemostasis, socioeconomic aspects of snakebites, therapeutic application of snake venom, scorpion sting in the Middle East, jellyfish sting, etc. These titles are written by experts currently working in the subspecialty, many of whom have first-hand experience in the relevant research fields. In virtually all the topics, appropriate illustrations are provided to simplify comprehension including tables, figures and pictures. This reference work on Clinical Toxinology in Asia Pacific and Africa, in the Toxinology handbook series, is designed to keep readers abreast with new knowledge and experience in toxinology regionally and globally. Toxinologists, researchers, scientists, and experts in this field from various working areas considered it necessary to collect all the aspects of clinical toxinology in a single, handy handbook. This can be used by medical students, postgraduate students, general practitioners, specialists in internal medicine, critical care physicians, emergency physicians, and anesthetists worldwide.

Scorpions have fascinated humans for a long time, first and foremost because of the harm the sting of a few species could cause but also due to their unique natural history and for the many biologically active compounds found in their venoms. This volume of the Toxinology handbook series covers all those aspects. The subjects are divided into seven sections starting with an introduction to the general aspects of scorpion biology and ecology, followed by the description of the "envenomation" pathophysiology, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of venoms and their complex interactions with the immune system. The future of anti-scorpion venom therapy is then covered in two chapters dedicated to alternatives to the century-old techniques currently used to produce "anti-venoms". The next section presents a world tour of "scorpionism" and dangerous scorpion species and their impact on human health. It is worth remembering that envenomation due to scorpion stings is a substantial health hazard in Asian, Middle Eastern, African, and Latin American countries, with over one million people stung by scorpions every year, resulting in more than 3,000 deaths. Species-centered overviews of "scorpion venoms" are presented in the next section, after which a section details the two main types of "scorpion toxins". The last section covers high-throughput transcriptome and proteome screenings now known as "venomics". This volume provides chapters that are accessible to a broad audience, yet also contains the depth of knowledge and detail which makes it of interest to experts in the field. Readers of this reference work will leave well informed on the current state of the art of scorpion venom research.