科学网Biology of spiders : metabolism 02 毒腺和毒性(5)

Some animals (e.g., horses, cows, and sheep), are more sensitive to a black widow spider’s bite than humans, and significant losses of cattle have been reported from such bites. Other animals, such as rats, rabbits, dogs, and goats, seem to be much hardier (Maretic and Habermehl, 1985). It is also noteworthy that bites of the closely related brown widow (Latrodectus geometricus) are not nearly as severe as those of the black widow (Müller, 1993). Symptoms are mild and tend to be restricted to the bite site and surrounding tissues.

一些动物(例如，马、牛和羊)对黑寡妇蜘蛛的咬伤比人类更敏感，而且有迹象表明，这种咬伤不会造成牛的明显损失（可以参考纪录片蜘蛛杀死牛）。其他动物，如老鼠、兔子、狗和山羊，似乎更顽强(Maretic和Habermehl，1985)。同样值得注意的是，亲缘关系密切的棕色寡妇(Latrodectus Geometricus)的咬伤远没有黑寡妇严重(Müller，1993)。症状轻微，往往局限于咬伤部位和周围组织。

Tarantulas (mygalomorphs), despite their large size, are  much  less  dangerous than is commonly thought. A tarantula bite, it is true, is deadly for mice or insects, but for a human it is usually no worse than a wasp sting (Schanbacher et al., 1973). The venom consists of various polypeptides (molecular weight 5,000– 20,000) and is most likely a neurotoxin (Perret, 1973; Lee et al., 1974; Escoubas     et al., 2000).

捕鸟蛛虽然体型很大，但其危险性比人们通常认为的要小得多。诚然，狼蛛叮咬对老鼠或昆虫是致命的，但对人类来说，它通常不会比黄蜂叮咬更糟糕(Schanbacher等人，1973)。这种毒液由各种多肽(分子量5,000-20,000)组成，很可能是一种神经毒素(Perret，1973；Lee等人，1974；Escoubas等人，2000)。

It might be added that American tarantulas are rather docile and bite only if provoked, whereas African (Pterinochilus) and Asiatic species (Poecilotheria) are a bit more aggressive and can inflict painful bites. Although it may be safely said that a tarantula bite is not dangerous to humans, it is usually deadly for dogs (Isbister et al., 2003).

可以补充的是，美洲捕鸟蛛相当温顺，只有在被激怒时才会咬人，而非洲捕鸟蛛和亚洲捕鸟蛛则更具攻击性，可以引起令人痛苦的叮咬。虽然可以安全地说狼蛛咬伤对人类没有危险，但它通常对狗是致命的(Isbister等人，2003年)。

The European tarantulas (Lycosidae; fig. 1.9) have never deserved their bad reputation, which has stuck to them since the Middle Ages (Crome, 1956b). The symptoms of tarantism were probably related to many other causes ranging from other spider bites, notably those of the black widow, to epilepsy. However, some tropical lycosid spiders may well be dangerous, such as Lycosa erythrognatha of Brazil (Lucas, 1988). After sustaining a bite, the skin surrounding the injured area becomes necrotic, and secondary bacterial infections are likely to occur (Bücherl, 1956).

欧洲捕鸟蛛(Lycosidae；fig.1.9)从未配得上它们的坏名声，这一点自中世纪以来就一直困扰着它们(Crome, 1956b)。跳舞病的症状可能与许多其他原因有关，从其他蜘蛛咬伤，特别是黑寡妇的咬伤，到癫痫。然而，一些热带狼蛛很可能是危险的，例如巴西的狼蛛 Lycosa erythrognatha (Lucas，1988)。在持续咬伤后，受伤区域周围的皮肤会坏死，很可能会发生继发性细菌感染(BüCherl，1956)。

Another well-known spider whose bite is much feared is the American brown recluse Loxosceles reclusa (Sicariidae; fig. 3.7c). The bite causes local swelling as well as necrosis of the skin (Sams et al., 2001). The responsible enzyme is a sphingomy- elinase that can cause a deep wound (Kurpiewski et al., 1981). The venom is also hemolytic (Bernheimer et al., 1985), and this may lead to kidney failure and sometimes to death. Overall, however, most Loxosceles bites are harmless (Vetter, 2008; Vetter and Isbister, 2008).