ABSTRACT
Funnel-web spiders are a group of aggressive, nocturnal and particularly venomous arachnids restricted to south-eastern Australia. Spider venoms are known to contain several distinct classes of toxins. The funnel-web spider venom appears, however, to be unique, producing marked changes in the activity of peripheral nerves by mechanisms unlike those of other spider neurotoxins. The original work was carried out in 1934 by Kellaway, who showed that mice and guinea pigs bitten by A. robustus failed to die. More recently it has been proven that it adversely affects only primates such as man and monkeys. Fortunately an effective antivenom has been available since late 1980. The most obvious action of funnel-web spider venom is the appearance of generalized muscle twitches. The available evidence suggests that these fasciculations appear to be due to activity in the motor nerves rather than a direct action on skeletal muscle.
