Nephrotoxicity of insect and spider venoms in Latin America.

One of the most important and lethal effects of animal venoms is nephrotoxicity. In Latin America, severe acute kidney injury has been reported after accidents with poisonous arthropods such as bees, caterpillars of the genus Lonomia, and spiders of the genus Loxosceles. In this article the characteristics of these venoms, their probable mechanisms of renal damage, and the clinical picture of the accidents are reviewed.