Acute Kidney Injury Induced by Snake and Arthropod Venoms

Snakebites and accidents caused by venomous arthropods (mainly spiders, scorpions, bees, wasps and caterpillars) are important public health problem. Despite of this, public health authorities, nationally and internationally, have given little attention to this problem worldwide (Warrell, 2010; Williams et al., 2010). As a consequence, the morbidity and mortality associated with snake and arthropod envenoming produce a great impact on the population and on the health-care systems. One of the most important and lethal effect of these animal venoms is nephrotoxicity (Sitprija, 2006). Specifically in South America and Brazil, the main snakes responsible for cases of acute kidney injury (AKI) are those from Bothrops and Crotalus genus. Among venomous arthropods, AKI has been reported after accidents with bees, spiders of the genus Loxosceles and caterpillars of the genus Lonomia.