ABSTRACT
In the major coastal cities on the western slopes of the Andes in Perú, the rate of intradomiciliary infestation by spiders of the genus Loxosceles is high. This poses an important public health problem, as this spider's poison has both local (cutaneous necrosis) and systemic (intravascular hemolysis, anemia, widespread intravascular coagulation, hemoglobinuria, and acute renal insuficiency) effects, which are often fatal. There is as yet no way to confirm a diagnosis of loxoscelism in the early poisoning stages, nor to predict what course the condition will take in a particular victim. Moreover, there is controversy over the efficacy of the various treatment schemes, which include antiloxoscelic serum, corticosteroids, antihistamines, urine alkalizers, early surgery, and local thermocoagulation. For these reasons, and given the multiplicity of clinical forms of loxoscelism, more studies should be carried out at centers and hospitals in several regions, in order to establish methods for early detection of the disease and a rational assessment of the various therapies. It is also necessary to devise, test and evaluate techniques for standardizing the potency of the commercial antidote using animal models