ArticleJournal of the Royal Society, Interface2019
Eggshell spheres protect brown widow spider ( Latrodectus geometricus) eggs from bacterial infection.
Article in Journal of the Royal Society, Interface, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed.
- Assessment of the Effects of Electromagnetic Fields on Apoptosis and Stress Protein Biomarkers in the SpiderInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Advances in Nondestructive Technologies for External Eggshell Quality Evaluation.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- The apple of discord: can spider cocoons be equipped with antimicrobial factors?-a systematic review.Frontiers in zoology · 2025Review
- Fine structural characteristics of the chorionic microspheres on the egg surface of the orb web spider Trichonephila clavata.Applied microscopy · 2023Article
- Article
- Bioselectivity of silk protein-based materials and their bio-inspired applications.Beilstein journal of nanotechnology · 2022Review
- Modulating Surface Properties of theBiomacromolecules · 2021Article
- The myth of antibiotic spider silk.iScience · 2021Article
- Widow spiders in the New World: a review onThe journal of venomous animals and toxins including tropical diseases · 2021Article
- Embryonic development and secondary axis induction in the Brazilian white knee tarantula Acanthoscurria geniculata, C. L. Koch, 1841 (Araneae; Mygalomorphae; Theraphosidae).Development genes and evolution · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Eggs provide a rich source of nutrients for the developing embryo, making them a favoured food source for other organisms as well. Several defence mechanisms have evolved to protect the developing embryos against microbial threats. In this article, we elucidate the defence strategy of brown widow spider ( Latrodectus geometricus) eggs against bacteria. Antibacterial activity was shown by inhibition of bacterial growth on agar plate, liquid culture and retarded biofilm formation. The defence strategy against bacterial invasion was demonstrated in the whole egg, whole egg extract, egg surface extract, eggshell and eggshell extract. The source and characteristics of this antibacterial activity are distinctive and stem in part from a dense layer of spheres covering the egg surface, likely originated from the oviposition fluid. The spheres are rich in low-molecular-weight proteins, yet their exact composition remains unknown. In this study, we demonstrate that the egg surface is hydrophobic, while the spheres are superhydrophilic. Egg surface roughness and hydrophobicity combined with its antibacterial chemical properties reduce the ability of bacteria to grow on the egg surface. Understanding the properties of these unique structures may contribute significantly to our knowledge of how nature deals with bacterial infections.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.