Report of erucism caused by Automeris egeus Cramer (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) and a brief update on caterpillar envenomation in Brazil

Nathalie Kaladinsky Citeli; Pedro Paulo de  Queiroz; Mariana  de-Carvalho; Cintia Lepesqueur; Bruno Alessandro Augusto Peña Corrêa; Afonso Santiago Oliveira Meneses

doi:10.12741/ebrasilis.v14.e963

Authors

Nathalie Kaladinsky Citeli Universidade de Brasília, Laboratório de Fauna e Unidades de Conservação/Laboratório de Anatomia Comparada de Vertebrados, Brasília, DF https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1587-9380
Pedro Paulo de Queiroz Universidade de Brasília, Laboratório de Anatomia Comparada de Vertebrados, Brasília, DF https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4684-2612
Mariana de-Carvalho Universidade de Brasília, Laboratório de Comportamento Animal, Brasília, DF https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7491-3054
Cintia Lepesqueur Universidade de Brasília, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Departamento de Zoologia, Brasília, DF https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8085-0683
Bruno Alessandro Augusto Peña Corrêa Universidade de Brasília, Laboratório de Anatomia Comparada de Vertebrados, Brasília, DF https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1876-5162
Afonso Santiago Oliveira Meneses Universidade de Brasília, Laboratório de Fauna e Unidades de Conservação, Brasília, DF/Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi, Belém, PA, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0817-3403

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.12741/ebrasilis.v14.e963

Keywords:

Accidental Injuries, Poisoning, Spatial analyses

Abstract

We report a case of erucism provoked by the Automeris egeus Cramer caterpillar and update the distribution of caterpillar poisoning in Brazil, showing the regions with the highest incidence rates. We also correlated the incidence rate with anthropic impact rates in all Brazilian municipalities, taking as a reference the Human Footprint Index. The victim presented erucism, burning pain, itching, and local hyperthermia. The highest incidence rates were in southern Brazil. We suggest including A. egeus in the Brazilian list of animals with medical importance, and that Brazilian Ministry of Health indicates the genus of the animals involved in envenomation events on its platform.

References

Cardoso, AEC & V Haddad Jr., 2005. Accidents caused by lepidopterans (moth larvae and adult): study on the epidemiological, clinical and therapeutic aspects. Anais Brasileiros de Dermatologia, 80: 573-578. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/S0365-05962005000700002

Cardoso, JLC, FOS França, FH Wen, CMS Málaque, V Haddad Jr, 2009. Animais peçonhentos no Brasil: Biologia, clínica e terapêutica dos acidentes. 2nd Ed. São Paulo, Sarvier.

Da Silva, WD, CM Campos, LR Gonçalves, MC Sousa-e-Silva, HG Higashi, IK Yamagushi & EMA Kelen, 1996. Development of an antivenom against toxins of Lonomia obliqua caterpillars. Toxicon, 34: 1045-1049. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0041-0101(96)00052-9

Favalesso, MM, PF Cuervo, MG Casafús, ATB Guimarães & ME Peichoto, 2020. Lonomia envenomation in Brazil: an epidemiological overview for the period 2007-2018. Transactions of The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. 115: 9-19. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/trstmh/traa051

Kristensen, NP, MJ Scoble & O Karsholt, 2007. Lepidoptera phylogeny and systematics: the state of inventorying moth and butterfly diversity. Zootaxa, 1668: 699-747. DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.1668.1.30

QGIS Development Team, 2014. QGIS Geographic Information System. Open Source Geospatial Foundation. Available on: <https://qgis.org>.

RStudio Team, 2019. RStudio: Integrated Development for R. RStudio, Inc., Boston, EUA. Available on: <https://www.rstudio.com>;

Secretaria de Vigilância à Saúde, 2020. Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação – SINAN. Normas e Rotinas. Brasília: Ministério da Saúde.

Specht, A, E Corseuil & AC Formentini, 2005. Lepidópteros de importância médica ocorrentes no Rio Grande do Sul. II. Aididae e Limacodidae. Biociências, 13: 89-94.

Specht, A, E Corseuil & HB Abella, 2008. Lepidópteros de importância médica: principais espécies no Rio Grande do Sul. 1st Ed. Pelotas, USEB.

Venter, O, EW Sanderson, A Magrach, JR Allan, J Beher, KR Jones, HP Possingham, WF Laurance, P Wood, BM Fekete, MA Levy & JEM Watson, 2016. Global terrestrial Human Footprint maps for 1993 and 2009. Scientific Data, 3: 160067. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sdata.2016.67

Villas-Boas, IM, MP Alvarez-Flores, AM Chudzinski-Tavassi & DV Tambourgi, 2018. Envenomation by Caterpillars, pp. 429449. In: Gopalakrishnakone, P, CW Vogel, SA Seifert & DV Tambourgi (Eds). Clinical Toxinology in Australia, Europe, and Americas. Toxinology, 1st Ed. Dordrecht, Springer Netherlands.