Bite Caused by the Assassin Bug Zelus Fabricius, 1803 (Hemiptera; Heteroptera: Reduviidae) in a Human (original) (raw)
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VENOMOUS SALIVA OF NON-HAEMATOPHAGOUS REDUVIID BUGS (HETEROPTERA: REDUVIIDAE): A REVIEW
Biolife, 2014
While reduviids are a modestly well characterized group of insects, especially the blood sucking triatominae due to the medical implications of the Chagas disease, which is mainly transmitted by the infected bugs whose excrement contains Trypanosoma cruzi that enters the body through bruises or cuts in the skin of humans, their non-haematophagus counterparts are a forgotten lot and have not been thoroughly investigated. The venom in the saliva of the non-haematophagus reduviids has come into the spotlight in the last couple of decades due to the voracious predatory lifestyle that enable them to be used as biological control agents in subduing pests. But the biochemistry of reduviid venom, its action and subsequent effect on the prey, toxicity, enzymes, peptides present in the venom and their significance, the role of extra oral digestion facilitated by the venom for its predatory lifestyle have not been given much consideration. This review aims to summarize the existing body of literature regarding the venomous saliva of non-haematophagous reduviid bugs for the first time.
Molecular and Cellular Proteomics, 2017
Assassin bugs (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae) are venomous insects, most of which prey on invertebrates. Assassin bug venom has features in common with ven-oms from other animals, such as paralyzing and lethal activity when injected, and a molecular composition that includes disulfide-rich peptide neurotoxins. Uniquely, this venom also has strong liquefying activity that has been hypothesized to facilitate feeding through the narrow channel of the proboscis—a structure inherited from sap-and phloem-feeding phytophagous hemipterans and adapted during the evolution of Heteroptera into a fang and feeding structure. However, further understanding of the function of assassin bug venom is impeded by the lack of proteomic studies detailing its molecular composition. By using a combined transcriptomic/proteomic approach , we show that the venom proteome of the harpac-torine assassin bug Pristhesancus plagipennis includes a complex suite of >100 proteins comprising disulfide-rich peptides, CUB domain proteins, cystatins, putative cyto-lytic toxins, triabin-like protein, odorant-binding protein, S1 proteases, catabolic enzymes, putative nutrient-binding proteins, plus eight families of proteins without ho-mology to characterized proteins. S1 proteases, CUB domain proteins, putative cytolytic toxins, and other novel proteins in the 10 –16-kDa mass range, were the most abundant venom components. Thus, in addition to puta-tive neurotoxins, assassin bug venom includes a high proportion of enzymatic and cytolytic venom components likely to be well suited to tissue liquefaction. Our results also provide insight into the trophic switch to blood-feeding by the kissing bugs (Reduviidae: Triatominae). Although some protein families such as triabins occur in the venoms of both predaceous and blood-feeding reduviids, the composition of venoms produced by these two groups is revealed to differ markedly. These results provide insights into the venom evolution in the insect sub-order Heteroptera.
Diagnostics, 2020
Arthropod blood feeders are vectors of several human pathogenic agents, including viruses (e.g., yellow fever, chikungunya, dengue fever), parasites (e.g., malaria, leishmaniasis, lymphatic filariasis), or bacteria (e.g., plague). Besides their role as a vector of pathogens, their biting activities cause a nuisance to humans. Herein, we document clinical symptoms associated with the biting of ten clusters of hematophagous arthropods, including mosquitoes, biting midges and sandflies, lice, ticks, tsetse flies, blackflies, horse flies, fleas, triatomine and bed bugs. Within the framework of clinical history and entomo-epidemiological information, we propose a tentative discriminative key that can be helpful for practicing physicians in identifying hematophagous arthropods biting humans and delivering treatment for the associated clinical disorders.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research), 2023
This study was conducted in Tashkent in 2022-2023. As a result of this study, the species Zelus renardii Kolenati, 1857, was discovered for the first time for the fauna of Uzbekistan. Zulus renardii is an invasive species that has recently been actively spreading in new territories for it. Most likely, the samples we found were imported to Uzbekistan from Turkey.
Insect Bites, Tick Bites, and Stings
2018
Bites and stings typically result from an insect or tick trying to obtain a blood meal from a host. Clinically, they appear as erythematous papules that can be distributed singly, grouped, or generalized, depending on the amount of accessible skin and the number and type of the biting; a robust host response can produce bullae. Pruritus often results either as a direct result of the bite or as a host response to proteins injected into the skin by the insect. Stings involve the injection of venom into the victim and may cause reactions ranging from local irritation to life-threatening anaphylaxis. Although worldwide distributed, insects are numerous in humid hot climate zones, and, therefore, insect bite and sting-induced diseases commonly occur in dark skin populations. They are also common complains of visitors and returning travelers.
Clinical characteristics of redback spider bites
Journal of intensive care, 2014
Redback spiders (Latrodectus hasselti) (RBSs) are venomous spiders that have recently spread to Asia from Australia. Since the first case report in 1997 (Osaka), RBS bites have been a clinical and administrative issue in Japan; however, the clinical characteristics and effective treatment of RBS bites, particularly outside Australia remains unclear. This study aimed to elucidate the clinical characteristics of RBS bites and to clarify the effectiveness of the administration of antivenom for treatment. We performed a retrospective questionnaire survey from January 2009 to December 2013 to determine the following: patient characteristics, effect of antivenom treatment, and outcomes. To clarify the characteristics of patients who develop systemic symptoms, we compared patients with localized symptoms and those with systemic symptoms. We also examined the efficacy and adverse effects in cases administered antivenom. Over the 5-year study period, 28 patients were identified from 10 hospi...