Eagleman David M
Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.
Clin Toxicol (Phila). 2008 Mar;46(3):201-5. doi: 10.1080/15563650701227729.
The Asp Caterpillar, Megalopyge opercularis, is endemic to the southern United States and causes hundreds of human envenomations annually. Envenomation from the spines of the caterpillar causes severe pain, burning, swelling, nausea, abdominal distress, and headache. Despite the high prevalence of envenomations, little is known about the caterpillars, their geographical distribution, and the symptoms they engender.
We collected and analyzed 188 case reports of asp caterpillar envenomations over a three-year period.
The geographical distribution of the caterpillars is confined to the southeast United States, largely in Texas, Louisiana, and Florida. Symptoms of envenomation vary, but typically include burning pain, swelling, nausea, and itching. The peak months of envenomation are July through November, with few cases reported at other times of year.
This study sheds light on the caterpillars' distribution and the range of symptoms caused in order to aid in diagnosing puss moth caterpillar envenomation.
刺毛虫，即大茸毒蛾，原产于美国南部，每年导致数百起人类中毒事件。毛虫的刺造成的中毒会引起剧痛、灼烧感、肿胀、恶心、腹部不适和头痛。尽管中毒事件很常见，但人们对毛虫及其地理分布以及它们引发的症状知之甚少。
我们收集并分析了三年期间188例刺毛虫中毒的病例报告。
毛虫的地理分布局限于美国东南部，主要在得克萨斯州、路易斯安那州和佛罗里达州。中毒症状各不相同，但通常包括灼痛、肿胀、恶心和瘙痒。中毒的高峰月份是7月至11月，一年中的其他时间报告的病例很少。
本研究揭示了毛虫的分布情况以及所引起的症状范围，以帮助诊断茸毒蛾毛虫中毒。
