Okezie Okechukwu A, Kgomotso Koloi K, Letswiti Mavis M
Tshepo Clinic, Botswana Harvard Partnership, Hospital Road, Private Bag BO320, Gaborone, Botswana.
J Med Case Rep. 2010 Feb 6;4:42. doi: 10.1186/1752-1947-4-42.
The increasing incidence of new diseases as well as changing features of known diseases has partly been attributed to the impact of environmental changes. As a result, there have been calls from health experts for proper surveillance and monitoring of these changes.This is a report of mopane worm allergy in a 36 year old female from the Tswana tribe in Botswana. Mopane worm, the caterpillar stage of Gonimbrasia belina moths, is a seasonal delicacy to people in many communities in southern Africa. As a result, by adulthood, many residents of these communities have had substantial exposure to the worm. Gonimbrasia belina moths belong to the Lepidoptera order of insects. Though some members of this order are known to induce contact allergy, there is no reported incidence of ingestion allergy from mopane worm. Therefore, it is important to track this case for its epidemiological significance and to alert both clinicians and the vulnerable public on the incidence of mopane worm allergy in this region.
This is a case of a 36 year old woman from the Tswana ethnic group in Botswana, who was diagnosed with food allergy. She presented with itchy skin rash, facial swelling, and mild hypotension after eating mopane worm. She had no previous history of allergic reaction following contact or ingestion of mopane worm and had no atopic illness in the past. She was treated and her symptoms resolved after 4 days.
The proper management of allergy involves patients' avoidance and clinicians' predictability. Though hypothetical, this report is expected to sensitize clinicians to anticipate and properly manage subsequent occurrence, as well as educate the public in these communities. In addition, tracking new disease patterns, with relationship to environmental changes, will compliment existing evidence in validating the importance of proper environmental surveillance and management.
新疾病发病率的不断上升以及已知疾病特征的变化，部分归因于环境变化的影响。因此，健康专家呼吁对这些变化进行适当的监测。这是一篇关于一名来自博茨瓦纳茨瓦纳部落的36岁女性木薯蚕过敏的报告。木薯蚕是贝尔宁夜蛾的毛虫阶段，是南部非洲许多社区人们季节性的美味佳肴。因此，到成年时，这些社区的许多居民都大量接触过这种虫子。贝尔宁夜蛾属于昆虫纲鳞翅目。虽然已知该目一些成员会引发接触性过敏，但尚无木薯蚕摄入性过敏的报告。因此，追踪该病例的流行病学意义并提醒临床医生和易受影响的公众注意该地区木薯蚕过敏的发生率非常重要。
这是一名来自博茨瓦纳茨瓦纳族的36岁女性病例，被诊断为食物过敏。她在食用木薯蚕后出现皮肤瘙痒、面部肿胀和轻度低血压。她以前接触或食用木薯蚕后没有过敏反应史，过去也没有特应性疾病。她接受了治疗，4天后症状缓解。
过敏的正确管理包括患者的避免接触和临床医生的预测。尽管这只是个假设，但本报告有望使临床医生敏感地预期并妥善处理后续发生的情况，同时教育这些社区的公众。此外，追踪与环境变化相关的新疾病模式，将补充现有证据，以验证适当环境监测和管理的重要性。
