Immunochemistry Laboratory, Butantan Institute, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2012;6(2):e1531. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0001531. Epub 2012 Feb 28.
The caterpillar of the moth Premolis semirufa (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae), commonly named Pararama, is endemic of the Amazon basin. Accidental contact with these caterpillar bristles causes local symptoms such as intense heat, pain, edema and itching which last for three to seven days; however, after multiples contacts, it may induce joint-space narrowing and bone alteration, as well as degeneration of the articular cartilage and immobilization of the affected joints. Specific treatment for this disease does not exist, but corticosteroids are frequently administered. Despite of the public health hazard of Premolis semirufa caterpillar poisoning, little is known about the nature of the toxic components involved in the induction of the pathology.
METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Here we have investigated the biological and immunochemical characteristics of the caterpillar's bristles components. Analysis of the bristles extract in in vitro assays revealed the presence of proteolytic and hyaluronidase activities but no phospholipase A(2) activity. In vivo, it was observed that the bristles extract is not lethal but can induce an intense inflammatory process, characterized by the presence of neutrophils in the paw tissues of injected mice. Furthermore, the bristles components stimulated an intense and specific antibody response but autoantibodies such as anti-DNA or anti-collagen type II were not detected.
The results suggest that Premolis semirufa caterpillar bristles secretion contains a mixture of different enzymes that may act together in the generation and development of the clinical manifestations of the Pararama envenomation. Moreover, the high immunogenicity of the caterpillar bristles components, as shown by the generation of high antibody titers, may also contribute to the induction and establishment of the inflammatory disease.
毛毛虫的飞蛾 Premolis semirufa （鳞翅目：天蛾科），俗称 Pararama ，是亚马逊河流域特有的。意外接触这些毛毛虫的刺会导致局部症状，如剧烈的热、疼痛、肿胀和瘙痒，持续三到七天；然而，多次接触后，它可能会导致关节间隙变窄和骨骼改变，以及关节软骨退化和受影响关节的固定。这种疾病没有特定的治疗方法，但经常使用皮质类固醇。尽管毛毛虫中毒对公共卫生构成威胁，但对诱导病理学的有毒成分的性质知之甚少。
方法/主要发现：在这里，我们研究了毛毛虫刺的生物学和免疫化学特性。在体外试验中分析刺的提取物显示存在蛋白水解和透明质酸酶活性，但不存在磷脂酶 A （ 2 ）活性。在体内，观察到刺的提取物没有致死性，但可以诱导强烈的炎症过程，表现为注射小鼠爪组织中存在中性粒细胞。此外，刺的成分刺激强烈和特异性抗体反应，但未检测到自身抗体如抗 DNA 或抗胶原 II 。
结果表明，毛毛虫的刺分泌含有不同的酶混合物，可能共同作用于 Pararama 中毒的临床症状的产生和发展。此外，毛毛虫刺成分的高度免疫原性，如高抗体滴度的产生，也可能有助于炎症疾病的诱导和建立。
