Millions of years of co-evolution have driven parasites to display very complex and exquisite strategies to manipulate the behaviour of their hosts. However, although parasite-induced behavioural manipulation is a widespread phenomenon, the underlying neuronal mechanisms are only now beginning to be deciphered. Here, we review recent advancements in the study of the mechanisms by which parasito...

A substantial degree of immunologic cross-reactivity is demonstrated among yellow jacket (YJV), yellow hornet (YHV) and white-faced hornet (WFHV) venoms and between the vespid venoms and paper wasp venom (PWV) by RAST inhibition studies of individual sera from allergic patients. Cross-reactivity is shown to be complete, partial or absent in various cases. In many cases RAST inhibition studies a...

The parasitoid jewel wasp uses cockroaches as live food supply for its developing larva. To this end, the adult wasp stings a cockroach and injects venom directly inside its brain, turning the prey into a submissive 'zombie'. Here, we characterize the sensory arsenal on the wasp's stinger that enables the wasp to identify the brain target inside the cockroach's head. An electron microscopy stud...

INTRODUCTION Hymenoptera venoms contain thrombogenic substances that might be responsible for cardiovascular events independent of anaphylactic reactions. CASE PRESENTATION We report a 55-year-old man who experienced an acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction after wasp sting. The patient presented without signs of anaphylaxis or shock. The coronary angiography showed an acute stent thrombos...

The venoms of the social wasps evolved to be used as defensive tools to protect the colonies of these insects against the attacks of predators. Previous studies estimated the presence of a dozen peptide components in the venoms of each species of these insects, which altogether comprise up to 70% of the weight of freeze-dried venoms. In the present study, an optimized experimental protocol is r...

Neurodegenerative diseases are relentlessly progressive, severely impacting affected patients, families and society as a whole. Increased life expectancy has made these diseases more common worldwide. Unfortunately, available drugs have insufficient therapeutic effects on many subtypes of these intractable diseases, and adverse effects hamper continued treatment. Wasp and bee venoms and their c...

In this study, we describe the cDNA cloning, sequencing, and 3-D structure of the allergen hyaluronidase from Polybia paulista venom (Pp-Hyal). Using a proteomic approach, the native form of Pp-Hyal was purified to homogeneity and used to produce a Pp-specific polyclonal antibody. The results revealed that Pp-Hyal can be classified as a glycosyl hydrolase and that the full-length Pp-Hyal cDNA (...

Results We enrolled 45 children with a mean ((± standart deviation) age of 10.0 ± 3.4 years. VIT with wasp venom was initiated in 39 patients (87%) and with honeybee venom in 6 patients (13%). Seventeen patients (37.8%) had encountered lokal or systemic side effects during VIT. Side effects were present in 41 out of 1448 injections (2.8%). There was no significant difference at sBT levels of ch...