N Engl J Med 2004;351:1978-84. Copyright © 2004 Massachusetts Medical Society. A 29-year-old man reported that he was stung by a flying hymenopteran — he does not know what type — outside his door, where he had previously noted a nest. Skin itching, diffuse hives, swelling of his arms and legs, tightness in his throat, dizziness, and difficulty talking developed immediately, and he was taken to...

OBJECTIVE To analyze mortality due to Hymenoptera stings in Costa Rica during 1985-2006. METHODS Records of deaths due to Hymenoptera stings in 1985-2006 were retrieved from Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (National Statistics and Census Institute). Mortality rates were calculated on the basis of national population reports, as of 1 July of each year. Information for each case incl...

OBJECTIVES (1) To assess the number and severity of episodes of Irukandji syndrome in Broome, Western Australia. (2) To correlate demographic, seasonal, geographic and climatic features of Irukandji stings. (3) To assess treatment of Irukandji syndrome at Broome Health Service. (4) To assess the public health impact. DESIGN AND SETTING (1) A retrospective analysis of jellyfish data forms and ...

BACKGROUND The Asian giant hornet is the largest wasp species in the world. Its stings can cause acute interstitial nephritis and acute renal failure. From July to October, 2013, Asian giant hornet attacks have killed 42 people and injured 1675 people with their powerful venomous stings in Hanzhong, Ankang, and Shangluo, three cities in the southern part of Shaanxi Province, China. CASE REPOR...

Scorpion stings are a serious public health issue in tropical and subtropical countries. This is a descriptive and retrospective study of the clinical-epidemiological characteristics of scorpion sting cases registered in the Health System in the city of Campina Grande, Paraíba state, from 2007 to 2012. Data was collected from the Injury Notification Information System data banks of the Ministry...

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE Mast cells (MC) are effector cells during severe systemic reactions (SR) to Hymenoptera stings. Venom specific immunotherapy (VIT) is the treatment of choice for prevention of SR to stings. Tryptase and prostaglandin D₂ metabolites (PGD₂) are the markers of MC activation. The study design was to 1. compare baseline values of serum tryptase concentration (BST) and PGD₂...