BACKGROUND Jellyfish stings are common worldwide with an estimated 150 million cases annually, and their stings cause a wide range of clinical manifestations from skin inflammation to cardiovascular and respiratory collapse. No studies on jellyfish stings have been carried out in Basra, Iraq. OBJECTIVES To describe the immediate and delayed skin reactions to White Jellyfish (Rhizostoma sp.) s...

Hymenoptera stings can cause serious injury to humans. We report the clinical findings of 6 cases of Hymenoptera stings. All patients developed painful erythematous papules at the sting sites and had a past history of parasitoid wasp sting. This is the first clinical report of the parasitoid wasp, Cephalonomia gallicola, causing human stings in Korea.

BACKGROUND Massive wasp stings have been greatly underestimated and have not been systematically studied. The aim of this study was to identify the clinical features and treatment strategies of severe wasp stings. METHODS AND FINDINGS A multicenter retrospective study was undertaken in 35 hospitals and medical centers including 12 tertiary care hospitals and 23 secondary care hospitals in the...

Through natural selection, many animal organs with similar functions have evolved different macroscopic morphologies and microscopic structures. Here, we comparatively investigate the structures, properties and functions of honey bee stings and paper wasp stings. Their elegant structures were systematically observed. To examine their behaviors of penetrating into different materials, we perform...

BACKGROUND Venom immunotherapy (VIT) is the only effective treatment for prevention of serious allergic reactions to bee and wasp stings in sensitized individuals. However, there are still many questions and controversies regarding immunotherapy, like selection of the appropriate allergen, safety and long term efficacy. METHODS Literature review was performed to address the role of basophil a...

Background. Hymenoptera stings are sometimes fatal in venom-allergic patients. Fatalities mostly occur in previously stung subjects, especially those with a history of systemic reactions, and could be avoided if patients were properly informed of the existence of a prevention strategy for insect stings, referred to an allergy follow-up and prescribed auto-injectable epinephrine and/or venom-spe...

Angioedema indicates acute subcutaneous edema that characterizes improperly restricted cutaneous or mucous membrane swelling, which can occur only once or be relapsing. Edema usually occurs in the periorbital area, lips, tongue, extremities and intestinal wall. It has turned out that angioedema is usually caused by the use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE) or allergies to certai...

Systemic allergic reactions to insect stings affect up to 5% of the population during their lifetime, and up to 32% of beekeepers. Such reactions can be fatal, albeit very rarely, and fear of a further systemic reaction (SR) can lead to significant anxiety and quality of life impairment. A recent Cochrane systematic review confirmed that venom immunotherapy (VIT) is an effective treatment for p...

A postulated role of the contact system in anaphylactic reactions to insect stings was investigated. During prospective, in-hospital sting challenge, we collected serial blood samples from five normal volunteers and 16 patients with a history of insect-sting anaphylaxis. Activation of the contact system was assessed by measuring plasma levels of factor XIIa-C1-inhibitor and kallikrein-C1-inhibi...

Sri Lanka is a tropical agricultural country in which huge number of insect species have been reported. Bees, wasps, and ants belong to the order Hymenoptera mostly living colony, colony members attack humans aggressively when they are disturbed. However, Hymenopterans important many ways such as pollination service wild plants, honey production, natural pest control for crops, being food chain...