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Spiders
Published in Gail Miriam Moraru, Jerome Goddard, The Goddard Guide to Arthropods of Medical Importance, Seventh Edition, 2019
Gail Miriam Moraru, Jerome Goddard
Many tarantulas occurring in the Western Hemisphere have urticarial hairs on the dorsal surface of the abdomen. These hairs may be “flicked off” or rubbed onto a predator by the spiders as a defensive mechanism. Urticarial hairs do not occur on African or Asian species. Contact with these urticarial hairs on the skin or mucous membranes may result in pruritic papular lesions that persist for weeks. If the hairs get into the eyes, complications can arise, with symptoms similar to ophthalmia nodosa.
Focal cortical cataract due to caterpillar hair migration
Published in Clinical and Experimental Optometry, 2019
Julio González‐martín‐moro, Inés Contreras‐martín, Maria Castro‐rebollo, Irene Fuentes‐vega, Jesús Zarallo‐gallardo
Ophthalmia nodosa is defined as an ocular granulomatous reaction caused by hairs or spines of insects or plants. Most cases have been described after exposure to the pine processionary caterpillar (Thaumetopoea pityocampa). This caterpillar is considered one of the main forest pests and is present in extensive regions of central Asia, northern Africa and southern Europe. Reports on the toxicity of this insect can be found in medical2010 and veterinary2016 literature. Most cases are European2015 or Indian,2017 but toxicity by similar lepidopters (an order of insects that includes butterflies and moths) has also been reported in Australia.2014
A Hairy Affair: Ophthalmia nodosa Due to Caterpillar Hairs
Published in Ocular Immunology and Inflammation, 2018
Pratik Y. Doshi, Ugam Usgaonkar, Pradnya Kamat
Ophthalmia nodosa is a benign disease. With timely diagnosis and appropriate treatment, patients usually recover completely within 3 weeks. However, it is often difficult to diagnose, thus it is advisable to maintain a high index of suspicion, especially during the caterpillar season in prevalent areas. Usually, more than one visit is required to remove all the hairs. Lastly, we would like to stress upon the importance of wearing protective glasses/helmet while commuting on a two-wheeler and playing or working outdoors during caterpillar season.