AJTMH ASTMH MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION: astmh@astmh.org
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 73(5), 2005, pp. 991-993
Copyright © 2005 by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (1)
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by RODRIGUEZ-MORALES, A. J.
Right arrow Articles by FRANCO-PAREDES, C.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by RODRIGUEZ-MORALES, A. J.
Right arrow Articles by FRANCO-PAREDES, C.
Related Collections
Right arrow Venomous creatures

SHORT REPORT


LEPIDOPTERISM DUE TO EXPOSURE TO THE MOTH HYLESIA METABUS IN NORTHEASTERN VENEZUELA

ALFONSO J. RODRIGUEZ-MORALES, MELISSA ARRIA, JOSE ROJAS-MIRABAL, EDUARDO BORGES, JESUS A. BENITEZ, MELFRAN HERRERA, CARLOS VILLALOBOS, ANDREA MALDONADO, NESTOR RUBIO, AND CARLOS FRANCO-PAREDES*
Direction of Environmental Sanitary Epidemiological Surveillance, General Direction of Environmental Health and Sanitary Control, Ministry of Health and Social Development, Maracay, Venezuela; Environmental Health and Malariology Sucre State Office, Carúpano, Sucre, Venezuela; Epidemiology Department, Cajigal Sanitary District, Yaguaraparo, Sucre, Venezuela; Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia

 

ABSTRACT

Lepidopterism refers to a spectrum of medical conditions in humans that usually involves the skin and results from contact with the adult or larval forms of certain butterflies and moths. We analyzed the epidemiologic and clinical features associated with exposure to the moth Hylesia metabus between 1970 and 2002 in the Cajigal district, Sucre, Venezuela. Fifty cases of lepidopterism mostly affecting individuals under 18 years of age were identified during this period and manifested as pruritic dermatitis with or without associated respiratory symptoms. With increased travel to endemic areas of lepidopterism, travel and tropical medicine practitioners should be aware of the clinical spectrum of this condition.

Received March 23, 2005. Accepted for publication May 27, 2005.

Acknowledgment: This work was presented in part at III National Meeting of Tropical Medicine "Dr. Albert Maekelt," Caracas, Venezuela, 11–12 July 2003, Abstract C EPID 002:20.

* Address correspondence to Carlos Franco-Paredes, M.D., M.P.H., Division of Infectious Diseases, Emory University School of Medicine, 69 Jesse Hill Jr. Drive, Atlanta, GA 30303. E-mail: cfranco{at}sph.emory.edu

Authors’ addresses: Alfonso J. Rodriguez-Morales, Direction of Environmental Sanitary Epidemiological Surveillance, General Direction of Environmental Health and Sanitary Control, Ministry of Health and Social Development, Maracay, Venezuela, and Environmental Health and Malariology Sucre State Office, Carúpano, Sucre, Venezuela, E-mail: ajrodriguezm_md{at}hotmail.com. Melissa Arria, Jose Rojas-Mirabal, Eduardo Borges, and Jesus A. Benitez, Direction of Environmental Sanitary Epidemiological Surveillance, General Direction of Environmental Health and Sanitary Control, Ministry of Health and Social Development, Maracry, Venezuela. Melfran Herrera and Carlos Villalobos, Environmental Health and Malariology Sucre State Office, Carúpano, Sucre, Venezuela. Andrea Maldonado and Nestor Rubio, Epidemiology Department, Cajigal Sanitary District, Yaguaraparo, Sucre, Venezuela. Carlos Franco-Paredes, Emory University, Atlanta, GA.

Reprint requests: Carlos Franco-Paredes, M.D., M.P.H., Division of Infectious Diseases, Emory University School of Medicine, 69 Jesse Hill Jr. Drive, Atlanta, GA 30303, Telephone: 404-686-5885, Fax: 404-686-4508, E-mail: cfranco{at}sph.emory.edu.






HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 2005 by the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.