Hornet Stings Research Articles

Allergic and toxic reactions to non-stinging arthropods.

With a growing world population and increasingly demanding consumers, the production of sufficient protein from livestock, poultry, and fish represents a serious challenge for the future. Approximately 1,900 insect species are eaten worldwide, mainly in ...Read More

Lipid accumulation in hepatocytes following treatment in vitro with a venom sac extract of the Oriental hornet ( Vespa orientalis)

TrIE vENOM of hornets (Hymenoptera : Vespinae) is known to possess toxic and lytic activities, e.g . hemolysis of red blood cells (JOSI-IUA and 15HAY, 1973), lysis of muscle fibers (SHILKIN et al., 1972 ; ISHAY et a1., 1975 ; BARB-NEA and ISHAY, 1977] Or degenerative changes in the mitochondria of muscle and kidney (SANDSANIC of QL, 1971, 1973) . Fractionation of the venom sac extract of the Oriental hornet has shown that the fraction containing phospholipases is probably responsible for the lytic activity of the venom (ISHAY et a1 ., 1975), its biological effect on muscle preparations being similar to that of whole venom. While liver degeneration following hornet sting has been reported in one instance (JONAS and SHUGAR, 1963) there has not been any experimental investigation of the hepatic changes following envenomation despite the fact that the liver is the logical place to search for processes ofdetoxification .The use of liver cell cultures, as reported in this paper enables both contact of venom sac extract with the cells as well as estimation of the amount of venom, if any, responsible for the cytotoxic effects . We have used embryonic chick liver cells which grow well in culture and can be obtained in suulcient numbers for biochemical estimations . This report offers data on the growth pattern of such cells in the presence of venom and on their estimated lipid and protein content . The venom sac of the hornet was extirpated with forceps as previously described (BARRNEA et al ., 1976) and homogenized in an all-glass homogenizes in HANKS' (1948) balanced salt solution at a concentration of 40 llg/ml . Livers were obtained from chick embryos at 10 days of incubation ; they were finely minced with scalpels, the resulting small fragment were rinsed in medium 199 (MORGAN, 1950) and then suspended in growth medium containing 90~ medium 199, 10~ calf serum and antibiotics (all purchased from Gibco, U.S.A.) . The cell suspension (approximately l0e cells/ml growth medium) was immersed into Leighton tubes for histochemidal studies (1 ml per test tube) and into milk bottles (10 ml per bottle) for estimation of the lipid and protein content . The cultures were left overnight to settle and then divided into two groups : one received fresh medium only, and the other fresh medium containing 411g venom sac extract per ml . For lipid staining the cells were fixed in 10~ formalin in Hanks' balanced salt solution and stained with oil red 0 (PEARSE, 1961) . For glycogen visualization the cells were fixed in acetone and stained by the periodic-acid-Schiff method (PEARSE, 1961) . On the fourth day of culture the cells were removed from the milk bottles by exposure to Versene-Trypsin for 30 min . The cell suspension thus obtained was rinsed in Hanks' balanced salt solution and centrifuged ; the pellet was then overlaid with 1 ml saline and

Insect-sting allergy.

PARRISH reviewed the reported deaths from venomous animals from the years 1950 through 1959. Of 460 fatalities, 220 were from stinging insects. This exceeded by far the deaths reported from snake bites. 1 Many unexplained sudden deaths in those found dead out-of-doors during the summer months and attributed to cardiovascular disease or sunstroke may indeed be the result of insect-sting allergy. 2,3 The first recorded death from an insect sting was that of King Menes of Egypt, who died of a hornet sting in 2642 bc. 4 Four thousand years later, Waterhouse attributed this entity to anaphylaxis. 5 Although over 30 different insects have been described as producing allergic symptoms, Hymenoptera (bees, wasps, hornets, and yellow jackets) is the order which has caused nearly all of the deaths. 1,6 This is of concern to the nonatopic as well as the atopic individual. In a recent study of 2,606 persons with