A clinical and epidemiological study of Loxosceles spider envenoming in Santa Catarina, Brazil

✍ Scribed by Ulisses Marion Sezerino; Marlene Zannin; Luciano Kowlaski Coelho; João Gonçalves jr; Margareth Grando; Suely Grossemann Mattosinho; João Luiz Costa Cardoso; Vera Regina von Eickstedt; Francisco Oscar Siqueira França; Kátia Cristina Barbaro; Hui Wen Fan

• Book ID: 104164847
• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1998
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 469 KB
• Volume: 92
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0035-9203
• DOI: 10.1016/s0035-9203(98)90909-9

✦ Synopsis

A clinical and epidemiological study of 267 cases of envenomation by Loxosceles spp. (loxoscelism), notified to Centro de Informaqdes Toxicol6gicas de Florian6polis (Santa Catarina State, Brazil), was conducted between January 1985 and December 1995. Most of the incidents occurred along the coast of the mid-southern region of the state, during the warmest months. L. Zaeta and L. intermedia were identified as the causative agents. Cutaneous loxoscelism was clinically diagnosed in 232 (86.9%) patients with local pain (86.5%), oedema (80.5%), hyperaemia (79.8%) and necrosis (56.9%). Cutaneous-visceral loxoscelism was detected in 35 patients (13.1%) with intravascular haemolysis, manifested by jaundice (68.6%), oliguria (45.7%), dark urine (28.6%), haemorrhage (25.7%), anuria (8.6%) and shock (2.9%), besides the cutaneous effects. Specific antivenom was given to 125 patients (46.8%) and only 8(6.5%) had mild reactions. Acute renal failure was observed in 17 cases (6.4%); 4 patients (1.5%) died, all of whom were children under 14 years old.