Accident caused by Centruroides testaceus (DeGeer, 1778) (Scorpiones, Buthidae), native to the Caribbean, in Brazilian airport

Abstract

Describes the case of a 6-year-old girl who was stung by a Centruroides testaceus, a scorpion native to the Lesser Antilles, in the Guarulhos International Airport, São Paulo, Brazil, as she disembarked from a flight coming from the Caribbean. The patient presented only local symptoms (a small area of erythema and pain at the sting site), which were resolved after a few hours with analgesics, without the need for antivenom. Physicians who treat patients stung by scorpions should be alert to the possibility of such accidents being caused by non native species, especially those cases that occur near airports or ports.

Heated Debates: Hot-Water Immersion or Ice Packs as First Aid for Cnidarian Envenomations?

“…For terrestrial envenomations, hot-water immersion was less commonly recommended (Table 5) [74,75,76,77,78], although there has been some support for the use of targeted, localized heat in the treatment of insect bites and stings [79]. Heat therapy is specifically contraindicated for recluse spider envenomations ( Loxoceles spp.…”

“…This group of spiders are the only ones with this particular enzyme, however, so it is unclear if hot-water immersion would be appropriate in other spider envenomations. Preliminary case reports and investigations suggest heat application may aid in pain relief from scorpion stings [76,77] and centipede bites [78]. A prospective cohort study ( N = 146) from Germany found that the targeted application of heat (maximum of 51 °C) for 3–6 s using the Bite Away ® device (RIEMSER Pharma GmbH, Greifswald, Germany) led to a reduction visual analog scale scores for pain, swelling and pruritus from mosquito bites and bee and wasp stings [79].…”

Centruroides thorellii (Scorpiones: Buthidae): traveling from Guatemala to England without a passport

“…As consequence of the modern facilities in transportation, the involuntary introduction of exotic species has been incremented. Relatively recent cases involving scorpions have been recorded from Argentina (Camargo & Ricciardi, 2000), Venezuela (De Sousa et al, 2008), Norway (Teruel & Rein, 2009), Brazil (Lobo et al, 2011), and Spain (Teruel & de Biurrun Baquedano, 2015).…”