Clinical Manifestation, Histopathology, and Imaging of Traumatic Injuries Caused by Brazilian Porcupine (Sphiggurus villosus) Quills

Abstract

Injuries to humans caused by porcupines are rare. However, they may occur due to the proximity of urban areas and the animal's habitat in areas such as the Floresta da Tijuca in Rio de Janeiro. Outdoor sports and leisure activities in areas close to forests or in the rain forest are also relevant for incidents of this kind and a better knowledge of the local forest fauna would prevent such undesirable accidents. Porcupine quills have microscopic barbs at their tips which facilitate skin penetration, but hampering their removal. Once the spines are lodged in tissue, the microscopic backward-facing deployable barbs at the tips cause trauma if anyone tries to remove them. Local haemorrhage and an inflammatory response to the contaminated foreign body occur. Depending on the time lapse in removing the spines either septic or sterile foreign body reactions may occur. There is also the risk of migration of the spines, where fatal cases have been reported in human and veterinary medicine. Herein we report two unusual cases of accidents involving humans and the South American porcupine. The Sphiggurus villosus spines removed from scalp skin were also documented through Scanning Electron Microscopy.

Close Encounter With a Prickly Soccer Ball: An Injury From an Indian Crested Porcupine

“…If there is evidence of bleeding, it can be stopped by applying firm pressure on the site or elevating the affected area. 5…”

“…2 Injuries caused by quills range from minor peripheral penetrating injuries (eg, limbs) to internal organ penetration subsequently leading to death from peritonitis. 4,5 Injuries related to porcupine quills are common among several species of animals, 6 and reported quill-related injuries to humans are most typically from relatively small quill-bearing porcupines (Table 1). However, the mechanism of injury, sequelae, and management of H indica quill-related injuries in humans are rarely described.…”

Review on 3D Printing of Bioinspired Structures for Surface/Interface Applications

“…Finally, porcupines have quills with microscale barbs that they use for defense against predators, as shown in Figure 15f. [185] A microneedle designed after the porcupine quill barbs would also achieve a higher pull-out force.…”

“…f) Image of a Porcupine and SEM image of its Quills. Reproduced with permission [185]. Copyright 2016, CC BY 4.0.…”

‘CandidatusMycoplasma haemosphiggurus’ a novel haemoplasma species in orange‐spined hairy dwarf porcupines (Sphiggurus villosus) from Southern Brazil

“…The orange‐spined hairy dwarf porcupine ( Sphiggurus villosus ) is a solitary, nocturnal and arboreal animal, endemic to the Atlantic forest habitat, occurring in southeastern and southern Brazil (Lange & Schmidt, 2014; Oliveira & Bonvicino, 2006). Although occur in primary Atlantic Forest, they may be commonly found on forest borders and, occasionally, near urban areas where human (Jorge et al., 2016) and domestic dogs (Lange & Schmidt, 2014) injuries caused by its spines may occur. Additionally, porcupines are amongst the most frequently road‐killed animals in Brazil (Coelho, Kindel, & Coelho, 2008).…”