Freshwater sponge spicules: a new agent of ocular pathology

Volkmer‐Ribeiro, Cecília; Lenzi, Henrique Leonel; Oréfice, Fernando; Pelajo-Machado, Marcelo; Alencar, Leandro Moulin; Fonseca, Carlos F.; Batista, Twiggy Cristina Alves; Manso, Pedro Paulo de Abreu; Coelho, Janice Mery Chicarino de Oliveira; Machado, Marcelo Rubens

doi:10.1590/s0074-02762006000800013

Cited by 71 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…Severe eye lesions were observed and described by Volkmer-Ribeiro et al (10) and Volkmer-Ribeiro and Batista (11). Such lesions affected bathers diving with open eyes into the Araguaia River (Araguatins, Tocantins state, Brazil), who came into contact with tiny spicules that cover the gemmules of the species Drulia uruguayensis and Drulia ctenosclera.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 93%

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Induction of cell migration and activation in mice by the freshwater sponge Drulia uruguayensis Bonetto & Ezcurra de Drago, 1968 (Porifera: Metaniidae)

Magalhães

Volkmer‐Ribeiro²,

Fujimoto

et al. 2011

J. Venom. Anim. Toxins incl. Trop. Dis

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Abstract:Freshwater sponges are abundant in the Amazon region and they have been known to cause dermatitis (acute inflammation) since the beginning of the 20 th century. To determine whether additional constituents, besides their body spicules, cause dermatological reactions in humans, an experimental study was developed and carried out using mice and Drulia uruguayensis prepared in three different forms: intact sponges (IS), macerated sponges (MS) or isolated spicules -megascleres (ISM). The cells most commonly involved in inflammatory reactions (mast cells, eosinophils and neutrophils), as well as intraepithelial lymphocytes and degranulated mast cells, were counted so that they could be used as parameters to determine which of the sponge preparations induced the greatest reaction. The effects of the sponge on the skin were then determined by histological analysis. The results obtained showed that IS caused the greatest inflammatory reaction (p = 0.000005), activating mainly mast cells (p = 0.0018). The histopathological analysis revealed a slight loss of continuity of the epidermis when ISM or IS were applied. These findings allow us to conclude that a structurally intact sponge can cause a greater inflammatory reaction in the first contact because of its ability to perforate the skin and allow inflammatory agents to enter. Other proteins present in dried sponge bodies could induce allergic but not toxic responses (in contact with the entire sponge, a large number of pharmacologically inert proteins may be introduced, with a potential allergen).

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…Such lesions affected bathers diving with open eyes into the Araguaia River (Araguatins, Tocantins state, Brazil), who came into contact with tiny spicules that cover the gemmules of the species Drulia uruguayensis and Drulia ctenosclera. Those spicules were found during biopsy and surgically removed from the injured eyes (10).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Induction of cell migration and activation in mice by the freshwater sponge Drulia uruguayensis Bonetto & Ezcurra de Drago, 1968 (Porifera: Metaniidae)

Magalhães

Volkmer‐Ribeiro²,

Fujimoto

et al. 2011

J. Venom. Anim. Toxins incl. Trop. Dis

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“…2 Examination consisted of the measurement of visual acuity with charts (tumbling Snellen E or letters), external examination with especial attention to eyelids and bulbar conjunctiva, biomicroscopy of the cornea and anterior segment, intraocular We certify that all applicable institutional and governmental regulations concerning the ethical use of human volunteers were followed during this research.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…1,2 We report here the clinical characteristics of this unusual outbreak of eye lesions. We believe that this is the first report of an outbreak of ocular disease because of a foreign body of animal origin.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Dangerous waters: outbreak of eye lesions caused by fresh water sponge spicules

Cruz

Alencar

Medina³

et al. 2013

Eye

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Purpose To describe an extremely uncommon outbreak of eye lesions in a specific area of the Brazilian Amazonia. Methods Prospective noncomparative case series. Fifty-nine patients who developed eye lesions after swimming in the Araguaia river of Tocantins state in Brazil were examined. A team of ophthalmologists equipped with a slit-lamp, gonioscopic lenses, and indirect ophthalmoscopy performed full eye examination. Analysis of the flora and fauna of the river water was undertaken by a group of experts. Results and Conclusions Eighty-three eyes were affected. The most common lesions were corneal opacities seen in 34 eyes and conjunctival nodules diagnosed in 12 eyes. Severe visual acuity loss was detected in seven children with unilateral anterior chamber lesions. Spicules of the sponge species Drulia uruguayensis and Drulia ctenosclera were found inside three blind eyes that have been enucleated for diagnostic purposes. All eye lesions could be attributed to an outbreak of foreign bodies from fresh water sponges. Organic enrichment of the water resulting from the absence of sanitation probably was the key factor, which initiated a cycle of ecological imbalance that provoked human disease.

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“…Especially in rural areas in the SE Region where there are deforestation and residences near natural forest children can be stung by snakes and show clinical complications [149,150]. Clinical researches [140,144] detected important ocular lesions caused by freshwater sponges species Drulia uruguayensis and Drulia ctenosclera, in school age children who swam in some rivers near their homes, in the Brazilian Amazon. These works revealed that freshwater sponge spicules may be a dangerous etiological agent of ocular pathology to kids that swim on those rivers.…”

Section: Children's Environment In Brazil: From Domestic (Indoor) To mentioning

confidence: 99%

Children's Environment in Brazil: From Domestic (Indoor) to Regional Threats

Perlroth¹,

Branco²

2017

IJPCC

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Freshwater sponge spicules: a new agent of ocular pathology

Abstract: In a recent outbreak of human ocular injuries that occurred in the town

Cited by 71 publications

References 8 publications

Induction of cell migration and activation in mice by the freshwater sponge Drulia uruguayensis Bonetto & Ezcurra de Drago, 1968 (Porifera: Metaniidae)

Induction of cell migration and activation in mice by the freshwater sponge Drulia uruguayensis Bonetto & Ezcurra de Drago, 1968 (Porifera: Metaniidae)

Dangerous waters: outbreak of eye lesions caused by fresh water sponge spicules

Children's Environment in Brazil: From Domestic (Indoor) to Regional Threats

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