1. Ocular Lesions Other Than Stings Following Yellow-Legged Hornet ( Vespa velutina nigrithorax ) Projections, as Reported to French Poison Control Centers
- Author
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Jérôme Langrand, Luc de Haro, Nicolas Delcourt, Gaël Le Roux, Hervé Laborde-Castérot, Dominique Vodovar, Magali Labadie, Eric Darrouzet, Institut de recherche sur la biologie de l'insecte UMR7261 (IRBI), Université de Tours-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), VODOVAR, Dominique, Hôpital Lariboisière-Fernand-Widal [APHP], Assistance publique - Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP) (AP-HP), Université de Tours (UT)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Centre Hospitalier Universitaire d'Angers (CHU Angers), PRES Université Nantes Angers Le Mans (UNAM), Hôpital Pellegrin, CHU Bordeaux [Bordeaux]-Groupe hospitalier Pellegrin, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Toulouse (CHU Toulouse), Toulouse Neuro Imaging Center (ToNIC), Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-Toulouse Mind & Brain Institut (TMBI), Université Toulouse - Jean Jaurès (UT2J)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Toulouse - Jean Jaurès (UT2J)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées, Hôpital Sainte-Marguerite [CHU - APHM] (Hôpitaux Sud ), Optimisation thérapeutique en Neuropsychopharmacologie (OPTeN (UMR_S_1144 / U1144)), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-Université Paris Cité (UPCité), French Poison Control Centers Research Group, and Darrouzet, Eric
- Subjects
Male ,Eye Diseases ,[SDV]Life Sciences [q-bio] ,Wasps ,MESH: Occupational Health ,Periorbital Edema ,Poison control ,Wasp Venoms ,MESH: Wasp Venoms ,01 natural sciences ,MESH: Occupational Exposure ,Occupational safety and health ,0302 clinical medicine ,Interquartile range ,MESH: Animals ,Fluorescein Angiography ,ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS ,MESH: Eye Diseases ,MESH: Middle Aged ,medicine.diagnostic_test ,Brief Report ,Middle Aged ,Fluorescein angiography ,MESH: Fluorescein Angiography ,Occupational Diseases ,[SDV] Life Sciences [q-bio] ,[SDV.TOX] Life Sciences [q-bio]/Toxicology ,[SDV.MHEP.OS] Life Sciences [q-bio]/Human health and pathology/Sensory Organs ,[SDV.TOX]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Toxicology ,MESH: Pest Control ,Female ,France ,MESH: Firefighters ,MESH: Wasps ,Adult ,MESH: Occupational Diseases ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Poison Control Centers ,Keratitis ,03 medical and health sciences ,Occupational Exposure ,medicine ,Animals ,Humans ,0101 mathematics ,[SDV.MHEP.OS]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Human health and pathology/Sensory Organs ,Occupational Health ,Retrospective Studies ,Vespa velutina ,MESH: Humans ,business.industry ,010102 general mathematics ,MESH: Poison Control Centers ,Correction ,MESH: Adult ,MESH: Retrospective Studies ,Retrospective cohort study ,medicine.disease ,Dermatology ,MESH: Male ,eye diseases ,MESH: France ,Ophthalmology ,Firefighters ,030221 ophthalmology & optometry ,Pest Control ,business ,MESH: Female - Abstract
International audience; Importance: Since the accidental introduction of the yellow-legged hornet (Vespa velutina nigrithorax) in France in 2004, there have been reports of this insect unexpectedly projecting a liquid toward the human face, but ocular morbidity associated with this is unknown, to our knowledge.Objective: To describe a case series of ocular lesions after exposure to a liquid projection emitted by a hornet.Design, setting, and participants: This was an analysis of all cases of ocular exposure to a projection by a yellow-legged hornet (excluding stings in the eye) collected by French poison control centers between January 1, 2004, and December 31, 2019.Main outcomes and measures: Symptoms were evaluated, and a fluorescein eye stain test was used.Results: Twenty-nine cases were recorded (24 in male and 5 in female patients; median age, 40 [interquartile range, 11] years); the first occurred in 2009. Most cases (20 [80%]) were occupational exposure among professionals dealing with hornet nests (eg, firefighters, wasp exterminators). Symptoms consistent with conjunctivitis often resolved quickly after ocular decontamination, but 5 patients developed a periorbital edema, 2 experienced radiating neuropathic pain, and 2 experienced keratitis.Conclusions and relevance: These findings suggest that the projection of a liquid into the eyes by the yellow-legged hornet presents a new risk to human health, but its precise nature remains to be determined. Ocular lesions had a favorable outcome. For professionals who deal with these insects, adaptation of the usual protections designed for native hymenopterans may be warranted.
- Published
- 2020