Giant silkworm moth caterpillar

Gifkracht

Brandharen

Piepkleine haartjes of borstels breken af in de huid en prikken.

Wat doet zijn gif als het bijt of steekt?

The venom is held in sacs at the base of each spine and flows through the hollow spines into the wound. It causes disseminated intravascular coagulation, which stops the blood from clotting and leads to bleeding into the tissues and internal organs. After an initial phase of headache, fever, vomiting and malaise, a severe bleeding disorder can develop after about 24 hours.1

Hoe gevaarlijk is het voor mensen?

The caterpillar has been responsible for at least 500 deaths. In Brazil, 42,264 accidents were recorded between 2007 and 2017, of which 248 were severe and five were fatal. The reported death rate is 2.5%. Most victims were male (63%), and 45% were between 0 and 21 years old.1

Goed nieuws: dokters hebben hier een medicijn (tegengif) of een behandeling voor.1

Wat doet het als het bang is?

Its body is covered in hairs and spines that break off easily and inject venom into anything that touches them.1