“Tarantula Keratitis” a case report

Animal-inflicted ocular and adnexal injuries in children: A systematic review

“…Tarantulas were implicated in 14 of these cases. 14,31,34,67,71,88,100,102,117,119,126,128,135,160 The other 5 cases involved spiders belonging to the Loxosceles genus, specifically the brown recluse spider. 2,18,76,82,146 There were distinct differences in patient age, gender, and geographical distribution between the Loxosceles and tarantula groups.…”

“…Tarantula injuries were more likely to occur in boys (85.7% versus 80%) and an older age group (13.9 versus 8.6 years) compared with Loxosceles injuries. The majority of Loxosceles injuries occurred in Turkey (4 of 5), 2,18,82,146 whereas the tarantula group reports originated from the United States, 14,31,67,88,117,128,135 United Kingdom, 34,100,126,160 Ireland, 102 and Europe. 119 The types of injuries that were sustained also differed between the groups.…”

“…Typical management involved topical steroids with additional antibiotics and cycloplegia in some, as well as mechanical removal of hairs where possible. 14,31,34,67,71,88,100,102,117,119,126,128,135,160 In contrast, Loxosceles-related injuries were bites and primarily involved the adnexa. Preseptal swelling associated with hemorrhage and necrosis was the most common presentation.…”

Social Media and citizen science provide valuable data for behavioural ecology research: Are cuttlefish using pursuit-deterrent signals during hunting?

“…There are many examples in the animal kingdom of the use of pursuit-deterrent signals, termed "flash upon predation" here, towards predators as a form of defence; these signals can be highly variant across taxa, but sometimes show convergent aspects in form and function: Polynoids and Ophiuroids eject sacrificial luminescent lures 80 ; collector sea urchins (Tripneustes gratilla) release clouds of venomous pedicellaria heads 81 ; New World tarantulas (Theraphosidae) brush off venomous barbed abdominal or palpal urticating hairs (only investigated when being predated) 82,83 ; bombardier beetles (Metrius contractus) spray hot quinonoid secretions 84 . Other species rely on signals, chipmunks (Tamias striatus) and grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) harass timber rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus) by repeatedly approaching them whilst tailflagging 85 .…”

Images in ophthalmia nodosa: an unusual presentation of red eye

“…Caterpillars, tarantulas and vegetation produce a variety of defence fibres (called setae) uniquely adapted to penetrate the tissues of their target 1. Ophthalmia nodosa (ON) is an ocular inflammatory reaction resulting from these setae entering the eye.…”