Flight of Fever

Tiger moths deserve their ferocious name; defending themselves from predators by hoarding toxic chemicals in their bodies and advertising the danger with striking, colourful wing patterns. Some species’ toxins are sufficiently potent to be harmful to humans too; touching caterpillars or inhaling the hairs and scales of adults can lead to painful skin lesions or whole-body reactions, known as lepidopterism. In severe cases, symptoms can resemble those of infectious fevers like dengue or chikungunya, and can even be fatal. In fact, recent research suggests that bursts in the population of the tiger moth Asota caricae, pictured with its irritating hairs and droplets of defensive fluids (arrowed), played an unsuspected yet very important role in devastating fever outbreaks in India. Greater awareness of the impact of tiger moths on human health should help prevent misdiagnosis, while monitoring and managing their populations could reduce the severity of future epidemics.

Written by Emmanuelle Briolat

Emmanuelle Briolat

Writer

A researcher specialising in visual signals in Lepidoptera, camouflage and the effects of light pollution, Emmanuelle’s writing covers a range of topics, from biomedical research to children’s books about moth defences.

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• Image by Mohan Anjana
• MIMS Research Foundation, Malabar Institute of Medical Sciences (Aster MIMS), Kozhikode, Kerala, India
• Image originally published under a Creative Commons Licence (BY 4.0)
• Published in PLOS One, April 2016