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Flight of Fever
04 October 2016

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

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BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

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