- Joined
- Aug 8, 2005
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About 30 years after the incident my wife has calmed down enough to where she suggested I write about how dangerous caterpillars are. Interviewing her and her sisters and doing some research I came away with a healthy respect for these animals.
Incident 1.
She was about 4 years old, living in the mountains east of Chiang Mai. She came out of the bushes to note a blue and white very fuzzy caterpillar on her arm. They are about 2 to 3 inches long; the body 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick and the spines making it about 1 inch thick. Wearing a traditional Hmong skirt a search revealed she had several more on her legs. Onset of incident was unclear. Her arm was described as unrecognizable. She lost consciousness.
Her mother had to carry her on her back through the jungle for about 4 kilometers out to the road and flag down a ride. It took another half hour to get to the hospital. She was, approximately, entering clinical death. In a coma and without respirations. She was on a respirator for approximately 1 week before regaining consciousness. To this day the sight of a caterpillar will send her straight up a wall. This is a woman who tries to kiss our monster sprassids and lycosids and casually cajoles kraits off the roadways with her foot.
Incident 2.
A friend has a certain kind of palm like plant with leaves about 2 to 3 feet long. The caterpillar that eats these leaves grows to 4 to 5 inches long, is blue white, and has huge fantastic shaped spines making it overall about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 inches thick. One caterpillar can strip an entire 2 foot by 6 inch leaf to just a stem in about 1 hour. He brushed against one. In a second he said his arm felt like it was on fire. He nearly passed out within a few minutes and became literally blind with pain and unable to walk. I arrived about an hour after initial contact. He was acutely diaphoretic, the extremity was roughly twice normal size with extreme pitting edema close to splitting the skin, had abdominal spasms so powerful they precluded vomiting, a fever of approx 106, and muscle tremors, primarily in his legs and hands. I administered epi IM then IV some minutes later as he appeared to be in respiratory distress. In the hospital he was catheterized and given 1 liter NS wide open then 2 liters Glucose and another liter NS with unknown allergen agent(s). Symptoms receded to normal health condition in 18 hours except for acute to extreme touch pain in the affected extremity which receded over a 5 day period.
I now read that caterpillars kill almost as many people as recorded documented cobra bites. So, consider taking those cute fuzzy ones you aren't familiar with very seriously when encountered.
Incident 1.
She was about 4 years old, living in the mountains east of Chiang Mai. She came out of the bushes to note a blue and white very fuzzy caterpillar on her arm. They are about 2 to 3 inches long; the body 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick and the spines making it about 1 inch thick. Wearing a traditional Hmong skirt a search revealed she had several more on her legs. Onset of incident was unclear. Her arm was described as unrecognizable. She lost consciousness.
Her mother had to carry her on her back through the jungle for about 4 kilometers out to the road and flag down a ride. It took another half hour to get to the hospital. She was, approximately, entering clinical death. In a coma and without respirations. She was on a respirator for approximately 1 week before regaining consciousness. To this day the sight of a caterpillar will send her straight up a wall. This is a woman who tries to kiss our monster sprassids and lycosids and casually cajoles kraits off the roadways with her foot.
Incident 2.
A friend has a certain kind of palm like plant with leaves about 2 to 3 feet long. The caterpillar that eats these leaves grows to 4 to 5 inches long, is blue white, and has huge fantastic shaped spines making it overall about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 inches thick. One caterpillar can strip an entire 2 foot by 6 inch leaf to just a stem in about 1 hour. He brushed against one. In a second he said his arm felt like it was on fire. He nearly passed out within a few minutes and became literally blind with pain and unable to walk. I arrived about an hour after initial contact. He was acutely diaphoretic, the extremity was roughly twice normal size with extreme pitting edema close to splitting the skin, had abdominal spasms so powerful they precluded vomiting, a fever of approx 106, and muscle tremors, primarily in his legs and hands. I administered epi IM then IV some minutes later as he appeared to be in respiratory distress. In the hospital he was catheterized and given 1 liter NS wide open then 2 liters Glucose and another liter NS with unknown allergen agent(s). Symptoms receded to normal health condition in 18 hours except for acute to extreme touch pain in the affected extremity which receded over a 5 day period.
I now read that caterpillars kill almost as many people as recorded documented cobra bites. So, consider taking those cute fuzzy ones you aren't familiar with very seriously when encountered.
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