2023-09-30 13:00:29
While bedbugs are the most difficult insects to get rid of, there are a whole bunch of other little creatures that we wouldn’t want to come across. Tsetse flies, fleas, processionary caterpillars… What are the most dangerous in the world?
Beyond the pain of their sting, certain insects carry disease. Here are the 10 most fearsome species.
The tiger mosquito
With nearly 800,000 deaths per year, the tiger mosquito is one of the deadliest species. Also called Aedes albopictus, the insect is recognizable by its black and white striped body and its small size (it measures less than 0.5 centimeters). Originally from the tropical forests of Southeast Asia, this invasive species is now present throughout the globe, including in 71 French departments, as indicated in the Ministry of Health and Prevention, last April. This mosquito is particularly feared because it carries pathogens (viruses, bacteria, parasites) that can transmit diseases such as chikungunya, dengue, Zika virus, yellow fever and malaria.
“To do this, the mosquito must first become infected, by taking the pathogen during its blood meal from an infected person or animal. Once infected, the female mosquito can transmit the pathogen to a healthy subject during a new blood meal. It takes several days for a mosquito to become infectious, that is to say for the virus to cross the digestive barrier, multiply and pass into its saliva,” indicates theNational Health Security Agency (Anses), regarding the mode of transmission.
To avoid proliferation, the organization recommends, in particular, eliminating stagnant water as much as possible (by emptying plant cups once a week, or by covering swimming pools that are out of use, for example).
The army ant
The army ant of the genus Dorylus (or magnan ant) is native to central and eastern Africa. Each colony can contain up to 20 million insects. Its bite is particularly painful.
Carnivorous, these insects devour everything in their path, including prey much larger than themselves (crocodile, crabs, snakes, etc.), in a group attack. But they can also have virtues. According to the magazine Geothe Maasai of Kenya, would use it to suture their wounds.
The reduves
These small bugs, which are found in particular in Brazil, Mexico and Argentina, have a particularity: they feed on the blood of mammals and birds. Also called assassin bugs, these insects particularly invade soils, bushes and trees. Some of them are vectors of Chagas disease.
“Chagas disease occurs in Central and South America (from Mexico to Argentina). It is found mainly in rural areas. Today, it affects more than 18 million people. Travelers are exceptionally infected,” explains the site. Vidal. Symptoms include a boil at the injection site, eyelid swelling, lymph nodes and fever which may require hospitalization.
The tsetse fly
The tsetse fly has a bad press because it carries two parasites (Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense and Trypanosoma brucei gambiense) which cause human African trypanosomiasis (or sleeping sickness). The insect is prevalent in 36 countries in sub-Saharan Africa where 70 million people are exposed to risk.
“The parasite present in the blood causes multiple symptoms that make it difficult to establish a diagnosis (fever, headache, fatigue, inflammation of the lymph nodes). If the disease is not treated, the parasites come to invade the central nervous system,” describes thePastor Institute.
The fire ant
Observed for the first time in Europe at the beginning of September, Solenopsis invicta is the fifth most invasive species (in terms of economic damage caused) in the world. Aggressive, this ant native to South America is difficult to eradicate and above all represents a threat to biodiversity, as explained by Philippe Grandcolas, deputy director of the Ecology and Environment Institute of the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS). on TF1, a few weeks ago.
“This species is a catastrophe on a global scale. It literally scares away vertebrates in the environments where it is found, which makes these environments almost inaccessible, including for humans. They are renowned for having one of the most irritating venoms in the world,” he said. Its sting is, however, not fatal for humans.
The tick
Carrying the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi, the blacklegged tick can transmit Lyme disease. Although the bite is often painless, certain symptoms (redness of the skin, numbness of a limb, headaches, etc.) appear between 3 and 30 days after the bite. Ticks can slip anywhere, as the Government of Quebec website explains, where they proliferate.
“Ticks can attach themselves to any part of the human body. They are often found in areas that are difficult to inspect such as the navel, lower buttocks, scalp or groins,” he emphasizes. Untreated, Lyme disease can, among other things, cause neurological problems.
The killer bee
This hybrid, resulting from the crossing of different species, is so aggressive that in groups it can cause its victims to receive a hundred bites. The Africanized bee is also capable of pursuing its victim for several meters.
This summer, 34 tourists paid the price on La Mère islet in Guyana. Among the victims, a 65-year-old woman, who died on the spot, had received hundreds of injections.
The processionary caterpillar
The arrival of good weather is often synonymous with the return of this stinging caterpillar of which there are two species distributed throughout the territory. They have the particularity of moving in single file.
Dangerous for men and animals,Considered recalls that these insects cause conjunctivitis, inflammation of the mucous membranes, itchy rashes and irritation of the respiratory tract.
To avoid being exposed to them, the organization advises not to touch them and to be particularly vigilant with animals. “They can get it on their coat, or even take a caterpillar in their mouth, which can cause very serious inflammatory reactions including necrosis of the tongue,” he warns. Depending on the species, it is possible to be exposed between January and August.
The giant centipede of the Amazon
This centipede can reach up to 25 centimeters in length. Although it mainly feeds on insects, Scolopendra subspinipes does not hesitate to attack vertebrates (mice, reptiles, etc.). Its technique consists of holding its prey between its legs until it is paralyzed by its venom.
In humans, its bite can lead to tissue necrosis or anaphylactic shock, as reported in an article published in the National Library of Medecine.
The chip
Ctenocephalides felis, Ctenocephalides canis, Pulex irritans… There are different species of fleas, the best known of which invade the hair of our four-legged companions. Their specificity is that they all feed on the blood of their host and they can also transmit diseases or parasites such as murine thyphus, causing headaches, chills, fever and rashes depending on the MSD Manual.
“It is clinically similar to epidemic typhus, but less serious. Rat fleas and probably cat and oppossum fleas transmit microorganisms to humans through bites,” the site specifies.
1696080812
#dangerous #insects #world