The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene
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Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg. · Mar 1995
Efficacy of antivenom therapy for neutralizing circulating venom antigens in patients stung by Tityus serrulatus scorpions.
Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays for detection of Tityus serrulatus venom antigen and of horse anti-T. serrulatus venom antibodies were carried out before antivenom treatment and at 1, 6, 12, and 24 hr after antivenom therapy in 18 patients with systemic manifestations following T. serrulatus scorpion sting. Increased levels of circulating venom antigens were detected in the patients before antivenom treatment, but were no longer detected 1 hr after specific antivenom therapy. ⋯ The cardiorespiratory manifestations disappeared 6-24 hr after the administration of antivenom and all patients recovered completely. This study demonstrates the efficacy of antivenom therapy in neutralizing circulating venom antigens and supports the prompt administration of a potent antivenom to patients with systemic manifestations of envenoming.
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Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg. · Mar 1995
A serotypic study of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome in rural China.
Apodemus agrarius was trapped in the fields and Rattus norvegicus was trapped within the houses in the villages of Jiande County, a region in the Zhejiang Province of China endemic for hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS). Antibodies to hantaviruses were detected in three (16.7%) of 18 A. agrarius and 12 (13.5%) of 89 R. norvegicus, whereas hantavirus antigens were detected in the lung tissues of four (22.2%) of 18 and nine (10.1%) of 89 of these rodents, respectively. Three hantaviruses, one from A. agrarius and two from R. norvegicus, were isolated and found to be antigenically similar to Hantaan and Seoul serotype viruses, respectively. ⋯ Two epidemic seasons were found, with a major peak in November and a minor peak in June, and both were associated with Hantaan serotype virus infections that coincided with two seasonal peaks of the A. agrarius population and local agricultural activities in the fields. Seoul serotype virus infections occurred with a small peak during the months of December through May, in which in-house activities were dominant. All data suggested that Jiande County was an area endemic for HFRS, predominantly of the Hantaan virus serotype, combined with Seoul serotype virus infections.