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J. Venom. Anim. Toxins incl. Trop. Dis.

V.19, p.240-244, 2013.

Case report - ISSN 1678-9199.

 

Lesions caused by Africanized honeybee stings in three cattle in Brazil

 
Saulo Andrade Caldas I, Flávio Augusto Soares Graça II*, Júlia Soares Monteiro de Barros III, Márcia Farias Rolim IV, Tiago da Cunha Peixoto V, Paulo Vargas Peixoto VI

IDepartment of Veterinary Surgery and Medicine, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ), Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

IICenter of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, State University of Norte Fluminense, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

IIIUndergraduate Program in Veterinary Medicine, Castelo Branco University, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

IVGraduate Program in Veterinary Medicine, State University of Norte Fluminense, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

VDepartment of Pathology and Clinical Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), Salvador, Bahia, Brazil

VIDepartment of Animal Nutrition and Pastures, Institute of Animal Husbrandry, Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ), Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

ABSTRACT

We report three cases of stings by Africanized bees in cattle in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Erythema, subcutaneous edema, necrosis accompanied by skin detachment, and subsequent skin regeneration were observed, especially on the head and dewlap. Histopathological examinations performed 45 days later revealed complete skin reepithelialization with moderate dermal fibrosis. The clinical picture and differential diagnosis are discussed in the present manuscript, with a focus on photosensitization, which causes cutaneous lesions on the head (sequela) with cicatricial curving of the ears and can be very similar to what is observed in cattle attacked by swarms of bees. The distinction between photosensitization and bee sting lesions can be made with a focus on history and clinical and pathological aspects.

 

Key words: Cattle; Bees; Sting; Poisoning; Accidents

 

Ethics committee approval The present study was approved by the Ethics Committee on Animal Use (CEUA) of the State University of Norte Fluminense (UENF), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.

Received: April 10, 2013; Accepted: August 12, 2013

 

Competing interest The author declares no conflicts of interest.

 

Authors’ contributions SAC wrote the first draft of the manuscript, gathered clinical and epidemiological data. FASG contributed to writing and analysis of clinical and epidemiological information. JSMB contributed to writing and evaluation of clinical aspects. MFR contributed to writing and epidemiological analysis. TP contributed to writing, editing clinical and epidemiological data, and histopathological analysis. PVP contributed to editing the manuscript and histopathological analysis. All authors’ read and approve the final manuscript.

 

Correspondence: flaviograca@uol.com.br