An Overlooked Species of Enigmatic Wolf Spider (Araneae: Lycosidae) Clarifies the Mysterious Distribution of its Sibling

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  An Overlooked Species of Enigmatic Wolf Spider (Araneae: Lycosidae) Clarifies the Mysterious Distribution of its Sibling Abstract Several wolf spiders exhibit a peculiar geographical distribution. One good example of this is Pardosa aenigmatica Tongiorgi, 1966, recently recognized in Italy and the Middle East but missing in the Balkans. A comparison of populations from the disjunctive areas revealed that they would be better described as two distinct species. As a result, here we describe Pardosa sepidehae sp. nov. The paper includes detailed descriptions and comparative illustrations of male and female copulatory organs for the newly discovered species and P. aenigmatica. Pardosa sepidehae sp. nov. is distributed in the Middle East, whereas P. aenigmatica remains endemic to the Apennine Peninsula. Adile Akpinar, Petr Dolejš "An Overlooked Species of Enigmatic Wolf Spider (Araneae: Lycosidae) Clarifies the Mysterious Distribution of its Sibling," Annales Zoologici, 76(29), ...

Elderly Patients and Insect Venom Allergy: Are the Clinical Pictures and Immunological Parameters of Venom Allergy Age-Dependent?

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Elderly Patients and Insect Venom Allergy: Are the Clinical Pictures and Immunological Parameters of Venom Allergy Age-Dependent?

Abstract

Insect venom is one of the most common triggers of anaphylaxis in the elderly population. Venom immunotherapy (VIT) remains the only treatment for Hymenoptera venom allergy (HVA). However, little is known about the differences in indication for VIT in the group of patients aged 60 years and older. The objective of this study was to assess the clinical and diagnostic differences of HVA in elderly patients. The study compared data from patients aged ≥ 60 (N = 132) to data from patients aged from 11 to 60 years (N = 750) in terms of HVA severity, comorbidities, and immunological parameters, namely, intradermal testing (IDT), specific IgE (sIgE) levels against extracts and major allergenic molecules, and serum tryptase level (sBT). The severity of systemic HVA (I–IV Müller scale) did not differ between adults and seniors. However, the severity of cardiovascular reactions (IV) increased with age, while the frequency of respiratory reactions (III) decreased. No differences were found in the immunological parameters of sensitization IDT, venom-specific IgE concentrations, or sIgE against Api m 1, 2, 4, 5, and 10 between patients below and above 60 or 65 years of age. Differences were noted for sIgE against Ves v1 and Ves v5; they were higher and lower, respectively, in seniors. In the seniors group, sBT levels were higher. Elevated tryptase levels, along with the aging process, can represent a risk factor within this age category. Nevertheless, advanced age does not influence the immunological parameters of immediate HVA reactions, nor does it impact the diagnosis of HVA.

Pawłowicz, Robert, Andrzej Bożek, Anna Dor-Wojnarowska, Marta Rosiek-Biegus, Agnieszka Kopeć, Małgorzata Gillert-Smutnicka, Małgorzata Sobieszczańska, and Marita Nittner-Marszalska. 2024. "Elderly Patients and Insect Venom Allergy: Are the Clinical Pictures and Immunological Parameters of Venom Allergy Age-Dependent?" Vaccines 12, no. 4: 394. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines12040394