Myocardial infarction as a result of wasp stings is a rare manifestation of acute coronary syndromes. It has been ascribed to kounis syndrome or allergic angina whose triggers include mast cell degranulation leading to coronary vasospasm and/or local plaque destabilisation. Its exact pathophysiology is still not clearly defined. We present a case of an acute coronary syndrome as a consequence of wasp stings and discuss its possible aetiology.
Dengue has enormous health impacts globally. A novel approach to decrease dengue incidence involves the introduction of Wolbachia endosymbionts that block dengue virus transmission into populations of the primary vector mosquito, Aedes aegypti. The wMel Wolbachia strain has previously been trialed in open releases of Ae. aegypti; however, the wAlbB strain has been shown to maintain higher density than wMel at high larval rearing temperatures. Releases of Ae. aegypti mosquitoes carrying wAlbB were carried out in 6 diverse sites in greater Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with high endemic dengue transmission. The strain was successfully established and maintained at very high population frequency at some sites or persisted with additional releases following fluctuations at other sites. Based on passive case monitoring, reduced human dengue incidence was observed in the release sites when compared to control sites. The wAlbB strain of Wolbachia provides a promising option as a tool for dengue control, particularly in very hot climates.