The Wedge-shaped Beetle, Macrosiagon cruenta, ambling around on flowers near the Mississippi River
John Carlson
@johncarlson.bsky.social
Allergist/Immunologist, Entomologist/Parasitologist, Pediatric Residency Director at Ochsner in New Orleans. Research, MedEd, Insect macrophotography
Late September is when green leaves turn into yellow butterflies here in New Orleans.
A pale-legged flea beetle, Lysathia ludoviciana, looking contemplative at the leaf’s edge.
The Bronzed Tiger Beetles (Cicindela repanda) scampering along the Mississippi River beaches have subtle iridescent colors when you look closely.
A Hibiscus Scentless Plant Bug, Niesthrea louisianica, on the edge of a hibiscus flower in the Mississippi River flood plane
Despite the unusually dry weather we had a successful Bug Walk in Audubon Park and nearby neighborhood to find insects of medical (and non medical) relevance. This year we had folks download @inaturalist.bsky.social (or Seek) to practice documenting the biota in the city.
Looking back I didn’t upload any photos in 2013; it was when we did a repeat BioBlitz at Jean Lafitte 2016 that I brought a group of Allergy/Immunology fellows and took my first photo. Incidentally that was the start of my annual Allergy Bug walk for fellows. How it started / How it’s going
John Carlson@johncarlson.bsky.social · 11mo agoMy first post on @inaturalist.bsky.social was a Metric Paper Wasp (my favorite paper wasp) as part of a National Geographic supported, invertebrate-focused BioBlitz in Jean Lafitte National Park in 2013. And now it is my 20,000th post also!
My first post on @inaturalist.bsky.social was a Metric Paper Wasp (my favorite paper wasp) as part of a National Geographic supported, invertebrate-focused BioBlitz in Jean Lafitte National Park in 2013. And now it is my 20,000th post also!
It’s very dry here in New Orleans; plants are crisping up and the insect activity is way down. An exception is this wasp, clamoring over flowers, perhaps using nectar for hydration
I finally got a flash for my camera so that I could increase shutter speed. My first subject was one of the frenetically bumbling bumblebees crashing into flower after flower. I didn’t get a great photo of the bee but you can see the pollen floating away from the flower which is really interesting
A Question Mark #Butterfly sipping Mississippi River water on the sandy shores under an exceptionally bright sun this past weekend
A Four-spotted Pennant #Dragonfly perches next to the Mississippi River as it bends around the city of New Orleans.
Exploring Bayou Savage in New Orleans East I found this weevil posing on the beautiful backdrop of a flowering Saltmarsh Mallow.
This afternoon I discovered that my boots are no longer waterproof but that they remain mosquito proof. Tested simultaneously by water in the Mississippi River flood plane and by several Psorophora columbiae mosquitoes that live there.
An Anchor Stink Bug instantly before it took flight. Photo taken last weekend on the shores of the Mississippi River.
#EntomologyConsult: a patient has an enlarging, progressively itchy, edematous area on her forearm with similar lesions on skin not typically covered by clothes. Bedbug inspection found no insects. This is atypical of her mosquito bite reactions. What could have caused this?
#EntomologyConsult: a child was stung on the hand by an ant, but with pain beyond what is expected for a typical fire ant sting. Is this species more dangerous? My answer ⬇️
Had the privilege of leading Pediatric Grand Rounds at Ochsner Children’s last week. Presented a preterm case that turned out to be a real zebra—a high-grade bowel obstruction from congenital adhesive bands in a 33-weeker. Not your “bread & butter” NICU day. #NICU #Neonatology #Pediatrics
Happy bees! I wonder if Hibiscus flowers may be too much of a good thing for bees. They can get plastered with the sticky balls of pollen! Hibiscus plants grow wild along the Mississippi flood plane and I can spend a lot of time watching these goofy insects coating themselves in the copious pollen.
Jerry@jerrywiley.bsky.social · 12mo agoHey @johncarlson.bsky.social look at this little guy coated with pollen as he emerges from this hibiscus. There must have been a dozen bees around this plant.
I’m not particularly superstitious but on days that I do especially high risk protocols in the allergy clinic I wear ties that have ladybugs, a symbol of good luck. Today I wore my ladybuggiest tie and am pleased to report that things went well!
We had one potential case of locally acquired Chagas’ disease in New Orleans: infected bugs were feeding indoors on someone then diagnosed with infection. Even then it’s uncertain if she got it here vs earlier in life in another country. How do dogs handle it? pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...
Autochthonous Transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi, Louisiana
Autochthonous transmission of the Chagas disease parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi, was detected in a patient in rural New Orleans, Louisiana. The patient had positive test results from 2 serologic tests an...
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Babesia is a tricky infection to diagnose because the symptoms are so general: Fever and feeling sick. As the climate warms, exposure to this ticks increases, along with the many, many pathogens that they transmit.
Ilan Schwartz@germhuntermd.bsky.social · 12mo agoIncreasing Length of the Babesia Season in New England in the Climate Change Era @johnrossmd.bsky.social and colleagues academic.oup.com/ofid/advance...
Thankfully transmission of T cruzi to humans is rare in the US because the species of kissing bugs we have don’t feed on people very often, and when they do, usually don’t defecate while feeding (needed to get the Protozoa into the bite wound). But cases do happen and are probably under-diagnosed.
Kathleen Bachynski@bachynski.bsky.social · 12mo ago“In the heart of Illinois, while researching wildlife disease, I made a discovery that stunned me: More than half of the raccoons I sampled were infected with Trypanosoma cruzi, the parasite that causes Chagas’ disease… It’s here, in the United States, spreading silently in wildlife.”
Becoming allergic to your research organism is miserable! Read this great article to hear about examples of allergies to butterflies, leeches, snakes and more that develop in people that study these creatures.
Hannah Thomasy@hannahthomasy.bsky.social · 12mo agoShameless self promotion of the day: I was delighted to discover that one of my favorite articles I've ever written (from 2021!) is currently trending on @undark.org. 🧪🐍🦠🦊 #scicomm Thanks to @johncarlson.bsky.social @karlgrieshop.bsky.social & many others not on Bluesky for chatting with me.
Our hospital has therapy dogs come and visit patients, each dog with their own hospital badge. This rarely seen Cryptocephalus cupressi is a case-bearing leaf beetle, found just outside the hospital entrance. It feels like a therapy beetle but it didn’t have a badge so I didn’t let it inside
