A Canadian woman was killed after stepping barefoot on several caterpillars last year, this case was published by doctors in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

The unfortunate 22-year old woman from Alberta Canada died 10 days after stepping on five caterpillars while on an adventure trip to Peru.

The woman had sudden pain in her right foot, which spread to her thigh, and later developed a bad headache. The pain in her leg was worse when she walked on it.

The symptoms disappeared in about 12 hours so she didn’t go to the ER while in Peru, the case study said.

When she came back to Canada she was treated at the University of Alberta hospital for lots of bruising on her legs.

Doctors soon discovered that the symptoms were linked to a venomous caterpillar whose effects can lead to wide spread systemic bleeding.

Arrangements were made to get a South American anti-venom treatment to Canada, but it took too long (48 hours) to get it, and by that time it was too late for the young woman who died from multi organ failure three days after being put in the hospital.

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