The Society for the study of flies (Diptera)

Colin,

A few years back we had a number of anaphylactic shock cases in north Warwickshire close to the River Tame, seemingly linked to a mass simuliid emergence in very warm weather. One person nearly died and yours truly had to get samples of whatever biting insect was the cause and get these sent to the right experts. Very strange being sent into a popular country park taped off like it was a murder scene. But I'm not sure that blackfly bites are necessarily a direct cause of septicaemia/infection, I think it is post-bite hygeine that affects this with scratching being the main cause (unlees somebody else knows otherwise). There is/was a British Simullid Group who may be able to help you further.

Falky

Yes the Wensum is particularly clear as is the upper Waveney in Suffolk and Norfolk. I have yet to be bitten but what I could do for science when I do!

A Lady of Long Stratton,Norfolk contacted me as she lives near to a flowing river describes that on Monday 2nd August 2010 she was gardening and felt a prick on the back of her leg which she knew was an insect bite but not a Wasp Vespula sp sting. Mrs Davidson often gets bites with a slight swelling she did not think any more about it. However when she awoke in the morning, her leg was double its normal size and she describes the colour like a ripe Victoria Plum (Red / Purple) Mrs Davidson went immediately to her local health centre and saw then nurse. By the afternoon after treating the area with an antihistamine cream prescribed by the Nurse. Small blisters were starting to form and merged into one big blister. The flowing morning the wound had increased considerably in size as big as a hen’s egg. The weight of the fluid within the blister caused it to hang uncomfortably from her leg. Of course the Health centre staff were horrified at the form that had appeared and they agreed they had never seen anything like it before.
It was subsequently lanced and dressed but on changing the dressing’s smaller blisters returned again. As I write this in  the lady tells me that wound is recovering and the swelling is lessening.