Unconscious Woman in Shock and Covered with Ants Pulled from an Abandoned Automobile.
Ant venoms
Disseminated intravascular coagulation
Fire ant stings
Native fire ants
Skin papules and pustules
Solenopsis stings
Journal
The American journal of medicine
ISSN: 1555-7162
Titre abrégé: Am J Med
Pays: United States
ID NLM: 0267200
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
10 2019
10 2019
Historique:
received:
13
12
2018
revised:
21
02
2019
accepted:
22
02
2019
pubmed:
7
4
2019
medline:
10
3
2020
entrez:
7
4
2019
Statut:
ppublish
Résumé
A middle-aged woman was taken from an abandoned automobile unconscious and covered with ants in Tucson, Arizona. When hospitalized in July 2018, she had an extensive papular-pustular skin eruption on her abdomen and thigh and disseminated intravascular coagulation. She was stung innumerable times by native golden fire ants (Solenopsis aurea) while sleeping in the vehicle. The large amount of venom injected by stings into this individual may have triggered dissemnated intravascualar coagulation because the venom contains powerful hemolytic factors. The patient history is presented and ants were captured and identified. Clinical findings of fire ant stings are presented and the importance of recognizing the distinctive skin lesions that occur is emphasized. Stings of the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, and the black imported fire ant, Solenopsis richteri, cause skin lesions recognized by physicians and victims alike in the southern and southeastern United States. Native fire ant stings are documented much less often. However, there is significant cross-reactivity among the venoms of Solenopsis species. It is important for clinicians to recognize the characteristic skin lesions of fire ant envenomation as fire ant populations are expanding and they sting millions of people each year.
Sections du résumé
BACKGROUND
A middle-aged woman was taken from an abandoned automobile unconscious and covered with ants in Tucson, Arizona. When hospitalized in July 2018, she had an extensive papular-pustular skin eruption on her abdomen and thigh and disseminated intravascular coagulation. She was stung innumerable times by native golden fire ants (Solenopsis aurea) while sleeping in the vehicle. The large amount of venom injected by stings into this individual may have triggered dissemnated intravascualar coagulation because the venom contains powerful hemolytic factors.
METHODS
The patient history is presented and ants were captured and identified.
RESULTS
Clinical findings of fire ant stings are presented and the importance of recognizing the distinctive skin lesions that occur is emphasized. Stings of the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, and the black imported fire ant, Solenopsis richteri, cause skin lesions recognized by physicians and victims alike in the southern and southeastern United States. Native fire ant stings are documented much less often. However, there is significant cross-reactivity among the venoms of Solenopsis species.
CONCLUSION
It is important for clinicians to recognize the characteristic skin lesions of fire ant envenomation as fire ant populations are expanding and they sting millions of people each year.
Identifiants
pubmed: 30953629
pii: S0002-9343(19)30282-7
doi: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2019.02.053
pii:
doi:
Substances chimiques
Ant Venoms
0
Types de publication
Case Reports
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
1239-1241Informations de copyright
Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.