Clinician’s Guide to Common Arthropod Bites and Stings *
Gail Miriam Moraru, Jerome Goddard in The Goddard Guide to Arthropods of Medical Importance, Seventh Edition, 2019
Fire ants produce stings that are quite characteristic and whose clinical signs coincide well with the attack. In all individuals stung with adequate amounts of ant venom, the sting may be marked by a small puncta followed almost immediately by a local wheal and flare (local hive) reaction resulting from vasoactive amines in the venom. This is followed by development of a papule which becomes a sterile pustule within 24 hours. In some individuals, the pustule becomes surrounded by a large, erythematous, painful, and pruritic reaction called a late-phase allergic reaction. This lesion may persist for days. Fire ant venom contains a number of glycoprotein allergens that sensitize the majority of individuals who are stung, although only a small number of those individuals end up having systemic allergic reactions, some of which may be life-threatening. Adults who develop generalized urticaria, and all individuals who develop angioedema, laryngospasm, mental status changes, hypotension, or other life-threatening symptoms of anaphylaxis, should be given intramuscular epinephrine immediately and referred to an allergist for immunotherapy which is very effective.13 Stings and bites from other arthropods which are associated with these symptoms should be managed in a similar fashion (Figure 9.14).
Biology and Distribution of Hymenopterans of Medical Importance, Their Venom Apparatus and Venom Composition
Jürg Meier, Julian White in Handbook of: Clinical Toxicology of Animal Venoms and Poisons, 2017
With up to 14,000 social species, ants form by far the largest group of social insects. All ants of medical importance belong to the family Formicidae, which is comprised of eleven subfamilies30,31. Stings are absent only in the subfamily Dolichoderinae, Formicinae and in part in the Myrmicinae. However, even in those species lacking a complete sting apparatus, defensive secretions are sprayed from the tip of their abdomen into the wound caused by their bites. Ants are found throughout the world with the exception of high mountain areas, the Arctic and the Antarctic, respectively. Since the sting of most ants is not able to penetrate human skin, only a few species represent a medical problem. The most well-known species in this respect are the fire ants of the genus Solenopsis, which occur in the southern part of the United States of America. The site of a sting of a fire ant burns, itches very strongly and white blisters may develop. These signs and symptoms usually disappear within some hours. Thus, ant stings may be regarded as a transient unpleasant experience of rather limited impact. However, anaphylactic phenomena following ant stings may occasionally be observed. Of course, similar sting cases may also occur in other parts of the world. However, the respective reports in the literature are scarce, reflecting the limited medical importance of this animal group with respect to human medicine.
Indications for and preparing and administering Hymenoptera vaccines
Richard F. Lockey, Dennis K. Ledford in Allergens and Allergen Immunotherapy, 2020
IFAs in the United States could build over 500 mounds per acre with multiple queens in each colony. However, since South American predators for IFAs have been introduced into the United States, the proliferation of these ants has been severely limited. Because of these natural predators, such colonies are no longer common. However, IFA colonies are found both in cities, i.e., lawns, playgrounds, under pavements, next to buildings, and in the country. Disturbing the colony results in activation of the worker ants that sting the cause for the disturbance. The IFA attaches to the skin by means of a powerful mandible and stings, releasing venom that produces a characteristic “fire-like” pain. If not removed, the IFA will continue to rotate in a pivotal fashion, repeatedly injecting small amounts of venom. An initial local reaction begins as a 25–50 mm erythematous flare. This is followed a few minutes later by a larger wheal, and within the next 24 hours, an umbilicated pustule forms which usually remains for 3–10 days, later rupturing and leaving a residual macule, nodule, or scar. Immediate sting effects are caused by toxic alkaloids present in more than 95% of ant venom. The allergic reaction is due to venom proteins that make up about 5% of the aqueous venom solution [96,98].
Advances in venom peptide drug discovery: where are we at and where are we heading?
Published in Expert Opinion on Drug Discovery, 2021
Taylor B. Smallwood, Richard J. Clark
Many venom-derived peptides have been discovered from a range of venomous animals for potential therapeutic treatments of human diseases. Yet, despite several venom-derived peptides approved for market, the full potential of venom as a therapeutic is still at its infancy. While FDA-approved venom-derived drugs has seen great success, there has not been a novel FDA-approved venom-derived drug since exenatide in 2005. However, the improvement in technology over the past decade will likely see the pipeline of discovery for venom-derived peptides expand in future years. In particular, toxin driven discovery techniques will allow for the identification of bioactive peptides from even the smallest venomous animals that have for years remained untapped. Among these, insects represent a diverse group of organisms that until recently have not been extensively explored. For example, ants have developed and evolved venom to hunt their prey and to defend their nest against predators, competitors and microbial pathogens. Ant venom is found to be more complex and heterogenous than initially thought. Although the extent of their venom remains largely unexplored, recent transcriptomic and proteomic studies reveal ant venoms to contain mixtures of many bioactive molecules including short linear peptides (<5 kDa) and complex peptides with disulfide bonds [101]. Some of these peptides have been shown to be antimicrobial but are also believed to possess paralytic, cytolytic, hemolytic and/or insecticidal properties [102].
Allergen immunotherapy: progress and future outlook
Published in Expert Review of Clinical Immunology, 2023
Lara Šošić, Marta Paolucci, Stephan Flory, Fadi Jebbawi, Thomas M. Kündig, Pål Johansen
Allergy has become a global health problem with socioeconomic impact, with disease prevalence rising in parallel to urbanization, industrialization [2], and due to a heightened awareness of allergic diseases in general. Approximately 300 million people suffer from asthma, 200 to 250 million from food allergies (FAs), 400 million from allergic rhinitis (AR), 10% of the population from drug allergies and around 250,000 people die prematurely each year from asthma [3,4]. Eight percent of children are estimated to suffer from FAs, and 38.7% of those have a history of severe reactions, with peanuts being the most prevalent allergen, followed by milk and shellfish [5]. The lifetime prevalence of acute urticaria and atopic dermatitis (AD) is estimated to be 20% [6,7]. Systemic-allergic reactions following a honeybee, vespid, or ant sting have been reported in up to 7.5% of the adults and up to 3.4% of the children [8]. Furthermore, there is a rising trend for allergen-triggered anaphylaxis hospitalizations, with a fatality ratio percent of 1% [9–18], and a lifetime prevalence percent of 3% [19–21]. Taken together, allergic diseases affect more than 1 billion people, making it the most common immune disease worldwide [2,3].
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