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Bites of bees, wasps and ants
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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Stinging insects belong to the order of the Hymenoptera. Main subgroups:
- bees (for example, bees, bumblebees);
- real wasps (eg, wasps, hornets);
- ants (for example, wingless fire ants).
[1],
Symptoms of bites of bees, wasps and ants
Local reactions to bee and ordinary stings, pain, itching, transient pain, hyperemia of a few centimeters, swelling and densification. Puffiness and hyperemia usually reach a maximum of 48 hours, but can persist for a week and spread to the entire limb. This local chemical cellulite is often confused with secondary cellulite, which is more painful and less common. An allergic reaction may manifest as urticaria, angioedema, bronchospasm, refractory arterial hypotension, or a combination of these symptoms; Puffiness without manifestation of other symptoms does not serve as a manifestation of an allergic reaction.
Symptoms and manifestations of bites of fire ants - instant pain, accompanied by the formation of papules and hyperemia, which often disappears within 45 minutes and gives rise to an increase in sterile pustules that subside within 30-70 hours. The bite site in some cases can become infected and lead to sepsis . Sometimes pustules develop swelling, hyperemia or itching. In the case of a bite of fire ants, anaphylactic shock is observed in less than 1% of the victims. There are reports of the development of seizures and mononeuritis.
Bites of bees
Bees usually do not sting if they are not provoked, but African bees (killer bees), migrating from South America and living in some southern American states, behave especially aggressively at the slightest disturbance to them. The bees usually sting one time and leave in the wound a serrated sting that emits a poison and kills an insect. Melittin is considered the main pain-causing component of the poison. The poison of bee-killers is not stronger than the poison of ordinary bees, but it causes much more severe consequences, as insects attack the whole swarm and inflict multiple bites, bringing to a lethal concentration the dose of a poisonous substance. In the United States, within a year, bees kill people 3-4 times more than poisonous snakes.
[2]
Bites of wasps
Stings of real wasps have few teeth and do not remain in the skin, so insects can sting several times. The poison contains phospholipase, hyaluronidase and a protein called antigen 5, which causes the most allergic reaction. Real wasps, just like bees, do not sting unless they are provoked. They nest near people, which often creates provocative situations. Hornets most often cause allergic reactions to insect bites in the United States.
Bites of ants
Fiery ants live in the south of the United States in the Gulf of Mexico, where in cities they bite up to 40% of the population. There are several species, but fire ants dominate and are responsible for the growing number of allergic reactions. The insect stings, fixing itself to the victim, and stings repeatedly, rotating the body along an arc around the bite, forming a characteristic central bite surrounded by a red line. The poison has hemolytic, cytolytic and antimicrobial properties; 3-4 fractions of dissolved proteins, possibly, cause an allergic reaction.
Poisons of Hymenoptera cause local toxic reactions in all people and an allergic reaction in predisposed persons. Severity depends on the dose and degree of predisposition. Having lost those who were attacked by a whole swarm and having a high level of poison-specific IgE, the probability of getting an anaphylactic shock is greatest; many children with age, this probability does not go down. On average, a person can tolerate 22 bites per kilogram of body weight; those. The average adult can tolerate> 1000 bites, while a child can kill 500 bites.
Treatment of stings of bees, wasps and ants
If the stinger remains in the wound, it should be removed as soon as possible, no matter what method. On the bite area, you must immediately put an ice cube; prescribe blockers of H-receptors and NSAIDs inside to relieve pain. Allergic reactions are treated with antihistamines, in the case of anaphylactic shock, epinephrine and vasoconstrictive drugs are used.
People with increased sensitivity to insect bites need to have a kit containing a syringe with epi-nephrin and seek medical help immediately if signs of an allergic reaction appear.
Preventing bites of bees, wasps and ants
People who have experienced anaphylactic shock or who have positive results of allergic tests and a high risk of insect bites should receive immunotherapy regardless of the age or time of the last anaphylactic shock. Iodine immunotherapy is very effective, it reduces the risk of anaphylactic shock from 50 to 10% after 2 years of treatment and up to about 2% after 3-5 years of treatment. Children receiving yadoimmunotherapy are significantly less likely to have a systemic reaction to insect bites within 10-20 years after treatment. Yadoimmunotherapy is safe in pregnancy. Desensitization is recommended and performed during therapy against one type of poison. After initial immunotherapy, maintenance doses may be needed for 5 years.