What is Fire Ant Bites?
Fire ants are a type of aggressive insect that can deliver very painful stings. There are two kinds of fire ants, both belonging to the Solenopsis species. The first kind is the red, imported fire ant, known as the Solenopsis invicta. The second is the black imported fire ant or the Solenopsis richteri. These ants were brought to the United States in Mobile, Alabama, around 40 years ago.
The red fire ants are commonly found in 14 states in the US, including Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. They can also be found in various locations worldwide, such as the Caribbean islands, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, the British and United States Virgin Islands, Antigua, Trinidad, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, and China.
On the other hand, the black fire ant is primarily seen in northern Alabama, northern Mississippi, and southern Tennessee.
Over the next ten years, experts expect the spread of the red fire ants, or Solenopsis invicta, to extend to California and move towards the Pacific coast, reaching near the Canadian border.
It’s important to note that fire ants do not need provocation to attack, and their venom can cause a painful reaction. In some cases, their stings might even lead to a life-threatening allergic reaction known as anaphylaxis.
What Causes Fire Ant Bites?
Ant bites usually happen when their nest gets disturbed. When this happens, they can swarm and sting any human or animal they encounter. What’s fascinating is that one single ant can sting multiple times in a matter of moments. While you can get bitten by ants any time of the year, these bites are most commonly reported during the summer months.
Risk Factors and Frequency for Fire Ant Bites
Ant bites mostly occur in children, particularly on the lower legs. People with limited mobility are also susceptible to ant bites, as they might not be aware of their surroundings and may not be able to move away from ants. It’s worth noting that ants don’t differentiate by age or sex – they can bite anyone.
Signs and Symptoms of Fire Ant Bites
Typically, people get stung by ants when they’re outdoors, especially if they accidentally disturb an ant nest. One type of particularly aggressive insect is the imported fire ant, which can attack suddenly and swarm over the lower body, delivering multiple stings. These stings can cause various reactions.
- The most common reaction is a raised, red, hive-like mark surrounded by a red halo. These stings are extremely painful and cause severe itching.
- Another possible reaction is the formation of a pustule within the first 24 hours. This sterile pustule is filled with yellow fluid created by the venom, and it can last about a week.
- In some cases, a larger reaction can occur, resulting in an inflamed and swollen area larger than 10cm in diameter, with a painful pustule on top.
- In rare cases, people may have a severe allergic reaction called anaphylaxis.
This severe reaction typically only happens in those who have previously been stung by ants or by insects like yellow jackets which have venom that’s similar to that of fire ants.
Testing for Fire Ant Bites
If you have an allergic reaction to ant bites or stings, your doctor can diagnose this in a few different ways. This can be based on your medical history, a physical examination, or through a combination of tests. Certain symptoms can offer useful clues for diagnosing an allergy to fire ant bites. For instance, a blister or small, pus-filled bump forming at the sting site after 24 hours is a typical reaction. If possible, identifying the type of ant can also help in the diagnosis.
But the most accurate diagnosis usually comes from evaluating the specific symptoms that happen after a fire ant sting. This could also involve carrying out skin tests to detect IgE, a type of antibody produced by your immune system when you have an allergic reaction. By identifying these antibodies, your doctor can confirm whether or not you’re allergic to fire ant stings.
Treatment Options for Fire Ant Bites
If you get bitten by an ant, the first aim of treatment is to stop secondary infections that might occur if the small blister or “pustule” caused by the bite bursts. Topical creams, designed to cool the skin and alleviate itching — like hydrocortisone or antihistamine cream — can usually help. If the pustule remains unopened and clean, it’s best to leave it alone.
But if the blister breaks, it’s crucial to clean the area with soap and water immediately and then apply an antibiotic cream to prevent infection. If the wound does become infected, a particular type of disinfectant (an antimicrobial) can be employed for treatment.
People who have a more severe local reaction to the ant bite could be given a single dose of prednisone, a type of steroid, to assist in reducing inflammation (swelling and redness). Applying a cold compress might also help ease pain and swelling.
An extremely serious allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) is treated immediately with epinephrine (a drug that opens up the airways and raises blood pressure), followed by steroids, antihistamines (drugs that reduce allergic reactions), and H2 blockers (which can lower stomach acid and reduce allergic symptoms). In addition, providing fluids and oxygen can help with recovery and stabilization.
What else can Fire Ant Bites be?
It’s important to know that other insects like yellow jackets or bees can also sting. Usually, stings cause a redness in the skin, which needs to be distinguished from a skin infection known as cellulitis. If someone has had low blood pressure due to insect stings, they should be checked for conditions related to mast cells, a type of white blood cell. A test to measure the level of a protein called tryptase in the blood, should be carried out in such cases.
What to expect with Fire Ant Bites
The outlook is generally positive for people who have been bitten by ants, since most bites are minor and don’t require major medical attention. However, serious allergic reactions brought on by the bites do cause some people to seek medical help, and this occurs in about 2% of cases involving fire ant stings.
According to one study, out of 29,300 patients, 83 deaths were reported. It’s important to note that babies and older people are the ones most at risk.
