Black ant stings caused by <i>Pachycondyla sennaarensis</i>: a significant health hazard

Alanazi, Marzouqah; AlAshahrani, Mohammad; Alsalamah, Majid

doi:10.5144/0256-4947.2009.207

Cited by 23 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 7 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Allergic reactions due to black ant stings range from pain with local itching at the sting site to severe anaphylactic shock. AlAnazi et al (2009) showed that the diversity of manifestation and human response to black ant stings in four cases encountered in Al Riyadh, the capital city of Saudi Arabia, and three patients were adult females [49]. In contrast to our findings, lower prevalence of black ant induced anaphylaxis was reported in Saudi Arabia (3.2%) [14], and Singapore (12.9%) [50].…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 86%

Anaphylaxis triggers in a large tertiary care hospital in Qatar: a retrospective study

Abunada

Al‐Nesf

Thalib

et al. 2018

World Allergy Organization Journal

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundAnaphylaxis is a serious allergic disease that may lead to death if not immediately recognized and treated. Triggers of anaphylaxis including food, drugs, and insect stings can vary widely. The incidence of anaphylaxis seems to be affected by age, sex, atopy, and geographic location. This study aims to examine the common triggers of anaphylaxis in Qatar.MethodsA total of 1068 electronic medical records were audited using power chart system: 446 from the medical coding system of anaphylaxis and 622 from the epinephrine auto-injectors (EAIs) dispensed during January 2012–December 2017.ResultsOf 1068 patients, 574 (53.5%) had anaphylaxis; male to female ratio was 1.2, and 300 patients (77.9%) were less than 10 years old. The common triggers were food (n = 316, 55.0%), insect stings (n = 161, 28.0%), and drugs (n = 103, 17.9%). Common anaphylaxis food triggers were nuts (n = 173, 30.1%), eggs (n = 89, 15.5%), and seafood (n = 72, 12.5%), and common anaphylaxis medication triggers were antibiotics (n = 49, 8.5%) and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (n = 30, 5.2%). Interestingly, 135 anaphylactic patients (23.5%) were due to black ant stings. The anaphylaxis triggers varied significantly between children and adults. Among children (less than 10 years), three quarters of the events were triggered by food (223, 74.3%) while among adults (20–55 years), insect stings (n = 59, 43.0%) and drugs (n = 44, 32.0%) were dominant.DiscussionThis is the first national study stratifying anaphylaxis triggers among different age groups in Qatar. This study will serve as a guide for clinical practice in allergy clinics in Qatar and will help to assess future trends of anaphylaxis in Qatar.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s40413-018-0200-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

show abstract

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 86%

Anaphylaxis triggers in a large tertiary care hospital in Qatar: a retrospective study

Abunada

Al‐Nesf

Thalib

et al. 2018

World Allergy Organization Journal

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…It is also found as an emerging health problem in the southeastern United States 45 26, 46 especially in the Eastern province of Saudi Arabia but not in the North and West 47 …”

Section: Distinct Regional Allergensmentioning

confidence: 99%

Worldwide perspectives on venom allergy

Korošec

Jakob

Harb

et al. 2019

World Allergy Organization Journal

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Venom immunotherapy is the standard of care for people with severe reactions and has been proven to reduce risk of future anaphylactic events. There is a moral imperative to ensure production, supply and worldwide availability of locally relevant, registered, standardized commercial venom extracts for diagnosis and treatment. Insects causing severe immediate allergic reactions vary by region worldwide. The most common culprits include honeybees (Apis mellifera), social wasps including yellow jackets (Vespula and Dolichovespula), paper wasps (Polistes) and hornets (Vespa), stinging ants (Solenopsis, Myrmecia, Pachycondyla, and Pogonomyrmex), and bumblebees (Bombus). Insects with importance in specific areas of the world include the Australian tick (Ixodes holocyclus), the kissing bug (Triatoma spp), horseflies (Tabanus spp), and mosquitoes (Aedes, Culex, Anopheles). Reliable access to high quality venom immunotherapy to locally relevant allergens is not available throughout the world. Many current commercially available therapeutic vaccines have deficiencies, are not suitable for, or are unavailable in vast areas of the globe. New products are required to replace products that are unstandardized or inadequate, particularly whole-body extract products. New products are required for insects in which no current treatment options exist. Venom immunotherapy should be promoted throughout the world and the provision thereof be supported by health authorities, regulatory authorities and all sectors of the health care service.

show abstract

“…It has been monitored only in the urban and the rural areas, closely tied to human residences, and described as unique among ponerines in its seed-eating habits (Lachaud & Dejean 1994). This ant became a recognized public health hazard as its sting has resulted in few cases of fatal anaphylactic shock (Al-Anazi et al 2009). This venomous ant was abundantly found in the southern, eastern and middle regions of Saudi Arabia (Al-Khalifa et al 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Assessment of Toxic Baits for the Control of the Samsum Ant,Pachycondyla sennaarensis(Formicidae: Ponerinae)

et al. 2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The use of synthetic organic pesticides has serious economic, social and environmental ramifications. Thus, this study describes the experiments using botanical and bacterial extracts to control the samsum ant (Pachycondyla sennaarensis). This ant is widely distributed in many parts of southern Saudi Arabia, and has been established as a household pest ant. Three Saudi plants, harmal (Rhaza stricta), boxthorn (Lycium shawii) and artemisia (Artemisia inculta) and two bacterial extracts, Pseudomonas frederiksbergensis and Streptomyces sp. were tested in a minced meat bait against the workers of samsum ant. Among the plant extracts tested, at a concentration of 0.3 mg of the plant extract of boxthorn per gram of food exhibited the highest toxicity to samsum ants, causing 20.30 % mortality per day and 100 % average death rate of all the ants in 4.9 days. Furthermore, the results demonstrate that the bacterial extract of Streptomyces sp. was the most effective agent to control these ants, with the average death rate at 30 ants per day at a concentration of 0.3 mg/g food.

show abstract

Black ant stings caused by Pachycondyla sennaarensis: a significant health hazard

Cited by 23 publications

References 7 publications

Anaphylaxis triggers in a large tertiary care hospital in Qatar: a retrospective study

Anaphylaxis triggers in a large tertiary care hospital in Qatar: a retrospective study

Worldwide perspectives on venom allergy

Assessment of Toxic Baits for the Control of the Samsum Ant,Pachycondyla sennaarensis(Formicidae: Ponerinae)

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About