Rupp Michael R, deShazo Richard D
Division of Clinical Immunology and Allergy, Department of Medicine, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi, USA.
Am J Med Sci. 2006 Mar;331(3):134-8. doi: 10.1097/00000441-200603000-00005.
We have previously reported 10 indoor sting attacks by imported fire ants, most of which involved frail elderly people in the Southeastern United States. Since the range of these insects is expanding and attacks often attract media attention, we hypothesized that additional attacks of which we were unaware may have occurred and were reported in local newspapers.
We searched the archives from 1989 until 2004 of 182 US newspapers in fire ant endemic areas in 10 states.
Ten additional cases of indoor fire ant sting attacks were reported in local newspapers between 1991 and 2004. This brings the total to 16 attacks on adults and four on infants. Most adult attacks occurred in long-term care facilities, but three involved hospitalized patients. Morbidity ranged from nightmares to death in seven adults. One of the infants died and two suffered long-term morbidity. Six of the 20 sting victims died within 1 week of the attack. Seven of the 10 attacks reported in newspapers did not result in significant medical consequences, as compared with only two of the 10 attacks in previously published reports.
Increasing numbers of indoor fire ant sting attacks are occurring in the United States, and frail elderly people and infants are at risk. They should be removed from indoor areas where ants are present until the ants are eradicated.
我们之前报道过10起因引进火蚁导致的室内叮咬事件，其中大部分涉及美国东南部体弱的老年人。由于这些昆虫的活动范围正在扩大，且叮咬事件常常引起媒体关注，我们推测可能发生了一些我们未意识到的额外叮咬事件，并在当地报纸上有报道。
我们检索了1989年至2004年期间10个州火蚁疫区的182家美国报纸的存档。
1991年至2004年期间，当地报纸又报道了10起因室内火蚁叮咬的事件。这样一来，成年人遭受叮咬的事件总数达到16起，婴儿为4起。大多数成年受害者发生在长期护理机构，但有3起涉及住院患者。成年受害者的发病情况从噩梦到死亡不等，共7人。1名婴儿死亡，2名婴儿有长期发病情况。20名叮咬受害者中有6人在叮咬事件发生后1周内死亡。报纸报道的10起叮咬事件中有7起未造成严重医疗后果，而之前发表的报告中10起叮咬事件只有2起未造成严重后果。
美国室内火蚁叮咬事件越来越多，体弱的老年人和婴儿面临风险。在火蚁被根除之前，应将他们从有蚂蚁的室内区域转移出去。
