ant venom

{{Infobox medical condition (new)

| name = Ant venom

| synonyms =

| image = FireAntBite.jpg

| alt =

| caption = Sterile pustules 3 days after fire ant stings.

| pronounce =

| field = Emergency medicine

| geneReviewsID =

| symptoms =

| complications =

| onset =

| duration =

| types =

| causes =

| risks =

| diagnosis =

| differential =

| prevention =

| treatment =

| medication =

| prognosis =

| frequency =

| deaths =

}}

Ant venom is any of, or a mixture of, irritants and toxins inflicted by ants. Most ants spray or inject a venom, the main constituent of which is formic acid only in the case of subfamily Formicinae.

Ant stings

Of all extant ant species, about 71% are considered to be stinging species. Notable examples include a few species of medical importance, such as Solenopsis (fire ants), Pachycondyla, Myrmecia (bulldog ants), and Paraponera (bullet ants). In the case of fire ants, the venom consists mainly of alkaloid (>95%) and protein (<1%) components.Fox E.G.P. (2014) Venom Toxins of Fire Ants. In: Gopalakrishnakone P., Calvete J. (eds) Venom Genomics and Proteomics. Springer, Dordrecht Stinging ants cause a cutaneous condition that is different from that caused by biting venomous ants. Particularly painful are stings from fire ants, although the bullet ant's sting is considered by some to be the most painful insect sting.{{cite book |author1=James, William D. |author2=Berger, Timothy G. |title=Andrews' Diseases of the Skin: clinical Dermatology |publisher=Saunders Elsevier |year=2006 |isbn=0-7216-2921-0 |display-authors=etal}}{{rp|450}} Some subfamilies have evolutionarily lost the ability to sting.{{cite journal |last1=Touchard |first1=Axel |last2=Aili |first2=Samira |last3=Fox |first3=Eduardo |last4=Escoubas |first4=Pierre |last5=Orivel |first5=Jérôme |last6=Nicholson |first6=Graham |last7=Dejean |first7=Alain |title=The Biochemical Toxin Arsenal from Ant Venoms |journal=Toxins |date=20 January 2016 |volume=8 |issue=1 |pages=30 |doi=10.3390/toxins8010030 |pmid=26805882 |pmc=4728552 |doi-access=free }}

First aid for fire ant bites includes external treatments and oral medicines.{{cn|date=June 2021}}

External treatments: a topical steroid cream (hydrocortisone), or one containing Aloe vera{{cite web|url=http://fireant.tamu.edu/materials/factsheets_pubs/pdf/FAPFS023_2002rev_Medical.pdf|title=Medical Problems And Treatment Considerations For The Red Imported Fire Ant|author=Bastiaan M. Drees|date=December 2002|publisher=Texas A&M University|page=4|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110609204354/http://fireant.tamu.edu/materials/factsheets_pubs/pdf/FAPFS023_2002rev_Medical.pdf|archive-date=2011-06-09|access-date=2009-09-09|url-status=dead}}
Oral medicines: antihistamines
Applying zinc oxide or calamine lotion.

Severe allergic reactions can be caused by ant stings in particular and venomous stings in general, including severe chest pain, nausea, severe sweating, loss of breath, serious swelling, fever, dizziness, and slurred speech;{{cite web |url=https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/insects/ |title=Insects and Scorpions |access-date=2008-11-04 |date=2008-10-22 |publisher=The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health}} they can be fatal if not treated.