Fire Ants Confirmed In Hong Kong - Reuters

[hatrack]

HONG KONG - "South American red fire ants, whose bite can kill humans, have been found in parks and open ground in urban areas of Hong Kong, the government said.

Mounds of these ants were first spotted in the city's Kowloon district on Wednesday, but the government only confirmed the species as red fire ants on Saturday evening. People bitten by these ants develop painful, itchy blisters, which can be fatal in rare cases, the government said.

Hong Kong is considering bringing in South American anteaters or a particular type of fly which is a natural predator of the ants, local newspapers said.

Red fire ants were found recently in Wuchan, in Guangdong province adjoining Hong Kong. The insects were in tangerine trees and other potted plants, many of which were scheduled to be shipped to Hong Kong for Chinese New Year celebrations."

EDIT

http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/29261/story.htm

[mike_c]

1. "...whose bite can kill humans...."

Ummm, I think not, except maybe under the most extraordinary circumstances. I'm not going to waste time searching, but I'd be surprised if there are any confired human fatalities (except again, under very unique circumstances).

on edit: that said, fire ants are extremely invasive and destructive.

[hatrack]

2. I wondered about that - maybe if you were allergic . . .

And there have been cases with elderly or bed-ridden people who've died after hundreds of stings, but such cases are very rare. :shrug:

[mike_c]

3. the other "extraordinary circumstance" I was thinking of...

...was possibly babies or young children left unattended, but I don't know of any such occurrances. Fire ant stings are simply painful, although as ant stings go, they are not nearly the worst-- not even close.

[hatrack]

5. Could be worse, I guess

Could be bulldog ants from Australia. Nasty buggers - as many as 25 or 30 bulldog stings can be fatal.

[pnorman]

4. Like bees and wasps, it would probably depend

largely on the person's (abnormal) allergy response. Here's what I just Googled:

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Fire ant venom differs from bee and wasp venom, which are mostly proteinaceous solutions. About 95% of fire ant venom is water-insoluble and nonproteinaceous and contains dialkylpiperidine hemolytic factors. These hemolytic factors induce the release of histamine and other vasoactive amines from mast cells, resulting in a sterile pustule at the sting site. These alkaloids are not immunogenic, but their toxicity to the skin is believed to cause the pustules to form.

The venom also contains several allergenic proteins, measuring about 1.5% by dry weight. Four major allergenic proteins exist; Soli 1-4 induce immunoglobulin E (IgE) responses, including anaphylaxis, in patients who are allergic. Antigenic similarity exists between these proteins and bee and wasp venoms.

Many patients have venom-specific IgE-mediated wheal and flare reactions that develop over hours into pruritic edema, induration, and erythema that persist for up to 72 hours. These reactions may involve an entire extremity. These lesions histologically resemble late-phase mast cell–dependent reactions and show an infiltrate of eosinophils, neutrophils, and fibrin deposition. Large, local reactions rarely can cause edematous tissue compression, leading to vascular compromise of an extremity.

Frequency:

* In the US: Because most fire ant stings are not severe enough to cause the person being stung to seek medical attention, estimating the frequency of stings is difficult; however, annually, more than one half of the population in endemic areas is stung, and the number is increasing.

Mortality/Morbidity: Fire ants are becoming an increasingly important public health concern in the United States. More than 80 fatalities have been reported from fire ant-induced anaphylaxis.
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http://www.emedicine.com/derm/topic607.htm

"More than 80 fatalities have been reported from fire ant-induced anaphylaxis."

pnorman

[mike_c]

8. I'd be willing to be that's FAR fewer than the number of shellfish...

...or peanut anaphylaxis deaths. There's always SOMEONE who's allergic to just about anything.

[Squatch]

6. Here you go...

"Less than 5%..."

http://www.insecta-inspecta.com/ants/redfire/

[NickB79]

7. My girlfriend was put in the hospital by them when she was 5

She was living in Florida at the time, and was a small child for her age even then. She stepped on a LARGE nest and was attacked. Her mom sprayed her with a hose to get them off and took her to the hospital. They kept her two days before releasing her. The funny thing is that, to this day, she has a phobia of palm trees, not ants. It turns out she put her hand against a palm tree just as she stepped on the nest, and associates palms with pain.