FATAL ANAPHYLAXIS DUE TO FIRE ANT STINGS

Imported fire ants (Solenopsis invicta and Solenopsis richteri) are th e source of a potentially lethal environmental hazard in the southeast ern United States. Because of their resistance to natural and chemical control, fire ants can overwhelm their environment, causing destructi on of land and animals. Fire ants can also cause a variety of health p roblems in humans, ranging from simple stings to anaphylaxis and death . We present a case of a 30-year-old woman who died of anaphylaxis fol lowing multiple fire ant stings. At autopsy, multiple skin lesions cha racteristic of those produced by fire ant stings were present on her a rm. Postmortem blood samples were positive for imported fire ant venom -specific IgE antibodies (5654 ng/ml) and tryptase (12 ng/ml). Deaths caused by imported fire ant stings are rare but are likely to become m ore common as the fire ant population expands. In this report, we revi ew deaths due to fire ant stings, discuss postmortem laboratory findin gs, and stress the importance of recognizing the characteristic skin l esions produced by fire ants.