Fire Ant, Brown Recluse Spider, Black Widow Spider and Scorpion Envenomations
Continuing Medical Education
This CME article will review the diagnosis and treatment of envenomations of four venomous creatures; fire ants, brown recluse spiders, black widow spiders and scorpions.
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By Stuart M. Caplen, MD
Fire Ants
Fire ants first were found in the United States in the 1930s. Now there are five times more fire ants per acre in the U.S. than in South America, as they escaped their natural enemies and thrived in the southern U.S.[1] There are two types of fire ants; the red fire ant named Solenopsis invicta and the black named Solenopsis richteri.[2] Red fire ants are typically found in the southeast from Texas to North Carolina. There are areas of New Mexico, Arizona and California that are also infested.[1] The black fire ant is found in northern Alabama, northern Mississippi, and southern Tennessee.[2] Fire ants are remarkably hardy and can even form floating life rafts made of thousands of ants in times of flooding.[3]...
The CME and CONCLUSION includes more information about fire ant venom, fire ant envenomation, and treatment.
Brown Recluse Spiders
The brown recluse spider or Loxosceles reclusa, is found mainly in the Midwest and Southcentral regions of the U.S.[5] It is also called the violin or fiddleback spider because of a violin-shaped marking on its back. An adult brown recluse spider with its legs extended is about 1 to 1.5 inches long.[6] They prefer dark areas such as under tree bark and rocks. Indoors they may be found in attics, closets, drawers or under bed sheets. These spiders generally only bite as a defense mechanism when they are crushed or pressed on.[5]...
The CME and CONCLUSION includes more information about brown recluse venom, envenomation, how to diagnosis a brown recluse spider bite, and treatment.
Black Widow Spiders
In North America the Latrodectus species or black widow spider is a cause of significant envenomation. The spider can be identified by its black body and red hourglass-shaped marking on the abdomen. The black widow moniker results from observation of the female frequently devouring the male after a mating session. Black widow spiders typically range from 0.5 to 1.5 inches in length[20] and have fangs and venom. The female has larger venom glands, longer fangs, and can be many times larger in size than the male and as such is more of a threat to humans. Males may have red or yellow spots or bands on the back rather than an hourglass-shaped marking.[20]...
The CME and CONCLUSION includes information about black widow spider venom, envenomation, and treatment.
Scorpions
Poison control centers in the United States receive close to 17,000 reports of scorpion envenomations per year.[28] There are over 1,700 scorpion species around the world but only 25 are lethal to humans. In the United States there are a number of different species but there are two that cause most significant envenomations. The most common is Centruroides sculpturatus, followed by Centruroides vittatus.[29] There has been some taxonomic confusion in the past with Centruroides sculpturatus and Centruroides exilicauda being considered the same species and the names used interchangeably in the literature. However, research has concluded they are two separate species.[30] The Centruroides sculpturatus is also known as a bark scorpion for its ability to climb and can be found in trees, rock walls or house walls as well as under rocks or in crevices. The Centruroides vittatus is also known as the striped bark scorpion due to the marking on its back. Both species are found in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, California, Utah, Nevada, and in adjacent areas of Mexico.[31.32] The Centruroides exilicauda is found in ...
The CME and CONCLUSION has more information about scorpion venom, envenomation, and treatment.
CONCLUSION:
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Stuart M. Caplen, MD, FACEP, MSM
Dr. Caplen is a retired emergency medicine physician and former emergency department medical director, who also has a Master of Science in Management degree, and green belt certification in Lean/Six Sigma.
References
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