Beware of dermatitis caused by ants

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After being bitten by ants, many people have contact dermatitis with symptoms such as itchy skin, blisters, skin ulcers or pain, burning on the skin,... Therefore, each person needs Pay attention to this disease-causing insect.

1. Three-compartment ants have toxins that cause dermatitis

1.1 Overview of the three-compartment ant The three-compartment ant has the scientific name Paederus fuscipes curtis, belongs to the order Coleoptera, family Staphylinidae (beetles). This is an insect with an elongated body like a grain of rice, about 1-1.2cm long, about 2-3mm wide, with 2 colors red and black, like an ant. It is also known as strabismus ant, needle ant, rice ant, curved ant, caged ant, double chin,... The three-compartment ant has 3 pairs of legs, has a burning abdomen, flies and runs fast, and has hard wings.
The three-cavity ant is an insect that has existed in our country for a long time. They often live in areas of rice fields, orchards, under trees in the forest edge, along streams or landfills, construction sites, etc. This ant often appears and reproduces at the beginning of the rainy season when high humidity. They like the light at night, so they often fly into the house when the lights are on.
1.2 Toxins of ants causing contact dermatitis In the body of ants, there is pederin toxin (also known as cantharidin, an alkaloid), which protects ant eggs when laying from being attacked by other organisms. peacock, eat eggs. Three compartment ants often fly into the house, land on clothes, towels or bedding, blankets, ... When human skin comes in contact with their secretions through the above items or accidentally kills the three compartment ants, it will cause damage. Toxins secreted out, stick to the skin, causing irritant dermatitis. If you don't wash your hands right away, you can accidentally make pederin toxins stick to many other places on the body, causing widespread dermatitis.

2. Symptoms of skin inflammation caused by ants

If you are bitten by ants or come into contact with secretions of ants, causing dermatitis, the inflamed skin is usually on the neck, face, back or hands and feet,... The disease usually appears in the morning after sleeping. get up. Ants can cause mild to severe dermatitis depending on the toxic pederin present on the ant's body entering the skin. Specific symptoms include:
Red streaks, background slightly raised in the direction of red streaks, about 1 - 5cm long, about 3 - 10mm wide, on which there are blisters and blisters in the middle, there is a slightly concave area like an object round or oval shape, local burning sensation; Some people have fever, malaise, fatigue, and swollen lymph nodes in the area corresponding to the affected area; If the hands are contaminated with pederin and then touch the eyes, it can cause swelling of the eyelids, burns of the eyes, conjunctiva, cornea or retina,...; If the lesion is extensive, the patient may have fever, neuralgia, joint pain, vomiting; Some people have symmetrical lesions on both sides of the groin or on the elbows. If left untreated, the infection can progress to an ulcer. Skin sores come in many different shapes. Later, the sores, pus burns will scab, gradually dry. When the scabs fall off, they will leave dark marks on the skin.

3. Direction of treatment of contact dermatitis caused by ants

The treatment of dermatitis caused by ants is mainly:
Wash the damaged area with physiological saline solution or clean water to help neutralize chemicals that cause burns caused by insects; Use mild antiseptic and skin soothing solutions such as zinc oxide, jarish solution, antibiotic ointment,...; If there is a lot of pus and pain, the patient can use antibiotics, synthetic antihistamines, pain relievers or systemic corticosteroids; In mild cases, patients may recover on their own without treatment. *Note:
Many patients with contact dermatitis caused by ants have arbitrarily used folk remedies such as applying leaves, grinding rice and green beans to apply water or buying medicine to treat shingles (because of the same symptoms). skin burning, blistering). There have been cases of applying acyclovir to allergic wounds, causing skin ulcers, severe skin lesions and hospitalization for treatment. This is especially dangerous for young children because their skin is fragile and easily damaged.
If the skin area bitten by ants is blistered, inflamed, you should immediately go to a medical facility for a doctor to examine and use appropriate medicine, do not buy treatment on your own because in topical medicines there are contains corticosteroids, antitoxins, ... so it needs to be prescribed by a doctor to be used. If treated correctly, it will be cured within 1 week. If treatment is late or wrong, the damage will spread, cause skin ulcers, difficult to treat and last longer.

4. How to prevent the risk of exposure to ants?

To prevent contact dermatitis caused by ants, you need to minimize the risk of contact with this insect by:
Design window screens or close windows when it rains in the evening, be careful when working under lights; Clean up piles of construction materials, grass or garbage around the house; When working under the light, avoid the reflex of wiping your hands if you feel insects falling on your face, neck,...; At night, before taking a bath, pay attention to shake off the towel before use; In the rainy season, avoid flying insects into the house by spraying insecticides that are not harmful to users' health; Wear long-sleeved clothes when going out, especially near fields, construction sites, residential areas with lots of lights; If insects are found, avoid direct contact but try to drive them away so that they do not come into contact with the skin; When there is a burning sensation in an area of ​​skin, you can wash this skin area with dilute salt water, soap, ... to avoid water burns, pus burns. Tripod contact dermatitis is a common, seasonal form of dermatitis. Although not dangerous to health, this condition causes discomfort and anxiety for patients. Therefore, each person needs to actively prevent three compartment ants to avoid facing the risk of skin inflammation.
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