Ants and their harmful effects on health

The three-cavity ant, actually a beetle, has a venom gland more toxic than a cobra's, but cannot kill people because the amount of ant venom is very small. However, in large quantities it can be life-threatening.

Origin of the three-compartment ant

The three-compartment ant has the scientific name Paederus fuscipes, belongs to the family Staphilinidae (penguins), order Coleoptera. This insect has a slender body, as long as a grain of rice (1-1.2 cm long, 2-3 mm wide), has two colors red and black, looks like an ant; therefore, people often call it by many different names such as wild ants, needle ants, sedge ants, rice ants, chin pair, locked ants, curved ants,...

Ants

The three-compartment ant has three pairs of legs, a segmented abdomen, one of which is red, and flies and runs very quickly; the body is sometimes dark orange, or dark and pointed in the abdomen, the upper abdomen and head are black, the upper middle area is iridescent, iridescent blue, and has a pair of hard wings (elytra). A pair of transparent wings is neatly folded and hidden under the elytra. During the day, the three-compartment ant will be seen crawling, or crawling quickly around and hiding its wings similar to ants. When abnormal, it increases the size of its abdomen, has a threatening gesture like a scorpion, and it can also fly and run quickly on water.

This bug does not sting or bite, but its body fluids contain pederin, a poison that causes blisters and burns, and Paederus dermatitis, a type of dermatitis when bitten.insect bites

The three-compartment ants are not new, but can be found anywhere in Vietnamese fields.This species is a predatory insect that preys on other insects in the fields.

The harmful effects of ants on human health

The three-cavity ant usually lives on the edge of fields, around stubble, lawns, near water, vegetable fields, and in construction sites. In the body of the ant, there is Pederine (C24H43O9N), which can cause fire and skin burns like the cangtadin of the caterpillar and the phosphorus in the "heavenly child".

The amount of toxin transmitted to humans through the bite is so small that it can only cause blisters and itching. When scratched, the wound will burst, causing ulcers and leading to dermatitis.

In particular, Pederin will spread quickly when the patient hits ants on the skin, causing the injured area to spread quickly and widely. Moreover, when this toxin comes into contact with the skin, it will symbiotically stick to the skin, increasing the level of damage."

Wounds caused by ant bites.

Regarding their habits and food, these bugs are often found in rice fields (since 1919), school environments, dormitories, boarding houses, and suburban workers' housing, with grass growing around them. When brown planthoppers and leaf rollers appear in rice fields, they will crawl into the nests and eat each one, and they are considered natural enemies. When rice fields are harvested, they often fly into high-rise apartment buildings with neon lights to eat brown planthoppers, leaf rollers, etc. in the house.

During the rainy season, storms, floods, these insects move to drier areas. After days of rain and floods that inundate fields and ponds, at night, ants follow insects and light into houses. People working under light have insects fall on their necks, faces, and bodies, accidentally raising their hands to hit, swipe, or rub the insects, and the Pederin in the insects falls on their skin. Sometimes insects fall into bathtubs, showers, or stick to towels and clothes. Patients do not pay attention, rubbing against insects causes blistering dermatitis (there are cases where patients kill insects and rub their hands on their skin, creating wounds).

The harmful effects of the three-cavity ant are not life-threatening, but mainly cause damage to the skin, but in large numbers. The location of the dermatitis is the head, face, neck, arms, legs, hips, and back. In particular, the most severe skin damage, spreading most widely in soft skin areas. Symptoms of skin blistering and blistering can appear 12-36 hours after exposure to the toxin. If left untreated, the inflammation will progress to ulcers, at which point these lesions will be in the shape of a long straight line, or a Y shape... depending on how we kill them.

Many people are attacked by ants causing inflammation, itching, and ulcers.

Dermatitis can resemble shingles. Blisters usually appear about a day after exposure to the toxin. If treated, they will disappear within a week. If treatment is delayed, the skin lesions can leave red scars that take months to heal. If the toxin gets into the eyes, it can cause conjunctivitis and swelling of the soft tissue around the eyes, and in some cases, temporary blindness.

The harmful effects of the ant are statistically 70% of the population in the apartment building who have come into contact with this insect. After contact with the insect, the patient feels itchy, burning, and hot at the site. After 6-12 hours, red, slightly swollen patches appear in streaks, 1-5cm in size, 3-4mm wide, with clear borders, some streaks have a purple-pink discoloration. After 1-3 days, red, patchy blisters appear on the skin, followed by blisters and pus blisters (this stage is easily confused with lesions such as shingles, chickenpox or other viral lesions).

According to dietmoisinhhoc.com