What do fire ant stings look like?
This high resolution photograph (194K) illustrates the pustules that may result the day after being stung. Each pustule represents a separate sting. b. What causes the pustules? Freeman article (28. below) describes two components of imported fire ant (IFA) venom: proteins and alkaloids. The immune response, especially IgE (an antibody, “immunoglobulin E”), is generally to the protein component of foreign substances – 4 in Solenopsis invicta (the red IFA) and 3 in Solenopsis richteri (the black IFA). There is evidence that people who are sensitive to IFA have IgE to the venom proteins. Freeman is unaware that anyone has demonstrated IgE to the alkaloids. He feels the alkaloids are responsible for the local cell necrosis that produces the fairly typical and nearly pathognomonic (i.e., distinctively characteristic of a particular disease) “psuedo-pustule” of the IFA sting. This is psuedo because a true pustule is composed of an active neutrophilic infiltration fighting an infection. In t
