We report the first case of anaphylaxis caused by a Crematogaster scutellaris sting in a 4-year-old child followed in our department for atopic dermatitis and multiple immunoglobulin (Ig) E–mediated food allergies (peanuts, nuts, shellfi sh, milk, and soy). The child had experienced severe anaphylactic reactions to shellfish and fish at the age of 13 and 24 months, respectively. One day in July, the child developed general malaise, pallor with cyanotic lips, sweating, hyporeactivity, hypotonia, and nauseaa few minutes after being stung on his right big toe by an ant next to an anthill in his garden. The ant was captured by the child’s father and subsequently identified as C scutellaris (acrobat ant) by an expert entomologist. The child had not eaten anything since breakfast 2 hours earlier. This meal had consisted of food he usually ate and tolerated. His parents decided not to use the auto-injectable epinephrine pen they had been given and took their son to the closest emergency department. On arrival, 10 minutes later, the boy was still pale and weak. Physical examination revealed 2 red dots on the first and the second toes of his right foot, wheezing (SaO2, 94%), hypotension (blood pressure, 65/40 mmHg; heart rate, 130 bpm), and lethargy. He was treated accordingly and his general conditions returned to normal within 3 hours.
Source : Anaphylaxis caused by Crematogaster cutellaris sting in an Italian child.
Pour ceux qui n'aiment pas la langue de Shakespeare : grosso modo, en Italie un mioche de 4 ans se serait fait piquer par une Crematogaster scutellaris, entraînant un choc anaphylatique (= grosse crise d'allergie pouvant parfois entraîner la mort) ... amené au urgence il a fini par s'en sortir ... happy end !
Qui ici s'est déjà fait piquer par un Crematogaster scutellaris ?
Qui ici a déjà vu une Crematogaster scutellaris essayer d'enfoncer son dard ? En général elle fait plutôt l'inverse, elle met son abdomen au-dessus de sa tête, et la conformation de son pétiole ne lui permet pas d'enfoncer efficacement son dard. Le nombre de fois où j'ai eu des Crematogaster scutellaris sur les mains, elles m'ont souvent mordu, mais jamais piqué ni même essayé...
