ants and Corneal-Injuries

To describe the ocular findings and the long-term outcomes of patients diagnosed with corneal injury due to little fire ants (LFAs).. This is a retrospective case series of patients evaluated with corneal injury due to LFAs from October 2015 to January 2018 at the Cornea Clinic in Meir Medical Center. Patients underwent anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) imaging during the follow-up.. Four patients reported ocular contact with LFAs and presented to our department with unilateral, scattered, small, dense, round, bright white opacities in the anterior corneal stroma, which remained unchanged in appearance over time, despite topical antibiotic and steroid treatment. No inflammatory signs were noted in the anterior chamber. Follow-up was performed clinically using AS-OCT for periods of 9 to 26 months after the incidents. AS-OCT findings demonstrated small, subepithelial, hyperreflective foci at the level of the anterior stroma to a depth of 145 to 250 μm, with posterior shadowing that remained unchanged over time. These findings were well-correlated with biomicroscopy findings.. LFA bites can cause long-lasting corneal injury in humans with characteristic clinical biomicroscopic findings. The corneal lesions do not respond to conventional topical treatment. AS-OCT imaging can be a useful modality for diagnosis and follow-up. Awareness by both patients and ophthalmologists of this clinical entity may be helpful in diagnosis and management.

Topics: Aged; Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Ants; Corneal Injuries; Drug Combinations; Female; Glucocorticoids; Humans; Insect Bites and Stings; Intraocular Pressure; Male; Middle Aged; Ophthalmoscopy; Retrospective Studies; Slit Lamp Microscopy; Tomography, Optical Coherence

Numerous researchers have observed a form of punctate corneal lesions causing leukomas (corneal opacities) in humans, domestic animals, and wild animals in different parts of the world. This condition has been reported under different names, including West Indian (or Caribbean) punctate keratopathy, West Indian dots, tropical punctate keratopathy, Rice's keratopathy, Florida keratopathy, and Florida spots. Many of these cases, appear to have a common cause, the stings of a small red ant, Wasmannia auropunctata (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), originally from the Neotropics, but spread to other parts of the world through human commerce. The purpose of this article is to link disparate literature on punctate or nummular corneal lesions published in medical, veterinary, wildlife, and entomology journals, because many researchers seem largely unaware of the literature from disciplines other than their own. Recognizing a common cause of this corneal condition is important to insure proper medical treatment and foster efforts to limit the spread and negative impact of W. auropunctata.

Topics: Animals; Ants; Bites and Stings; Corneal Injuries; Dogs; Female; Humans; Male