Iranian Journal of Military Medicine Summer 2012, Volume 14, Issue 2; 155-162 Ant stings in military forces on three Persian islands of Abu-Musa, Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb Khoobdel M.* PhD , Akbarzadeh K.1 PhD, Jafari H.2 MSc , Mehrabi Tavana A.3 PhD , Mousavi Jazayari A.4 MD, Rafienejad J.1 PhD , Izadi M.5 MD , Aliakbar Esfahani A.5 MSc , Jahani Y.6 MSc , Nobakht M.4 MSc , Bahmani M. M.4 BSc , Rahimi M.4 BSc , Mohammadyari A.4 BSc *Health Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; 1Faculty of Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran ; 2Sahebazzaman Hospital, Bandarabbas, Iran ; 3Health Management Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran ; 4Marine Medicine Research Center, Bandarabbas, Iran ; 5Health Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran ; 6Faculty of Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran Abstract Aims: Ants with the ability of biting and injecting venom to human body are called sting ants. This study was conducted to identify and determine the ant species and the prevalence of ant sting and related epidemiological factors in three Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu-Musa islands, Iran. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed during Jan-July 2010 in Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu-Musa islands on 318 military individuals who were selected by random sampling method. The ant collection was done by active hand-catch method. The ant sting prevalence and related epidemiological factors were determined by questionnaire. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistical methods including Chi-square test, Mann-Whitney test and Spearman and Gamma correlation. Results: Sting ants in these islands were identified as Pachycondyla sennaarensis (Mayr , 1862) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) . The mean prevalence of ant stings was 70.1%. The seasonal incidence of sting in three islands had the same pattern and was more common in spring and summer. 84.4% of ant stings had occurred in limbs. The main symptoms caused by the ant stings include pain, severe itching and local inflammation and blisters in some cases. Conclusion: Although ant stings in these islands is not much dangerous and does not lead to anaphylactic shock and death, ant stings prevalence is very high and the pain, itching and burning would cause discomfort for soldiers and reduce their efficiency. Therefore, preventive measures and control of these ants should be considered. Keywords: Sting Ants, Persian Gulf, Military, Iran, Abu-Musa, Greater & Lesser Tunb Introduction Some of ants which are able to sting and inject venom to the human's body are called sting ants [4]. These Ants like bees and termites are social insects and form ants are naturally aggressive and can attack human, colonies. These insects are from the order (or livestock, wildlife and even electricity establishments, taxonomy) of hymenoptera and the super-family of etc [5]. Formicidae and from the family of Formica. It has 21 Ant stings are widespread in most places in the world subfamilies, 296 genuses, and more than 11,000 and there are a variety of them in different places, described species and has appeared on the earth in the which are known by different names, including fire middle of Cretaceous period in geology (between 130- ants. The origin and the place of spread of these sting 110 million years ago) and has since evolved [1 and ants are African countries. The genus Pachycondyla 2]. (Smith 1885) with more than 200 described species is Ants are among the very successful groups of insects one of the diverse groups of ants in the sub-family of which have adapted and distributed in most ecological Ponerinae and is mainly found in tropical and places in the dry areas of the earth and have almost subtropical regions worldwide [2]. Some of the spread worldwide. In terms of number, they are the species in the genus of Pachycondyla have poisonous most abundant soil inhabitants and have been able to sting and most of them are predator and feed on other enter human's living places. Many of whom have arthropods and use their poisonous sting to paralyze entered new regions due to human's commercial their prey [6]. activities and the transference of materials and The biting from sting ants is usually painful and is foodstuffs, plants and agricultural products [3]. accompanied with a severe feeling of scratch and in * Correspondence; Email: [email protected] Received 2011/07/01; Accepted 2012/01/29 Ant sting in military forces on three Persian islands of Abu-Musa, Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb ________________________________ some cases with blister and some other signs and square kilometers) [16]. Greater Tunb Island with symptoms and even in some cases, depending on the 26 o34'-26 o30'N and 55 o28'-55 o34'E is located within insect's type or the population, may cause effects such 22.5 kilometers from the southwest of Qeshm (the as grave allergy, anaphylaxis shock, and even death Persian Gulf largest island), and is within 156 [2, 7]. kilometers from Bandar Abbas city and is within 43.5 The existence of sting ants in Arabian countries lying kilometers from the northeast of Abu-Musa Island. on the precincts of Persian Gulf has been confirmed Lesser Tunb Island is triangle-shaped and locates and their existence in Saudi Arabia peninsula and within 15 kilometers from the west of Greater Tunb Yemen was reported for the first time in 1881 and Island. Its distance from the center of Hormozgan there have been reports from Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, province, the city of Bandar Abbas, is around 169 Pakistan and Emirate in the following years [8, 9]. kilometers by the sea. The closest Iranian port The existence of sting ants in Iran was reported for the (Bandar) to this is Khamir Bandar and Lengeh Bandar first time in Lar city located in the south of Fars with a distance of 75 kilometers. The most elevated province and also in the southern cities of Sis tan point in Lesser Tunb is a height of 35 meters from the Baluchistan province [10, 11, 12, 13, 14]. In the next sea level. Its ground is constituted from sand and in researches, sting ants were reported in Qeshm Island some places from rocks [16]. (Hormozgan province) [15]. Collecting these ants in indoor places and their With respect to the point that there were reports precincts has been done by the method of direct concerning soldiers being stung by ants in the on the observance and hand catch. That is, along a day and three Persian islands, this research was done to indoor places such as military embankments, resting determine the species of these ants, and to investigate places, military and official centers and with the help the prevalence of being stung by sting ants and to of flashlight, the soldiers embarked on searching for obtain more information concerning the status of this ant on the ground and when observing them, the being stung in these islands. ants were captured by forceps (pincers) or a piece of cotton submerged in chloroform or Ethyl Acetate was placed on the ants and after the lapse of a few seconds, Methods leading to the ants' unconsciousness and The present study was a descriptive and cross- motionlessness or the death, the sample was sectional study, lasting for 6 months during Jan-July transferred to a vial filled with 75% alcohol, using 2010 in three Iranian islands of Greater and Lesser forceps or wet paint brush. To capture the ants, the Tunb and Abu-Musa. people residing in the region did also help who had the The study was done in two sections. First, indoor experience of facing these ants and were quite familiar places and the precincts of military environments in with them. They were also captured in outdoor places, which the soldiers faced ants; the sting ants were where these insects were more observable in the rather predated by soldiers and the information required was cold hours of the day, in the early morning and in the recorded through questionnaire so as to investigate the afternoon. prevalence of being stung and the status of the people The captured samples were transferred to the being stung. laboratory and were recognized using the Three islands of Greater and Lesser Tunb and Abu- identification keys, description and valid details [2, Musa under investigation, in the expanse of Persian 17]. Also the identification was confirmed by Gulf were located in the most southern point of Iran comparing their systematic characters with the and are considered part of Hormozgan province. Abu- collected samples in the previous researches, endorsed Musa island, with 25 o51'-26 o19' N and 54 o26'-55 o19' E by Professor Bolton in Natural History Museum of is the most southern Iranian island located in Persian London. Gulf. This island is located within 222 kilometers The realized questionnaire was used to collect the from Bandar Abbas and is within 75 kilometers from needed information concerning the prevalence rate of Bandar Lengeh and its distance from Hormoz Strait is soldier's being stung and the investigation of the status 160 kilometers. The vastness of Abu-Musa province is of the people being stung. However, the previous 68.8 square kilometers which includes Abu-Musa experiences and questionnaires belonging to the province (12 square kilometers), Greater Tunb Island previous researches were also used [13, 14, 15]. (10.3 square kilometers), Lesser Tunb (2.1 square Eventually, a questionnaire consisting of 21 open and kilometer), Siri (17.3 square kilometers), Greater closed questions was prepared. The validity and Farur (26.2 square kilometers) and Lesser Farur (1.5 reliability of questionnaire was assessed by expert ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Khoobdel M.