Poisoning syndrome due to 2,000 stings of africanized honeybees

• Published in: Revista Brasileira de terapia intensiva 2006-03, Vol.18 (1), p.99-103
• Main Authors: Azevedo, Rita Vianna de, Paiva, Roberto Bueno de, Ades, Felipe, David, Cid Marcos
• Format: Article
• Language: Portuguese
• ISSN: 0103-507X

Honeybees first used in the honey production came from Europe. They were gentle but their productivity was very low. In 1956 it was brought from Africa some species of honeybees that were more productible but also extremely aggressive. There was an accidental release of those bees, that proliferated by hybridizing with the European honeybees generating a new specimen of bees: the Africanized honeybees. The objective of this article is to suggest a pattern of treatment for this poisoning syndrome, because of the crescent number of these attacks and a few data about it. Male, 19 years old, soldier that in the course of his military training was attacked by a swarm of Africanized honeybees. As the Africanized honeybees are very aggressive, they attack their victims with lots of stings releasing a large quantity of venom. The reactions to the stings can vary from a local inflammatory reaction in non sensibilized people, hipersensibility reaction and anaphylactic shock in sensibilized people and poisoning syndrome when there is a big amount of inoculated venom. The medical attendance to this kind of accident must be as fast as possible. It must be done an adequate clinical support and a quick mechanical remotion of the stingers. The hemodynamic stabilization is a very important point.