Fire-Related Mortality in Floods: A Newly Discovered Threat from Fire Ants

Stings from red imported fire ants, Solenopsis invicta Buren, are well-known causes of hypersensitivity reactions (Stafford et al. 1989, Schwartz 1991). Red imported fire ants have been spreading across the United States since they first arrived from Brazil in 1939 (Stafford et al. 1989). Their range now extends over ≍25% of the land area of the United States, primarily in the southeast (Schwartz 1991). At least 83 deaths resulting from anaphylactic reactions from fire ant stings have been reported (Rhoades et al. 1989). Here we report another rare cause of fire ant-related mortality.