The effects of a partially purified fraction of an ant venom in rheumatoid arthritis

✍ Scribed by Roy D. Altman; Duane R. Schultz; Barbara Collins-Yudiskas; Jose Aldrich; Patricia I. Arnold; Patricia I. Arnold; Harvey E. Brown

• Book ID: 102750247
• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1984
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 717 KB
• Volume: 27
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0004-3591
• DOI: 10.1002/art.1780270305

✦ Synopsis

A partially purified extract of an ant venom from the South American tree ant Pseudomyrmex sp. was tested in a double-blind, controlled study of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Venom treated patients demonstrated an improvement in global efficacy and a decrease in the number of tendedpainful joints and swollen joints. Swollen joint index improved in 60% of venom treated patients. Other parameters did not demonstrate significant change. Reduction of joint swelling was followed by symptomatic improvement that was sometimes delayed by weeks. Reactions were limited to erythema at the injection site (all patients), local pruritis (two-thirds of the patients), and fever with malaise (onethird of the patients). Further study of this venom in rheumatoid arthritis appears warranted in view of its apparent favorable efficacy-to-toxicity ratio. Some animal products have been thought to have special curative powers (1). In general, the use of venoms is recent (i.e., the past 200 years) (2). Viper venoms, particularly cobra, and honeybee venoms have been the most popular. Despite episodic empha-From the