Stingose. A new and effective treatment for bites and stings

Stingose, an aqueous solution of 20% aluminum sulphate and 1.1% surfactant, has been developed as a wide-acting and effective first-aid treatment designed to counteract the venoms of insects, bees, marine stingers and stinging plants. Rapid application to prevent further systemic abosorption is necessary. As virtually all characterized insect, marine, and spiked-fish venoms contain a protein component, it is proposed that the Al3+ ion in Stingose interacts with proteins and long-chain polysaccharide components to denature and inactivate the venoms. It is also proposed that an osmotic fluid movement towards the high ionic strength solution could account for part of the action of the product. In an extensive field trial which involved 1003 cases, the over-all success of first-aid treatment with Stingose in 997 cases and partial success in six cases was extremely high. Further work is to be undertaken to study the range of envenomations against which Stingose is active.