Erythroderma and Skin Desquamation in Paederus Dermatitis

Exfoliative erythroderma is rare but serious condition, which requires close supervision. We report a rare case of 28-year-old man with kissing lesions of Paederus dermatitis at his right side of neck. The rash caused by Paederus beetle was improved after treatments. However, the patient developed generalized erythema with desquamation and scaling. The patient was successfully treated topically with moisturizing liquid soap and topical moisturizer with emollients and humectants, and triamcinolone lotion was applied on the bright red lesion. The patient was also treated with oral replacement solution and tropical azelaic cream was applied on the hyperpigmented kissing lesion. This case report shows the importance of a diagnostic practice with follow-up examination.

A CLINICOEPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDY ON PAEDERUS DERMATITIS IN A TERTIARY CARE CENTRE, CHENNAI

Paederus dermatitis is a form of irritant contact dermatitis due to contact with certain insects of the genus Paederus presenting with mostly erythematous linear lesions of sudden onset on exposed parts of the body. To study the clinico epi Aim: demiological features in patients with Paederus dermatitis. A retrospective analysis of clinicoepidemiological Materials & Methods: features of patients affected with Paederus dermatitis who had attended the Dermatology OPD, in a tertiary care hospital between January 2018 to December 2019 was done. All the required data had been collected from the OPD records and details were tabulated and analysed. A total of 56 patients had been affected with Result: Paederus dermatitis during the study period, of which 32 were males and 24 were females. 41out of 56 (73.21%) of patients presented between the months of August and December. Most common age group affected were between 11 to 30 yrs, with front and back of neck being the most common affected sites. In 42 out of the 56 patients the lesions resolved with post inammatory hyperpigmentation. Conclusion: Paederus dermatitis is a common condition that is often misdiagnosed and hence awareness is required for the clinicians and the general public to prevent it.

Paederus Dermatitis Outbreak in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: A Case-Control Study

Background. Paederus dermatitis is an irritant contact dermatitis caused by crushing insects of the genus Paederus, which releases a vesicant toxin called pederin. On July 28, 2018, the district health office received a report of cases with erythema, itching, and burning after contact with the Paederus insect. In response, we investigated the outbreak intending to describe, confirm, and identify the risk factors associated with the country’s first reported outbreak. Methods. A community-based unmatched case-control study was conducted from August 10 to 22, 2018. Two hundred twenty-five (75 cases and 150 controls) study participants were involved in the study. Cases were defined as Bole subcity residents who had acute contact dermatitis after contact with the insect, while controls were persons who did not have contact with the insect. Cases were recruited consecutively as they present, whereas controls were selected by the neighborhood sampling method. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used for the data collection, and multiple logistic regression was applied to determine the independent risk factors. The results were expressed as adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results. A total of 122 cases were reported from the three districts of the subcity. The mean age of cases and controls was 23.6 (SD ± 16.4) and 29.4 (SD ± 10.9) years, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that the presence of outdoor light (AOR = 5.1; 95% CI (2.5, 10.9), presence of rotten leaves (AOR = 6.4; 95% CI (2.9, 15.7)), sleeping on the floor (AOR = 6.1; 95% CI (2.5, 15.7)), wearing protective clothing (AOR = 0.2; 95% CI (0.1, 0.4)), and use of insect repellant (AOR = 0.1; 95% CI (0.0, 0.4)) were significantly associated with Paederus dermatitis outbreak. Conclusion. The investigation identified exposure to artificial light and the presence of rotten leaves around the residential area as important factors leading to an increase in the odds of Paederus dermatitis. In contrast, the use of insect repellant and wearing protective clothing were shown to provide protection. The investigation determined that reducing burning outdoor lights, cleaning excess vegetation, avoiding sleeping on the floor, using insect repellants, and wearing protective clothing can reduce the risk of contracting Paederus dermatitis.

Paederus Dermatitis: A severe reaction to Charlie’s kiss

Paederus dermatitis is a very painful vesicular condition which is caused by the extremely potent toxin “Pederin” released from an insect calledPaederusfuscipes but commonly known as Charlie.A 26 years old woman presented with a sudden onset of neuralgia, arthralgia of left jaw, fever, nausea and fatigue with generalized pain radiating to the neck and lower jaw as well as itch-like sensation on their left arm associated with acute inflammation which began 24-48 hours prior. The patient refused to go to the hospital due to the current pandemic situation but instead updated us daily on her conditions with photographic changes of the arm until complete resolution of symptoms. This case report accounts for the daily sequential changes experienced by a patient after severe reaction to an exposure of pederin with photographs of the affected site. While the painful lesion and all systemic conditions resolved spontaneously over time, a scar was left to mark the unpleasant period. Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science Vol.20(2) 2021 p.459-462

An outbreak of blister beetle dermatitis in travellers

We report an outbreak of Paederus dermatitis in tourists from Zanzibar. This is characterized by linear and round skin lesions with burning and itching sensation, caused by the toxin pederin released by beetles. Contact with beetle very often goes unnoticed. Rarely observed in travellers, Paederus dermatitis is easily misdiagnosed.