Blistering Beetle Dermatitis: An Outbreak

An outbreak of Paederus dermatitis in a suburban hospital in South India: A report of 123 cases and review of literature

“…5 The major species found in South India is P fuscipes. 6 The vesicant chemical pederin was initially isolated by Pavan and Bo in 1952. 5 Its chemical nature was subsequently elucidated by low-field 1 H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and x-ray crystallography.…”

“…7 Insecticides like Baygon (2-isopropoxyphenyl N-methylcarbamate) and malathion can be sprayed over the surrounding rice fields to decrease the occurrence of paederus dermatitis. 6 Moreover, patients should be advised not to crush beetles on the skin, not to manipulate primary …”

A study on Paederus dermatitis outbreak in a suburban teaching research hospital, Kanchipuram, India.

“…himalayicus, etc [16]. The inadvertent crushing of the insect on the skin surface releases the coelomic fluid, Paederin.…”

Irritant bullous contact dermatitis caused by a rove beetle: An illustrated clinical course

“…5 The genus Paederus consists of more than 622 species, of which the major species found in Sierra Leone are sabaeus Erichson 1,6 (rove beetle, champion fly, Nairobi fly). The population increases rapidly at the end of the rainy season (June to October), then rapidly decreases in December.…”

“…1 Cases have been described in areas with hot, tropical climates including Australia, West Africa, Iran, India and Turkey. [2][3][4][5] Initial presentations of this form of contact dermatitis have the uncommon association of an acute dermatitis with minimal symptoms. 5 We describe a case of paederus dermatitis in an Australian traveller in Sierra Leone, outside the typical seasonal presentation.…”