Clinicoepidemiological profile of 590 cases of beetle dermatitis in western Orissa

Abstract

Beetle dermatitis should be included in the differential diagnosis of the acute onset of vesiculobullous lesions in the endemic areas.

Paederus Dermatitis: A Clinical , Epidemiological and Therapeutic Study of 417 Cases

“…1,9,12 In our study, the incidence of paederus dermatitis was highest in the summer months of April, May and June and lowest in the winter months. Similar observations were reported by Padhi et al, Gnanaraj et al and Handa et al [13][14][15] In contrast, the incidence of cases is reported to be greater during the last quarter of the year in South America and in the month of September in Iran and Guinea which could be explained by variations in habitat specificity and rainfall pattern. 1,5,9 As in previous studies, majority of affected patients in our study were students residing in hostels and villagers who lived close to moist areas, dense vegetations and agricultural farms which are the natural habitat of these insects.…”

“…Spraying appropriate pesticides particularly in the breeding season are often helpful. 1,13,14 To conclude, Paederus dermatitis is a common condition which can be prevented by increased public awareness. We conducted a series of awareness campaigns in and around our medical campus stressing on the simple preventive measures discussed above, leading to significant reduction in the incidence of paederus dermatitis.…”

“…Complications include cervical lymphadenopathy, post inflammatory hyperpigmentation, extensive exfoliating and ulcerating dermatitis requiring hospitalization and ocular involvement. 2,12,13 Ocular involvement occurs secondary to transfer of the toxic chemical from elsewhere on the skin by fingers and presents with unilateral periorbital dermatitis or keratoconjunctivitis (Nairobi eye). 19 We observed kissing skin lesions in 11.03 % patients, post inflammatory hyperpigmentation in 67.14% patients and ocular involvement in 9.59% patients.…”

“…1,5,11,17,20 In our study, Paederus extraneus and Paederus melampus were identified as the commonest species in north coastal Andhra Pradesh whereas due to the difference in the habitat of the beetles, Mylabris phalerata and Mylabris pustulata were identified in a study from the western part of neighboring state of Orissa. 13 Treatment of paederus dermatitis initially involves removing the irritant by washing the area with soap and water followed by the application of topical agents. 2,4 We observed that topical steroid and antibiotic combination is more effective than topical steroid and topical antibiotic alone.…”

Irritant Dermatitis to Staphylinid Beetle in Indian Troops in Congo

“…Cases of periorbital dermatitis have been reported earlier from Tanzania [11] and from a study in South India [12,13]. Ocular involvement in the form of unilateral periorbital dermatitis or keratoconjunctivitis is popularly known as the "Nairobi eye".…”