Paederus dermatitis
Encyclopedia
Paederus dermatitis is skin irritation resulting from contact with the hemolymph
of certain rove beetles, a group that includes the genus Paederus
. Other local names given to Paederus dermatitis include spider-lick, whiplash dermatitis, and Nairobi fly dermatitis
.
The active agent is commonly referred to as pederin
, although depending on the beetle species it may be one of several similar molecules including pederone and pseudopederin.
"Blister beetle dermatitis
," a term more properly used for the different dermatitis caused by cantharidin
from blister beetle
s, is also sometimes used to describe paederus dermatitis caused by rove beetles.
Initial skin contact with pederin shows no immediate result. Within 12–36 hours, however, a reddish rash (erythema
) appears, which develops into blisters. Irritation, including crusting and scaling, may last from two to three weeks.
One study reported best results with a treatment regimen that combined topical steroids with oral antihistamines and antibiotics. The authors hypothesized that antibiotics were helpful because of the possible contamination of skin by pederin-producing bacteria.
and is highly toxic, more potent than cobra venom.
In different parts of the world, different species of rove beetle cause Paederus dermatitis:
Paederus dermatitis has also been reported from Nigeria
France
, Okinawa, Australia
, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka
.
Hemolymph
Hemolymph, or haemolymph, is a fluid in the circulatory system of some arthropods and is analogous to the fluids and cells making up both blood and interstitial fluid in vertebrates such as birds and mammals...
of certain rove beetles, a group that includes the genus Paederus
Paederus
Paederus is a genus of small beetles of the family Staphylinidae . Due to toxins in the hemolymph of many species within this genus, it has given its name to paederus dermatitis, a characteristic skin irritation that occurs if one of the insects is crushed against skin...
. Other local names given to Paederus dermatitis include spider-lick, whiplash dermatitis, and Nairobi fly dermatitis
Nairobi fly dermatitis
Nairobi fly dermatitis is a cutaneous condition caused by Paederus eximius, a rove beetle found in Northern Kenya....
.
The active agent is commonly referred to as pederin
Pederin
Pederin is a vesicant toxic amide with two tetrahydropyran rings, found in the haemolymph of the Paederus genus of beetles, including the Nairobi fly, belonging to the Staphylinidae family. It was first characterized by processing 25 million field-collected P. fuscipes. It makes up approximately...
, although depending on the beetle species it may be one of several similar molecules including pederone and pseudopederin.
"Blister beetle dermatitis
Blister beetle dermatitis
Blister beetle dermatitis is a cutaneous condition that occurs after contact with any of several types of beetles, including those from the Meloidae and Oedemeridae families...
," a term more properly used for the different dermatitis caused by cantharidin
Cantharidin
Cantharidin, a type of terpenoid, is a poisonous chemical compound secreted by many species of blister beetle, and most notably by the Spanish fly, Lytta vesicatoria. The false blister beetles and cardinal beetles also have cantharidin.-History:...
from blister beetle
Blister beetle
Blister beetles are beetles of the family Meloidae, so called for their defensive secretion of a blistering agent, cantharidin. There are approximately 7,500 known species worldwide. Many are conspicuous and some aposematically colored, announcing their toxicity to would-be...
s, is also sometimes used to describe paederus dermatitis caused by rove beetles.
Diagnosis and treatment
Once pederin is on the skin from the initial beetle contact, it may also be spread elsewhere on the skin. "Kissing" or "mirror-image" lesions where two skin areas come in contact (for example, the elbow flexure) are often seen. Washing the hands and skin with soap and water is strongly recommended, if contact with a rove beetle has occurred.Initial skin contact with pederin shows no immediate result. Within 12–36 hours, however, a reddish rash (erythema
Erythema
Erythema is redness of the skin, caused by hyperemia of the capillaries in the lower layers of the skin. It occurs with any skin injury, infection, or inflammation...
) appears, which develops into blisters. Irritation, including crusting and scaling, may last from two to three weeks.
One study reported best results with a treatment regimen that combined topical steroids with oral antihistamines and antibiotics. The authors hypothesized that antibiotics were helpful because of the possible contamination of skin by pederin-producing bacteria.
Location and species
Three different genera of rove beetles, all members of the same subtribe Paederina, can cause paederus dermatitis: Paederus, Paederidus, and Megalopaederus This irritant is called pederinPederin
Pederin is a vesicant toxic amide with two tetrahydropyran rings, found in the haemolymph of the Paederus genus of beetles, including the Nairobi fly, belonging to the Staphylinidae family. It was first characterized by processing 25 million field-collected P. fuscipes. It makes up approximately...
and is highly toxic, more potent than cobra venom.
In different parts of the world, different species of rove beetle cause Paederus dermatitis:
- Paederus melampus, also known as the Manipal bug or Nitte Police, occurs in the Indian state of KarnatakaKarnatakaKarnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
. (ManipalManipalManipal is a university town situated in the state of Karnataka in India. It is a suburb within Udupi city and is administered by Udupi City Municipality. It is located in the rocky hinterland of the Malabar Coast of south west India, about 8 km from the Arabian Sea...
is the name of a university town.) In a 2007 article titled 'Paederus Dermatitis', two dermatologists from Sri Devaraj Medical College in Karnataka identified the Manipal bug as Paederus melampus. They are also sometimes called "blister beetle", although rove beetles such as P. melampus are in a different Family (biology) family (Staphylinidae) than the blister beetleBlister beetleBlister beetles are beetles of the family Meloidae, so called for their defensive secretion of a blistering agent, cantharidin. There are approximately 7,500 known species worldwide. Many are conspicuous and some aposematically colored, announcing their toxicity to would-be...
family Meloidae.
- Paederus brasilensis, also called "El podo," causes dermatitis in South AmericaSouth AmericaSouth America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. There is also a VenezuelaVenezuelaVenezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
n species, Paederus columbius. - Paederus fuscipes is probably the major agent that causes linear dermatitis in northern IranIranIran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
. Whereas this disease is a rural difficulty in the south, mainly in villages or small towns, it is an urban problem in northern provinces along the Caspian SeaCaspian SeaThe Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. The sea has a surface area of and a volume of...
shore. The same species also causes linear dermatitis in Taiwan.
- Nairobi flyNairobi flyThe name Nairobi fly or Kenya fly is applied to two species of beetle which live in East Africa, Paederus crebinpunctatus and Paederus sabaeus. They are species of the rove beetle genus Paederus, and are black and red in colour, and about 6–10 mm long...
: Paederus crebinpunctatus and Paederus sabaeus both cause dermatitis in East Africa.
Paederus dermatitis has also been reported from Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Okinawa, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
.
See also
- Amebiasis cutisAmebiasis cutisAmebiasis cutis is a cutaneous condition characterized by ulcers caused by Entamoeba histolytica....
- Blister beetle dermatitisBlister beetle dermatitisBlister beetle dermatitis is a cutaneous condition that occurs after contact with any of several types of beetles, including those from the Meloidae and Oedemeridae families...
- List of cutaneous conditions