Abstract
Bites and stings typically result from an insect or tick trying to obtain a blood meal from a host. Clinically, they appear as erythematous papules that can be distributed singly, grouped, or generalized, depending on the amount of accessible skin and the number and type of the biting; a robust host response can produce bullae. Pruritus often results either as a direct result of the bite or as a host response to proteins injected into the skin by the insect. Stings involve the injection of venom into the victim and may cause reactions ranging from local irritation to life-threatening anaphylaxis. Although worldwide distributed, insects are numerous in humid hot climate zones, and, therefore, insect bite and sting-induced diseases commonly occur in dark skin populations. They are also common complains of visitors and returning travelers.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Singh S, Mann BK. Insect bite reactions. Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol. 2013;79:151–64.
World Health Organization. 2016a. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs094/en/.
Howitt P, Darzi A, Yang GZ, et al. Technologies for global health. Lancet. 2012;380:507–35.
Manyando C, Kayentao K, D’Alessandro U, et al. A systematic review of the safety and efficacy of artemether-lumefantrine against uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria during pregnancy. Malar J. 2011;11:141.
Rajapakse S, Rodrigo C, Fernando SD. Tafenoquine for preventing relapse in people with Plasmodium vivax malaria. Cochrane Database System Rev 2015;(4):CD010458.
Vasievich MP, Villarreal JD, Tomecki KJ. Got the travel bug? A review of common infections, infestations, bites, and stings among returning travelers. Am J Clin Dermatol. 2016;17:451–62.
World Health Organization. 2016b. http://www.who.int/denguecontrol/epidemiology/en/.
Chen LH, Wilson ME. Dengue and chikungunya infections in travelers. Curr Opin Infect Dis. 2010;23:438–44.
Wang L, Zhou P. Yellow fever virus: increasing imported cases in China. J Infect. 2016;73:377–80.
World Health Organization. 2016c. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/yellowfever/index.htm.
Chan M. Yellow fever: the resurgence of a forgotten disease. Lancet. 2016;387:2165–6.
Bae HG, Drosten C, Emmerich P, et al. Analysis of two imported cases of yellow fever infection from Ivory Coast and The Gambia to Germany and Belgium. J Clin Virol. 2005;33:274–80.
Bautista-Reyes E, Núñez-Avellaneda D, Alonso-Palomares LA, et al. Chikungunya: Molecular aspects, clinical outcomes and pathogenesis. Rev Invest Clin. 2017;69:299–307.
Saiz JC, Vazquez-Calvo A, Blazquez AB, et al. Zika virus: the latest newcomer. Front Microbiol. 2016;7:496.
Feldmeier H, Heukelbach J, Ugbomoiko US, et al. Tungiasis—a neglected disease with many challenges for global public health. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2014;8:e3133.
Eisele M, Heukelbach J, Van Marck E, et al. Investigations on the biology, epidemiology, pathology and control of Tunga penetrans in Brazil: I. Natural history of tungiasis in man. Parasitol Res. 2003;90:87–99.
Karagiannidis I, Kanaki T, Brunner B, et al. Multiple, schwärzliche Papeln an beiden Fußsohlen einer 20-jährigen Patientin. Hautarzt. 2016;67:586–8.
Cestari TF, Pessato S, Ramos-e-Silva M. Tungiasis and myiasis. Clin Dermatol. 2007;25:158–64.
Graves SR, Stenos J. Tick-borne infectious diseases in Australia. Med J Aust. 2017;206:320–4.
Song JH, Lee C, Chang WH, et al. Short-course doxycycline treatment versus conventional tetracycline therapy for scrub typhus: a multicenter randomized trial. Clin Infect Dis. 1995;21:506–10.
Parola P: Rickettsioses in sub-Saharan Africa Ann NY Acad Sci 2006;1078:42–47.
Brouqui P, Harle JR, Delmont J, et al. African tick-bite fever. An imported spotless rickettsiosis. Arch Intern Med. 1997;157:119–24.
Davies TG, Field LM, Williamson MS. The re-emergence of the bed bug as a nuisance pest: implications of resistance to the pyrethroid insecticides. Med Vet Entomol. 2012;26:241–54.
Ibrahim O, Syed UM, Tomecki KJ. Bedbugs: helping your patient through an infestation. Cleve Clin J Med. 2017;84:207–11.
Gbakima AA, Terry BC, Kanja F, et al. High prevalence of bedbugs Cimex hemipterus and Cimex lectularis in camps for internally displaced persons in Freetown, Sierra Leone: a pilot humanitarian investigation. West Afr J Med. 2002;21:268–71.
McMenaman KS, Gausche-Hill M. Cimex lectularius (“bed bugs”): recognition, management, and eradication. Pediatr Emerg Care. 2016;32:801–6.
Haddad V Jr, Amorim PC, Haddad WT, et al. Venomous and poisonous arthropods: identification, clinical manifestations of envenomation, and treatments used in human injuries. Rev Soc Bras Med Trop. 2015;48:650–7.
Veraldi S, Cuka E, Gaiani F. Scolopendra bites: a report of two cases and review of the literature. Int J Dermatol. 2014;53:869–72.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Padovese, V., Dassoni, F., Zouboulis, C.C. (2018). Insect Bites, Tick Bites, and Stings. In: Orfanos, C., Zouboulis, C., Assaf, C. (eds) Pigmented Ethnic Skin and Imported Dermatoses. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69422-1_15
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69422-1_15
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-69421-4
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-69422-1
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)