An outbreak of Paederus dermatitis in Thai Military Personnel
Picha Suwannahitatorn MD, MSc*, Anchalee Jatapai PhD**, Ram Rangsin MD, DrPH***
Affiliation : * Department of Parasitology, Phramongkutklao College of Medicine, Bangkok, Thailand ** Biochemical Sciences Program in Collaborative of Phramongkutklao College of Medicine, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Thammasat University, Pathumthani, Thailand *** Department of Military and Community Medicine, Phramongkutklao College of Medicine, Bangkok, Thailand
An outbreak of Paederus dermatitis in Thai military personnel in 2007 was reported. Approximately ninety-one percent of military personnel who worked in a battalion located in Bangkok experienced Paederus dermatitis in April-May 2007. The most common clinical manifestations were blisters and erythematous rash. The most affected areas were head, neck, back and groin. “Kissing lesions” were seen in 17.3% of cases and 23.5% had multiple lesions. Compared with other reports, we found a high incidence of lesions in unexposed body parts. This disease should be recognized as a differential diagnosis especially in tropical countries. Awareness of the condition and its clinical features will aid early diagnosis and prompt treatment.
Keywords : Paederus, Paederus dermatitis, Blistering dermatitis, Contact dermatitis, Military personnel, Thailand
