Paederus dermatitis amongst medical students in USM, Kelantan

We report a retrospective review of 12 medical students with a peculiar erythemato-vesicular dermatitis entomologically caused by an endemic beetle Paederus fuscipes. The clinical features, outcome in these cases and treatment are discussed. The students were residents of hostels in the USM campus in Kubang Kerian, Kelantan. The causative agent in all these cases were found to be Paederus fuscipes (rove beetle). The most common site of involvement in all these cases was the face, followed by the neck. The average duration of symptoms was two days and pruritus was a common symptom. About 83% of the patients made a complete recovery. However two patients (16%) had residual pigmentation.