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Outbreak of caterpillar dermatitis caused by airborne hairs of the mistletoe browntail moth ( Euproctis edwardsi )
Author(s) -
Balit Corrine R,
Ptolemy Helen C,
Geary Merilyn J,
Russell Richard C,
Isbister Geoffrey K
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2001.tb143760.x
Subject(s) - caterpillar , outbreak , biology , veterinary medicine , lepidoptera genitalia , medicine , ecology , virology
Caterpillars may be an under‐recognised cause of skin and eye reactions. We report a four‐month outbreak of recurrent papulourticarial rash among staff and visitors at a community centre. The cause was eventually diagnosed as airborne hairs from caterpillars of the mistletoe browntail moth (Euproctis edwardsi ) , which infested a eucalypt tree growing in front of the centre. To our knowledge, this is the first clear case of airborne caterpillar hairs causing dermatitis in an indoor environment.