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Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 18e
| Part 18. Poisoning, Drug Overdose, and Envenomation > |
Chapter 397. Ectoparasite Infestations and Arthropod Bites and Stings
Sections: Ectoparasite Infestations and Arthropod Bites and Stings: Introduction, Acknowledgment, Further Readings, Bibliography.
Topics Discussed: arthropod bite; bites and stings; ectozoic parasite; parasitic diseases; toxic effects of terrestrial animal venoms and poisons.
Excerpt:"Ectoparasites are arthropods or helminths that infest the skin or hair of other animals, from which they derive sustenance and shelter. They may penetrate beneath the surface of the host or attach superficially by their mouthparts and specialized claws. These organisms damage their hosts by inflicting direct injury, eliciting a hypersensitivity reaction, inoculating toxins or pathogens, and inciting fear. The main medically important ectoparasites are arachnids (including mites and ticks), insects (including lice, fleas, bedbugs, and flies), pentastomes (tongue worms), and leeches. Arthropods also may harm humans through brief encounters during which they take a blood meal or attempt to defend themselves by biting, stinging, or exuding venoms. Various arachnids (spiders, scorpions), insects (bees, hornets, wasps, ants, flies, bugs, caterpillars, and beetles), millipedes, and centipedes produce ill effects in these manners, as do certain ectoparasites of animals, including ticks, biting mites, and fleas. In the United States, more people die each year from arthropod stings than from the bites of poisonous snakes. Lesions resulting from the bites and stings of arthropods are so diverse and variable that it is rarely possible to identify precisely what kind of insect or tick is involved..."
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