ABSTRACT
Introduction and medical significance Biting and stinging arthropods in the urban and suburban environment may negatively affect human health by the lesions they produce as well as allergic reactions.1-8 Skin lesions resulting from arthropod exposure have various pathologic origins, such as direct damage to tissue, allergic reactions to venom or saliva, or infectious diseases. Allergic reactions aside, much human morbidity results from direct injury of arthropod biting/ stinging. Direct injury can occur from mouthparts, stingers, or urticating hairs piercing human skin,9 or from proteins in venom or saliva causing direct mast cell degranulation, leading to allergic reactions.10 In addition, scratching may lead to secondary infections, wherein strep or staph bacteria are rubbed into the skin via the bite/ sting punctum (Figure 20.1).
