ABSTRACT
The human body may react in various ways to foreign substances such as arthropod venom or saliva. This chapter presents a set of diagnostic tools and a list of some common bites and reactions. Arthropod bite or sting reactions can be loosely grouped into four basic categories: mechanical trauma, secondary infection, immunologic (hypersensitivity) reactions, and direct toxic effects. The number and location of skin lesions may provide clues for determining the cause of mysterious bites/stings/lesions. Residual effects of arthropod bites that occurred days or weeks earlier may also be classified and used as useful hints for diagnosis. The first line of therapy for systemic reactions to insect bites or stings is appropriate doses of intramuscular epinephrine, most frequently given with either an adult or pediatric autoinjector as appropriate. The mainstay of therapy for local bites and stings is keeping the area clean and applying topical antibiotics to prevent secondary infection.
