Abstract. We report a series of dermatitis cases caused by the staphilinid beetles,
Paederus fuscipes Curtis, among university students staying in the residential college
in Puncak Alam, Selangor, Malaysia from 1 January to 31 December 2010. A total of 360 cases (6.0%) were recorded in the Student Health Center throughout the year; the majority of patients stayed at a hostel near an oil palm plantation.
Skin symptoms included erythema, edema, vesicular papules, painful blisters,
burning sensation, pruritus, hyper pigmentation and peeling of skin. The commonly
involved sites were the face, neck, shoulders and arms. Most students
noticed the symptoms upon awakening in the morning. The patients were treated
with fusidic acid cream and the symptoms resolved within 5 days. These beetles
are nocturnally active and enter the room whenever a light source is available.
The unintentional crushing of these beetles during sleep causes the release of its
hemolymph (paederin) which is the cause of the dermatitis.