Skin Damage Caused by Stink Bugs / 日本農村医学会雑誌

ABSTRACT

Skin damage caused by stink bugs was categorized into three types I) pigmentation, II) bites, and III) ulcer/erosion due to accidental ingestion. Dermoscopic examination of type I damage revealed two types amorphous and homogenous/diffuse pigmentation. The amorphous type was seen in 4 cases and involved the fingers, arm, and back, as well as the foot of an infant. The homogenous/diffuse type was seen in 6 cases, which all involved the foot except for 1 case involving a finger. These different types were thought to arise from different degrees and durations of crushing stink bugs. The diffuse type was attributed to high pressure between the foot and stink bug. Eruptions had characteristic colors of yellow, orange, or brown. The pigmented skin was exfoliated after several days in 2 cases. A crushing experiment using a stink bug revealed pigmentation on the foot, which disappeared naturally within 1 week. Examination of the pigmentation by the tape stripping method showed that pigmentation affected several layers of the stratum corneum.