title: Contact dermatitis from Larrea (creosote bush).
abstract: Six men suffering from acute dermatitis had positive patch tests to Larrea (creosote bush). The lesions preferentially involved sun-exposed sites, simulating a photodermatitis, but also were on the legs and scrotum. Our findings were more consistent with contact allergy than with a primary irritant or a phototoxic response. The patch tests were also positive to Zuccagnia punctata. In two cases the exposure to the creosote bush occurred as a result of casual occupations, in two because of household remedies (moist compresses and baths), and in the other two as a result of burning the bush and resorting to household remedies. Attention should be drawn to this contact dermatitis because the creosote bush grows abundantly all over the American continent.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001118:Argentina; D003877:Dermatitis, Contact / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010787:Photosensitivity Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D010944:Plants; D010946:Plants, Medicinal