title: Ant-induced alopecia: report of 2 cases and review of the literature.
abstract: Localized scalp hair loss is associated with many processes, including alopecia areata, trichotillomania, tinea capitis, and early lupus erythematosus. There are several reports of localized alopecia after tick- and flea-bites and bee stings, but there are only two reports of ant-induced alopecia in the literature. We present two cases of alopecia induced by ants of genus Pheidole (species pallidula) and review the literature for insect-induced alopecia. Ant-induced alopecia should be considered in the differential diagnosis of localized sudden-onset alopecia, at least in some geographic areas of the world.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Wound Healing Research Group, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. mortazavir@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Mohammadreza
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mortazavi
authors.forename: Parvin
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mansouri
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000505:Alopecia / Q000209:etiology*; D000506:Alopecia Areata / Q000175:diagnosis; D000818:Animals; D001000:Ants / Q000502:physiology; D001070:Appetitive Behavior; D001512:Bedding and Linens; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D008297:Male; D012535:Scalp; D014006:Tinea Capitis / Q000175:diagnosis; D014256:Trichotillomania / Q000175:diagnosis