A case of histologically diagnosed tick infestation on the scalp of a Korean child.
A scalp mass surgically excised from a 4-year-old Korean boy was identified as a tick through histological observations. In sections of the mass, characteristic features of a tick, including its gross contour, cuticular structures, well developed musculature and salivary glands, and the capitulum, were discovered. In particular, the capitulum is anteriorly protruded, which strongly suggests that the specimen be a hard tick of family Ixodidae. However, the present histological features were not enough to determine the genus and species of the tick, because information on sectional morphologies of different tick species is unavailable. This is a rare case of tick infestation on the scalp diagnosed in histological sections.
Chang
Sun Hee
SH
Clinical Research Center, Inje University Ilsan Paik Hospital, Gyeonggi province 411-706, Korea.
Park
Jae-Hwan
JH
Kwak
Ji Eun
JE
Joo
Mee
M
Kim
Hanseong
H
Chi
Je G
JG
Hong
Sung-Tae
ST
Chai
Jong-Yil
JY
D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012535:Scalp / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000473:pathology*; D013984:Tick Infestations / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology