title: Live bee acupuncture (Bong-Chim) dermatitis: dermatitis due to live bee acupuncture therapy in Korea.
abstract: Live bee acupuncture (Bong-Chim) dermatitis is an iatrogenic disease induced by so-called live bee acupuncture therapy, which applies the honeybee (Apis cerana) stinger directly into the lesion to treat various diseases in Korea. We present two cases of live bee acupuncture dermatitis and review previously published articles about this disease. We classify this entity into three stages: acute, subacute, and chronic. The acute stage is an inflammatory reaction, such as anaphylaxis or urticaria. In the chronic stage, a foreign body granuloma may develop from the remaining stingers, similar to that of a bee sting reaction. However, in the subacute stage, unlike bee stings, we see the characteristic histological "flame" figures resulting from eosinophilic stimulation induced by excessive bee venom exposure. We consider this stage to be different from the adverse skin reaction of accidental bee sting.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, The Catholic University of Daegu, Daegu, Korea.
authors.forename: Joon Soo
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Min Jung
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Ki Hun
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Dong Kyun
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.forename: Hyun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chung
mesh_terms: D000038:Abscess / Q000209:etiology; D015670:Acupuncture Therapy / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods*; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D056705:Apitherapy / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods*; D001514:Bee Venoms / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001516:Bees; D002648:Child; D003872:Dermatitis / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007299:Insect Bites and Stings; D008297:Male; D056910:Republic of Korea
chemical_list: D001514:Bee Venoms