title: Blistering Beetle Dermatitis: An Outbreak.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Blister beetles, which are abundant in Madhya Pradesh and Punjab cause peculiar skin lesions. We came across large number of such cases.
  
  
  METHODS
  This descriptive study comprised 46 cases of Blistering beetle dermatitis who presented to skin OPD, over a period of one month from 17 April to 15 May 2002.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All cases belonged to one company of soldiers deployed near an agricultural land. Of the total of 245, 46 personnel suffered from blistering beetle dermatitis with an incidence of 18.7%. A thorough epidemiological investigation was undertaken and beetles of Paederus Fucipes were found incriminating. Further spread was effectively controlled by timely spray of Baygon and Malathion over the infested land.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In an outbreak of bizarre dermatitis, diagnosis of blistering beetle dermatitis should be kept in mind. Timely diagnosis, epidemiological investigation and insecticide spraying brings down the incidence of new cases.
authors.affiliation: Classified Specialist (Skin and STD), CH (SC) Pune.
authors.forename: Col Rajesh
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Verma
authors.affiliation: Graded Specialist(Preventive and Social Medicine), OIC, Station Health Organization, Ferozpur Cantt.
authors.forename: Sunil
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Agarwal
keywords: Blister beetle; Paederus dermatitis