A Case of Rat Mite Dermatitis / 대한피부과학회지

ABSTRACT

Rat mite dermatitis caused by Ornithonysus bacoti, commonly referred to as the tropical rat mite, is characterized by pruritic papules in patients exposed to tropical rat mite. Histopathologic sections from the lesions of infected patients show moderate perivascular lymphohistiocytic infiltration intermingled with some eosinophils. Causative female mites, Ornithonyssus bacoti, can be collected from around the skin lesions. The conclusive diagnosis of tropical rat mite dermatitis is based on the identification of the arthropod O. bacoti at the home of the patient (husbandry of gerbils, etc.). Moreover, the diagnosis of rat mite dermatitis requires the detection of the parasite, which is more likely to be found in the host's environment rather than on the host's skin. We report a case of rat mite dermatitis in a 22-year-old female who presented with pruritic, multiple, erythematous papules on the abdomen, back and axilla.