Report
Outbreak of lepidopterism at a Boy Scout camp
Section snippets
Methods
We formed a retrospective cohort of persons present at the camp between June 24 and July 30, 2000, by reviewing Boy Scout attendance records. A case was defined as self-reported onset of rash, itch, or hives while at the camp in a person who had been asymptomatic upon arrival.
Initial confirmation of an outbreak was performed by reviewing the camp's infirmary log to identify campers who had been treated there for rash, itch, or hives. A patient could only be counted once in this analysis, and
Confirmation of outbreak
The camp operated 4 separate week-long sessions (Fig 1) during the course of 5 calendar weeks. The majority (41/56; 73%) of initial patient visits to the infirmary for rash, itch, or hives occurred during session 3, which the index patient had attended. On the basis of this epidemic curve, we sent the written questionnaire to session 3 participants to investigate illness onset and risk factors in greater detail.
Session 3 analysis: Written questionnaire
A total of 125 persons were present at the camp during session 3. The questionnaire
Discussion
Epidemiologic and environmental data demonstrated that this outbreak of lepidopterism was caused by exposure to DFTM caterpillars. Risk factors for onset of rash, itch, or hives included campsite, which probably reflected variation in caterpillar density, and both passive contact (eg, finding a caterpillar on one's skin) and active contact (eg, playing the caterpillar-flicking game).
Outbreaks of lepidopterism caused by DFTM are rare. Our investigation was aided by the remote nature of the
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Cited by (16)
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Scabiosis, pediculosis and arthropod bites
2021, Journal de Pediatrie et de Puericulture -
On The Cover
2010, Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology -
Caterpillars and moths. Part I. Dermatologic manifestations of encounters with Lepidoptera
2010, Journal of the American Academy of DermatologyCitation Excerpt :Epidemics of dermatitis from this caterpillar have been reported in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania.14-16 Outbreaks of the Douglas-fir tussock moth caterpillar (Orgyia pseudotsugata) in the Pacific Northwest have caused several epidemics of papular urticaria amongst loggers,17,18 and more recently in a Boy Scout camp in New Mexico.19 In Venezuela, Hylesia moths may be so prevalent that schools and shops are closed early, and farmers and fisherman are unable to work because of a fear of rash and incapacitating itch.20
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Caterpillars and moths. Part II. Dermatologic manifestations of encounters with Lepidoptera
2010, Journal of the American Academy of DermatologyCitation Excerpt :A closely related caterpillar, the Douglas-fir tussock moth (O pseudotsugata) can be very common on conifer trees in the late spring in the Pacific Northwest United States.48-50 Contact with these caterpillars causes welts or papular urticaria, although sometimes dermatitis occurs.50-52 Some series describe the eruption as simply “rash” or “itch.”51
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Arthropod-induced diseases
2009, Weedon's Skin Pathology: Third Edition -
Lepidopteran Insects Status and Diversity: A Review
2023, Journal of Multidisciplinary Applied Natural Science
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The use of trade names is for informational purposes only and does not constitute endorsement by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In addition, the findings and conclusions of this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Funding sources: None.
Conflicts of interest: None declared.
Presented as an oral presentation at the Centers for Disease Control Epidemic Intelligence Service Conference, Atlanta, GA, April 23-27, 2001.