Synonym: red bug, trombiculid mite
Genus: Neotrombicula, Eutrombicula
Stages: larva (6-legged), nymph (8-legged), adult
Risk factors:
(1) time spent outdoors in the summer, such as camping or hiking
(2) exposure to brush and vegetation
(3) presence of large numbers of rodents, birds or other animals that serve as hosts
Clinical features:
(1) clusters of small papules, pustules or wheals
(2) usually the skin lesions have an erythematous base
(3) often the lesions are intensely pruritic
(4) lesions may be found in clusters around an area of constriction in clothing, such as a belt or the socks
Common sites for lesions:
(1) lower extremities
(2) genitalia
(3) waist
Possible complications:
(1) Rickettsia infection (scrub typhus, Rickettsia tsutsugamushi)
Differential diagnosis:
(1) poison ivy, poison oak, poison sumac
(2) other insect bites
