Insect Bites Workup

  • Author: Bo Burns, DO, FACEP, FAAEM; Chief Editor: Rick Kulkarni, MD   more...
 
Updated: Feb 14, 2011
 

Laboratory Studies

  • Laboratory studies are seldom necessary. Appropriate laboratory studies should be ordered if the patient is compromised severely and requires hospital admission or end-organ failure is suspected, or for evaluation of secondary complications such as cellulitis.
  • Biopsy of lesions generally is nondeterminant and is impractical in the ED.
  • Microscopic examination of skin scrapings can be useful in the diagnosis of scabies or mite infestations but are not useful for most insect bites.
  • Serology studies may be useful in determining infection due to an insect vector, but these are not available in the ED and may take weeks to obtain a result.
Proceed to Treatment & Management
 
 
Contributor Information and Disclosures
Author

Bo Burns, DO, FACEP, FAAEM  Assistant Professor, Associate Residency Director, Medical Clerkship Director, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Oklahoma School of Community Medicine; Attending Physician, Department of Emergency Medicine

Bo Burns, DO, FACEP, FAAEM, is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Emergency Medicine, American College of Emergency Physicians, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Coauthor(s)

Kavon Charles Azadi, MD  Resident Physician, Oklahoma Institute for Disaster and Emergency Medicine, University of Oklahoma College of Community Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine

Kavon Charles Azadi, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Emergency Physicians, American Medical Association, American Medical Student Association/Foundation, and Oklahoma State Medical Association

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Specialty Editor Board

Robert M McNamara, MD, FAAEM  Chair and Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, Temple University School of Medicine

Robert M McNamara, MD, FAAEM is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Emergency Medicine, American Medical Association, Pennsylvania Medical Society, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

John T VanDeVoort, PharmD  Regional Director of Pharmacy, Sacred Heart and St Joseph's Hospitals

John T VanDeVoort, PharmD is a member of the following medical societies: American Society of Health-System Pharmacists

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Gino A Farina, MD, FACEP, FAAEM  Associate Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Program Director, Department of Emergency Medicine, Long Island Jewish Medical Center

Gino A Farina, MD, FACEP, FAAEM is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Emergency Medicine, American College of Emergency Physicians, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

John D Halamka, MD, MS  Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; Chief Information Officer, CareGroup Healthcare System and Harvard Medical School; Attending Physician, Division of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

John D Halamka, MD, MS is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Emergency Physicians, American Medical Informatics Association, Phi Beta Kappa, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Rick Kulkarni, MD  Attending Physician, Department of Emergency Medicine, Cambridge Health Alliance, Division of Emergency Medicine, Harvard Medical School

Rick Kulkarni, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American Academy of Emergency Medicine, American College of Emergency Physicians, American Medical Association, American Medical Informatics Association, Phi Beta Kappa, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: WebMD Salary Employment

Additional Contributors

The authors and editors of eMedicine gratefully acknowledge the contributions of previous authors, Miguel C Fernandez, MD, and Nicolas F Arredondo, MD, to the development and writing of this article.

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Insect Bites. Yellowjacket wasp. Image courtesy of CDC.
Insect Bites. Anopheles albimanus mosquito feeding on human host. Image courtesy of CDC.
Insect Bites. A bedbug, Cimex lectularius, feeding on human blood. The bedbug's name comes from its preferred habitat, including mattresses, sofas, and other furniture. Image courtesy of CDC.
Insect Bites. Louse, Pediculus humanus, dorsal view after feeding on blood. Most lice are scavengers, feeding on skin and other debris found on the host's body, but some species feed on sebaceous secretions and blood. Image courtesy of CDC.
 
 
 
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