eMedicine Specialties > Emergency Medicine > Environmental
Millipede Envenomation
Updated: Apr 20, 2009
Introduction
Background
Millipedes are elongated cylindrical creatures that bear 2 pairs of legs per body segment and are found in a wide variety of habitats. They are generally very slow-moving creatures and are relatively innocuous. Falling into the class Diplopoda and the phylum Arthropoda, millipedes comprise some 7000 species.
The desert millipede, Orthoporus ornatus. Photo by Robert Norris, MD.
Millipede contact injury on day 3 following exposure.
Pathophysiology
Millipedes do not have biting mouthparts or fangs. Their medical importance comes from their ability to secrete an irritating defensive liquid from pores along their sides. Such secretions contain benzoquinones, aldehydes, hydrocyanic acid, phenols, terpenoids, nitroethylbenzenes, and other substances.
Some species are capable of squirting these liquids to distances of up to 25 cm.
Mortality/Morbidity
No deaths have been documented from millipede exposures, and it is unlikely that such an exposure could be fatal, even to a small child.
Clinical
History
The history may indicate that a patient was handling a millipede. On occasion, the history of a patient (eg, a sleeping victim, small child) may be obscure.
- Skin irritation
- Pain
- Brown staining at the site of contact
- Slight blistering
- Eye irritation and pain
Physical
- Local erythema
- Mild edema
- Vesicles
- Occasionally, cracked skin that may slough and then heal
- Conjunctivitis, which may lead to ulceration of the conjunctiva and cornea
More on Millipede Envenomation |
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| Follow-up: Millipede Envenomation |
| Multimedia: Millipede Envenomation |
| References |
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References
Dar NR, Raza N, Rehman SB. Millipede burn at an unusual site mimicking child abuse in an 8-year-old girl. Clin Pediatr (Phila). Jun 2008;47(5):490-2. [Medline].
Hare T. Poisonous Dwellers of the Desert. Tucson, AZ: Southwest Parks and Monuments Association; 1995.
Hendrickson RG. Millipede exposure. Clin Toxicol (Phila). 2005;43(3):211-2. [Medline].
Hudson BJ, Parsons GA. Giant millipede 'burns' and the eye. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. Mar-Apr 1997;91(2):183-5. [Medline].
Mason GH, Thomson HD, Fergin P, Anderson R. Spot diagnosis. The burning millipede. Med J Aust. Jun 6 1994;160(11):718, 726. [Medline].
Peters S. A Colour Atlas of Arthropods in Clinical Medicine. Barcelona, Spain: Wolfe Publishing Ltd; 1992.
Radford AJ. Giant millipede burns in Papua New Guinea. P N G Med J. Sep 1976;18(3):138-41. [Medline].
Radford AJ. Millipede burns in man. Trop Geogr Med. Sep 1975;27(3):279-87. [Medline].
Williams LA, Singh PD, Caleb-Williams LS. Biology and biological action of the defensive secretion from a Jamaican millipede. Naturwissenschaften. 1997;84(4):143-4. [Medline].
Further Reading
Keywords
millipede envenomations, millipede sting, millipede bite, Diplopoda, Arthropoda, millipede exposure, centipede
