Ekbom's Syndrome Delusional Parasitosis Delusions of infestation

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The Belief that their home and bodies are infested with a bug From 1902 to 1938, case studies describing “parasitophobias” or “dermatological hypochondriasis”It was first methodically described in a case series by Karl-Axel Ekbom in 1938 where a delusion of parasitic infestations associated with tactile hallucinations as well as skin manifestations were present in postmenopausal women

Ekbom KA. The Pre-Senile Delusion of Infestation. History of Psychiatry. 2003;14:232–256. doi: 10.1177/0957154X030142008.

Is it a medical condition it is not an entomological or pest management condition an thus it cannot be treated by a pest control person.

Diseases that have been confused for a pest bite or infestation

Morgellons Disease erupting skin fiber condition reemerged in 2002.

The name “Morgellons” comes from a letter written in 1674 by Sir Thomas Browne, an English physician. The letter contains a brief description of a skin disease in French children:

Hairs which have most amused me have not been in the face or head, but on the back, and not in men but children, as I long ago observed in that endemial distemper of little children in Languedock, called the Morgellons, wherein they critically break out with harsh hairs on their backs, which takes off the unquiet symptoms of the disease, and delivers them from coughs and convulsions.

History of Morgellons disease: from delusion to definition

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5811176/

Is it a phycological or psychiatric condition

Clinical, Epidemiologic, Histopathologic and Molecular Features of an Unexplained Dermopathy

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0029908

Delusional Infestation

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2772366/

Delusions of parasitosis is more common in Caucasians and tend to occur in females 2:1 over males.

Infestation vs bites vs Scabs

Young Man

Young Woman

Entomological knowledge is very lacking in the general public but its also lacking in the medical profession.

The Importance of having a positive ID

Formication, creeping and crawling sensations. stinging, biting.

There are no invisible pests

There are microscopic pest

Pests that bite

Mosquitoes
Bedbugs
Ticks
Fleas
Midges no-see-ums outdoor
Spiders

Mites That Attack Humans https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/IG/IG08600.pdf

Bird Mites
Rodent Mites

Scabies Mites

The human itch (scabies) mite burrows into the skin, causing intense itching and irritation.
Skin between the fingers, at the bend of the elbow or knee, and at the shoulder blades are areas most often affected.
The intense itching is accompanied by a rash.
Scabies is a medical problem and is readily diagnosed and treated by most physicians.

Chiggers https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ig085

Chiggers (the larval stage of the harvest mite)
No winter pest
outdoor do not infest homes
Chiggers are easily removed from the skin by taking a hot bath or shower and lathering with soap several times.
Chiggers also bite people and generally are too small to be seen without magnification.
Chigger bites produce a hardened, red welt that begins to itch intensely within 24 to 48 hours after exposure to the mite.

Lice that can infest people