Woodworm fungus bites on humans

 

how to manage and stop woodworm dermatitis

 

Wood, woodworms and allergic dermatitis are intimately associated factors.

 

 But is it woodworms that cause allergic dermatitis in humans?

 

It can happen, unluckily, particularly in summertime, to find yourself with itching bug bites on the skin. Identifying the cause is not easy, because it is a season in which the most varied insects can enter through the windows or they stop frequently outdoors.

 

Most of the time we tend to attribute the reliability for those injuries to tiger mosquitoes, now very familiar in our country, overlooking that the real problem is previously present at home and does not come from outside. Such fury cannot be provoked by a tiger mosquito that arrives occasionally.

 

So what are we talking about?

 

We are speaking about stings and bites from woodworm insects, or a very small arthropod, which, as an adult, has four sets of legs and a stinging and absorbing mouth appliance.

 

This dermatitis, specifically called "woodworm dermatitis", is developed by those who have stopped or live in places where there are antique furniture or wooden beams, heavily infested with Anobid woodworms.

But then do woodworms sting man?

Woodworms do not hit people at all: in fact, they do not have wings or mouthparts able of hurting orbiting.

 They are, however, the indirect cause of skin bites.

These insects sting the woodworms and inject poison into them, for deadening and digestive ideas. When the membranes of the woodworm are liquefied, the dependent sucks them up, serving on them.

This is the tool supported by man when he unexpectedly comes into connection with these parasitoids.

Two common woodworm mites are Pyemotes ventricosus and Scleroderma domesticum.

What are the symptoms of woodworm dermatitis?

 Generally, it arises more violently in the spring-summer period, although there are many cases of reporting as early as February until late October, due to the heating of the rooms.

 It develops with an itchy, annoying and persistent allergic reaction, mainly on the covered parts of the body: stomach, chest, shoulders, back, arms and legs, and manifests itself after a few hours (even 12-24 hours) from the moment in which the actual stings took place. 

In cases where the same person has a large number of bites, in addition to dermatitis, other symptoms may arise such as general malaise, fever, headache, diarrhea and vomiting.

The involuntary inhalation of the carcasses of the mites, which can occur through the dust, can cause the onset of serious allergies such as asthma, chronic rhinitis and sneezing.

How to recognize woodworm mite bites?

 Recognizing if you have been bitten by woodworm mites is not easy, because, as already mentioned, the symptoms do not manifest immediately, but can arise several hours after the attack. Also, for this reason, it is not easy to identify the place where the attack took place.

These are red blisters, specifically of rubbing skin lesions, or wheals, with a swollen and whitish central micro circle, surrounded by a red halo, which causes itchy erythema and evolve into crusts, due to scratching.

The mite tends to attack the same area repeatedly, causing close and numerous bites, associated with intense itching. 

One can even count hundreds of bites on the same individual. 

Distinguishing the stings of Pyemotes ventricosus from those of Scleroderma domesticum is not straightforward, because they appear with almost the same appearance. However, the stings of the Pyemotes are small and close together, like a reddish streak, also present on the limbs, neck and face. While the stings from Scleroderma appear larger and distributed mostly on the trunk and pelvis.

Are wood mite bites painful?

 In the case of Pyemotes ventricosus, the stings are not painful and occur and cause intense itching only after several hours. For this reason, you do not immediately notice that you have been attacked by this wood mite, invisible to the human eye.

On the contrary, if the parasite responsible for the dermatitis is Scleroderma domesticum, this causes a very painful sting at the time of the attack.

Why do woodworm parasites sting humans?

 

 In places where there is widespread infestation with Anobid woodworms, parasites of woodworm larvae develop, which live, at their expense, in infested furniture and beams.

 

When the parasites reproduce, they can generate up to 400 new specimens of their species, which pour into the tunnels, until they come out of the flickering holes made by the woodworms.

 This is the moment when the attack on man takes place.

 If we talk about infested furniture, for example, it is sufficient to inadvertently lean on the artifacts, sit or rest on a chair, an armchair, a sofa or a bed invaded by worms, to come into contact with the parasites and be bitten.

Or, it may be enough to wear clothes and linens previously stored in a worm-eaten chest of drawers, to find yourself full of bites on the chest and legs. In these cases, the mites, imprisoned in clothing, repeatedly and violently unleash their attack on the areas of skin with which they come into contact. This is why it is often the covered parts of the body that are mainly affected.

 

How to cure woodworm mite bites: here are the correct remedies

 To treat woodworm mite dermatitis it is necessary to intervene, following a double path in parallel.

First, you need to contact your doctor or dermatologist to start the correct therapy.

Generally, once the cause of the present wheels has been identified, a therapy based on antihistamines or cortisone is administered.

However, if the triggering cause of the dermatitis is not eliminated, the therapy will not be able to have its effects.

It would not make sense to follow a cure and continue to remain in an environment where the parasites of woodworms are present, which would continue to bite humans.

In concert, it is, therefore, necessary to thoroughly check and inspect beams, furniture and any wooden stumps introduced into the house, to identify which artifacts are infested by woodworms.

At this point, it is essential to permanently eliminate the woodworms.

Once the woodworms are eliminated, the conditions that favour the development of parasites disappear.

To do this, it will be necessary to contact an expert to subject the worm-eaten artifacts to a definitive and guaranteed anti-woodworm treatment.

Simple insecticides or products are unfortunately not the correct cure for wood, because they are unable to eliminate the eggs or reach all the woodworm larvae.

 Especially in these cases, a radical intervention is necessary, such as the PROtection Heat for the beams or the PROtection Microwave disinfestation for the furniture.

 In addition, while the furniture is at the company for radical woodworm treatment, it is advisable to carry out an environmental anti-mite disinfestation, to eliminate any residues of parasites left in the house.

At the end of the woodworm treatment, it is suggested to proceed with the closure of the flickering holes, present on the surfaces of the wood, to be sure of not having left open holes and suitable for the parking of any other invisible parasites or for laying eggs.

The problem of woodworm mite dermatitis is very serious. You cannot improvise in the resolution, because you risk making the situation worse, but it is necessary to follow the correct procedures to leave this nightmare behind.

How to prevent wood mite bites?

Once the woodworm mites have developed it is not possible to avoid being stung, but it is necessary to intervene with the procedures indicated above.

 However, if the parasites have not yet developed, there is a way to prevent bites: radically disinfect the furniture or beams from woodworms, in time.

An ongoing woodworm infestation is destined to grow over time because the woodworms reproduce exponentially.

Considering that, from statistical data, it emerged that the cases of dermatitis, caused by woodworm mites, are constantly growing in our country, before the infestation by woodworm becomes so uncontrolled and widespread as to generate parasites, it is essential to stop immediately the development of the worms themselves with suitable anti-woodworm treatments and make sure you live in a healthy and reclaimed environment.