Case report of severe Entomophobia following Pediculosis capitis from Shiraz, Iran

Background Aims: Dilusory of Parasitosis (DOP) or fear of insects and arthropods (Entomophobia) may be caused by the shape of these creatures, type of behavior and contact with human skin and in the case of some arthropods, even this fear may seems logical because of the prevention of serious injuries. But this fear is not always based on consciousness and sometimes, there is no insect and the person has psychogenic condition.• Case Report: The case of this study is 36-year-old woman from Shiraz who had been treated with Permethrine against pediculosis capitis for about months before the visit. After successful treatment, the patient has always felt the insect movement on her body that has been accompanied by lot of itching, so that, much itching causes small bleeding points on different parts of her body. During this period, she was frequently examined by dermatologists and skin allergic reactions and anxiety were mentioned as the cause of these symptoms. Finally, by doubting the existence of tiny insects and their constant movement on her body surface, she collected plenty of small objects in container and brought them to the parasitology lab several times. Several smears were prepared at each visit from the collected particles and after examination with light microscope, strings of cloths were identified.• Discussion: Patients who have phobia of insects, often complain of skin irritation, dermatitis, feeling the bite and insect movement on their skin. Several factors such as nutritional allergies, the social status of people, and the side effects of taking certain drugs, play role in the occurrence of such symptoms. Also, these symptoms can occur after some diseases. To overcome these problems, it must first be identified the origin of this phobia and then, the appropriate medical treatment should be taken on patients

Case report of severe Entomophobia following Pediculosis capitis from Shiraz, Iran Keywords:

Case report , Entomophobia , Pedicolusis