Bugs Are Crawling In My Skin

Skin eruptions mystify both doctor and patient.

By Claire Panosian Dunavan
Nov 20, 2006 6:00 AMApr 18, 2023 6:22 PM

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"Doctor, bugs are crawling in my skin, sending out fibers, releasing secretions! Look at these awful sores—something's alive in them."

The plea may sound straight out of a sci-fi movie, but for some people, it's a sensation they face every day. And it's an experience they share with me.

As a tropical medicine specialist, my toughest challenge is not what you might imagine—a returning traveler afflicted with malaria, amebiasis, or dengue fever. Those are serious illnesses, but I know how to diagnose and treat them.

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