Sudden appearance of pruritic eruption with comet sign due to Pyemotes sp.

Abstract

Funding sources: none. Conflicts of interest: The authors declare they have no conflicts of interest. Dear Editor, A 45‐year‐old woman presented with a pruritic rash in June 2019 in rural France. The rash showed multiple erythematous papules with a central vesicle or haemorrhagic punctum, some with a linear erythematous tract, on the neck, trunk and limbs. She reported handling old logs and straw the day before. The comet sign was first described in 2007 as a specific sign of Pyemotes dermatitis induced by Pyemotes ventricosus,1 a mite found in firewood, straw and grain infested by Anobiidae beetles, and for which humans could become accidental prey. The diagnosis is based on the clinical presentation and contact with suspected Pyemotes‐infested material.2