One woman said she came into contact with a tomcat, her scars were still visible six weeks on, see right. Photo / Supplied
One woman said she came into contact with a tomcat, her scars were still visible six weeks on, see right. Photo / Supplied
Holiday-makers in Bali are warning fellow travellers to be mindful of a venomous beetle that can cause horrible burn-like scars and blisters on the skin.
The rove beetle, known locally as Tomcat, is a small insect that looks like a long ant with a pointy posterior.
The black and brown-coloured beetle likes to live in moist habitats, which may explain why they are fans of Bali's rice paddies.
However, if you happen to accidentally brush against it or crush it near the skin, it provokes the release of its coelomic fluid, which contains paederin, a strong blistering chemical.
It's because the Tomcat can't actually inject its toxin into your bloodstream, so the superficial exposure to your skin is what results in rashes of varying severity.
For example, even using a towel, or sleeping on a sheet which the beetle has been in contact with can lead to burns. It can be painful and sometimes require medical attention.
One Aussie woman, who posted in the popular Facebook group – Bali Bogans – shared a photo of what happened to her leg after coming into contact with the beetle.
"I got burnt close to two weeks ago on my leg, went to a doc and have been using a 1 per cent cortisone cream on it twice daily," she explained.
"But even though the burn has mostly peeled, I'm still left with burnt looking skin underneath."
She told members she was lucky hers wasn't painful, adding it happened in Sanur – a seaside town in the southeast of the island of Bali.
Tom Cats, Rove Beetles or Paederus littoralis: whatever you call them don't squish them. Photo / Wikimedia Commons
"[I] didn't feel it happen so no idea where I was. Just woke up to the marks on my legs! I'm just glad it happened to me and not one of my kids!" she wrote.
One person explained the beetles' poisonous venom is so strong it burns the skin.
"It's actually crazy strong. It's compared to cobra venom. Even one walking on your bedsheets will leave you with the burns. or more commonly just using a towel that one has been on will leave the marks," he wrote.
I'd never heard of them, but someone posted a link, so I had a good read up on them."
The woman asked the group's 317,000-strong members for advice to prevent it from flaring again. Some recommended she use vitamin E oil and aloe vera to help soothe the burns, while others shared their own horror stories in the comments.
One person said it had taken a "couple years" for her scars to heal while another said theirs lasted for months.
"Seven weeks and counting. Mine was quite bad. Now just looks like a bruise," another shared.
"You just helped me figure out how I got my burns in Bali six weeks ago," a second person added.
One woman said it initially gave her a 'shock', but it eventually healed.
Ecologist and University of Sydney professor Dieter Hochuli told news.com.au you pretty much have to come into contact with them to get a nasty reaction.
"The toxin is in the blood of the females, and is released when you contact them," he said.
"Brushing them away can add to the problem, as you end up smoodging the toxin in the direction of the brush and spreading it. That's why lots of the blisters look quite linear."
Prof Hochuli said research suggests the dermatitis it causes takes about 12–36 hours to show, and different people respond in different ways.
A Facebook group is dedicated to the scars and burns from coming into contact with rove beetles. Photo / Supplied
"It generally causes a rash that can develop into really nasty blisters. After that it gets irritating and you can get crusty and scaly skin, that takes time to heal," he said.
Prof Hochuli said he understood it takes a few weeks for the skin to heal.
"But it seems people are reporting much longer times. I'd be guessing that it's very much driven by the initial exposure and the subsequent conditions for skin healing (limiting other irritations, infections etc.)"
His advise for those who have been in contact with the beetle was to first wash the irritated area with cool soapy water.
"If it's really bad, steroid creams/ointments may reduce the physical effects the toxin has on the affected areas," Prof Hochuli added.
