Starfish Dermatitis Due to Marthasterias Glacialis
João Maia Silva,
André Ribeiro,
Barbara Oliveira,
Helena Melo,
Miguel Correia
Affiliations
João Maia Silva
Centro de Dermatologia, Hospital CUF Descobertas, Lisboa, Portugal. Clínica Universitária de Dermatologia, Faculdade de Medicina de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal.
André Ribeiro
Unidade de Saúde Familiar Servir Saúde, Corroios, Portugal.
Barbara Oliveira
Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Lisboa, Portugal.
Helena Melo
Centro de Dermatologia, Hospital CUF Descobertas, Lisboa, Portugal.
Miguel Correia
Centro de Dermatologia, Hospital CUF Descobertas, Lisboa, Portugal.
Some marine organisms are known to inflict contact dermatitis, whether secondary to professional or recreational activities. We report a 23-year-old white woman with hypersensitivity reaction induced by Marthasterias glacialis starfish. To our knowledge this is the first report of starfish hypersensitivity reaction induced by Marthasterias glacialis on human skin. Because of the growing popularity of recreational subaquatic activities, such as scuba diving, reports about diving-related skin diseases are expected to increase.
