What could be the problem if you were bitten by an insect and have itchy red blotches all over your body and it feels as if something is moving inside of you?

Answer 1

• I saw a programme on TV about a young girl who was bitten by an insect that turned out to be a sort of maggot or worm inside her, under the skin. She eventually had to go to hospital because she ignored it and it turned septic.

  The doctor squeezed around where the reddish lump was and a sort of maggot came out. A maggot is a foreign body that infects the bloodstream, so you need to see your doctor to get antibiotics and to have a look at it before it turns nasty.

• While insects like the Guinea Worm/Fly of Africa do exactly as you describe: plant a larva inside the human host, which emerges in some days as a maggot (another larval form, which will later turn into a fly), this wouldn't appear all over your body (how could the larvae travel that far?). And maggots don't infect the bloodstream.

  What I think we're seeing here is an anaphylactic (i.e., allergic) response to whatever venom the insect carried. The weals and the itching corroborate this.

  I'd talk to my doctor, of course, but I'd also see if Benadryl/Diphenhydramine would do the job. This antihistamine is available over the counter almost anywhere in the world. I would take the maximum dosage as recommended on the box. If you don't see an improvement within 4 hours, call the doctor again.

  Note -- if you start having trouble breathing, call for medical help instantly.