What's eating you? ant-induced alopecia (pheidole)
Feily, A.; Lal, K.; Elston, D.M.
Cutis 96(4): 221-222
2015
ISSN/ISBN: 0011-4162 PMID: 26682285 Document Number: 683337
Ant-induced alopecia is a rare cause of acute, localized, nonscarring hair loss. It is most commonly caused by Pheidole pallidula ants, which can be found worldwide but are most common in Iran. The resulting alopecia can have many morphologic patterns (eg, patch, linear, nondiscrete) and thus ant-induced alopecia should be considered in the differential diagnosis for patients from endemic areas who present with new-onset localized hair loss. The condition is self-limited; however, patients should be evaluated for other more common causes of alopecia, especially in the absence of a convincing history.