Bitten By Something Strange

[Tango7]

Just got back from a great stay in Hua Hin but it was tarnished somewhat by some nasty bites I got from something and no idea what.

Stayed in a small but very nice hotel and woke up during the night with some bites. I thought they were just mosquito bites and so the wife rubbed in some "ya mong" and we left them.

The next day, I noticed they were much bigger than usual bites I get and they were weeping.

The next night, I sprayed the living daylights out of the room and even added a plug in mossie killer but I was still bitten again.

I now have about 12 nasty brutish bites that are very big and itching like crazy.

Anyone know what could have bitten me ? I didn't see any mosquitos in the room, but I did see a few spiders and some small, black insects ( one or two ).

The spread of the bites indicates something that would fly or a number of insects but what I saw didn't seem to cover that.

[losworld]

This is interesting. I recall speaking with a Thai woman in Bangkok and telling her I was headed to Hua Hin for a couple weeks. She said to watch out as there are little bugs in the sand that will bite you.

I spent a few days on the beach in Hua Hin and lo and behold I had all kinds of bite marks on the tops of my feet and ankles. Much worse than a mosquito bite they were larger and took weeks to go away. I don't get reactions from mosquito bites but I did get reactions from these bites.

Not sure what they were but I recall a friend of mine telling me that when he was visiting Rio years ago they had dug up the entire beach to get rid of an insect or parasite.

[VTR1000]

This is interesting. I recall speaking with a Thai woman in Bangkok and telling her I was headed to Hua Hin for a couple weeks. She said to watch out as there are little bugs in the sand that will bite you.

I spent a few days on the beach in Hua Hin and lo and behold I had all kinds of bite marks on the tops of my feet and ankles. Much worse than a mosquito bite they were larger and took weeks to go away. I don't get reactions from mosquito bites but I did get reactions from these bites.

Not sure what they were but I recall a friend of mine telling me that when he was visiting Rio years ago they had dug up the entire beach to get rid of an insect or parasite.

Sounds like sand flies. Best thing is go to a clinic and get the bites checked.

[CKM8ED]

i also have gotten bit but it was very small ants which left large itchy welts

[pdavids]

Seasonally, you can also get little bugs in the water that bite you, so if you went swimming in the ocean (such as it is) you may have been bitten without being aware of it.

[Tango7]

I waded in the water but swam in the pool only.

I knelt on the sand but only momentarily.

The bites seem to have come during the night but nothing I could identify.

As with another poster here, mossie bites annoy me but they go away after a day. There leave large welts and lots of fluid accummulates near the surface.

The only thing I saw was an ant like insect, but it wasn't an ant.

[Treborz]

Just be thankful you haven't been bitten by a centipede beacause fck me that hurts!

[Briggsy]

If bites are in straight lines, this is diagnostic for bed bugs. Very common. Not so pleasant though. Not straight lines could still be bed bugs.

My advice is don't scratch them. That's when the trouble begins.

[TVmonitor]

Where were the bites??

Sandflies - are often mistakes for Mozzies tend to bite around the ankles....there are many species underthe sandflie umbrella - but basically there are referred to as "No-see-ums".

however if the bites are on the side of your body - i.e. the bit you sleep on, they may be bed-bugs

if they are itching te thing is to aoid scratching,so try calamine lotion of anti-histamine tabs

Edited June 14, 2009 by TVmonitor

[Samuian]

I don't know what bug, but lot's of advice has been given here, at first hand I would also think sand flies or bed bugs, what else?

A good remedy for the bites is "Fenistil Gel" (Anti Histamine)

[Tango7]

some on my foot, some on my calf, some on my shin, elbows, ear etc. ( privates survived thank God ).

I think I got bitten by bed bugs a few years back and not the same type. Also, wife got bitten too but not as serverly.

I have dowsed the buggers in cream from pharmacy, added antiseptic cream and whacked a band-aid on the lot as I found the one on my shin was leaking through my jeans and a dark patch appeared where it had seeped into the jeans.

Edited June 14, 2009 by Tango7

[calicojack]

I live about 60 km south of Hua Hin .

6 month's ago i got bitten on my arms and legs while i was on the beach in front of our home.

The bites where not from mozzy's , but sandflies .

The bite marks had a terrible burning itch , after sometime they became ulsters , then they became wounds , some as big a 2 cm in diameter .

The pills and cream i had from a Thai clinic not worked .

The wounds looked like "cutane leishmaniasis" a tropical infection that is not common in Thailand and is spread by sandflies.

I had the wounds about 6 to 8 weeks , then i doctored myself with "amoxilline" and healed very quickly .

If the bites get infected you should see a doc tho ,

[Tango7]

I have put antiseptic cream on them all and band aided them up so as not to scratch them or have them rub against clothing etc.

They are nasty buggers !!

[bina]

cutane leishmaniasis-- the rose of jericho... and amoxillin doesnt cure that... we have it close to where i live. but bed bugs, other types of sandflies that bite (teh CL is caused by a parasite and the sand fly is a vector for it, and it is very localized to certain areas)

bina

israel

[loong]

Go and see a doctor.

I had a series of bites similar to what you describe, extremely itchy and spreading outwards. Turned out not to be bites but a fungal infection.

[Tango7]

Go and see a doctor.

I had a series of bites similar to what you describe, extremely itchy and spreading outwards. Turned out not to be bites but a fungal infection.

Interesting point, but these appeared during the night as if I had been bitten. Also, my wife was bitten so it seems more likely to be a bite than a fungal infection.

I'm trying to find images on the web to see if mine look the same.

Things seem to point to sand flies but I have bites all over and they appeared during the night from within my room.

[tomloughney]

Last January some friends were visiting from Germany. Stayed in a resort near Kleng south of Rayong. Perfect beach and clean clear water. They had stayed here for 7 previous years but this time they complained of these bites. Similar to what has been described. I was with them for one day, only walked on the beach and had quite a number of bites on my legs as I wore shorts, did not go swimming.

So two days ago we went to Hua HIn for a break, stayed at the Chom View Hotel (which was very nice and not expensive but older) right on the beach, The beach was clean and the water also. On the way back today I had 15 or more bites on my lower legs and forearms that were just the same as last January in Kleng.

I never saw or felt anything bite me. The GF got bit also so it needed to be from the bach/water. Not a bug in the room, nada....

So not due to the season as January and July are far apart.

If i remember it will take a week or more for these to go away.

I live near Pattaya and never got any bites from Wong Amat beach or from Jomption beach but i don't go very often once or twice a year and then don't swim in the dirty water. But nothing from the beach.

I do think the sand in kleng and Hua Hin is that very fine firm sand, you can ride a bike or car on the beach, but the sand in Pattaya is the soft larger grain sand.

Tom

[roamer]

This is interesting. I recall speaking with a Thai woman in Bangkok and telling her I was headed to Hua Hin for a couple weeks. She said to watch out as there are little bugs in the sand that will bite you.

I spent a few days on the beach in Hua Hin and lo and behold I had all kinds of bite marks on the tops of my feet and ankles. Much worse than a mosquito bite they were larger and took weeks to go away. I don't get reactions from mosquito bites but I did get reactions from these bites.

Not sure what they were but I recall a friend of mine telling me that when he was visiting Rio years ago they had dug up the entire beach to get rid of an insect or parasite.

[roamer]

This is interesting. I recall speaking with a Thai woman in Bangkok and telling her I was headed to Hua Hin for a couple weeks. She said to watch out as there are little bugs in the sand that will bite you.

I spent a few days on the beach in Hua Hin and lo and behold I had all kinds of bite marks on the tops of my feet and ankles. Much worse than a mosquito bite they were larger and took weeks to go away. I don't get reactions from mosquito bites but I did get reactions from these bites.

Not sure what they were but I recall a friend of mine telling me that when he was visiting Rio years ago they had dug up the entire beach to get rid of an insect or parasite.

When you dig up a beach its normally to get rid off a nasty little parasite called Cutaneous larva migrans (CLM) that is spread by animal feces. This has become much more prevalent in SE Asia of late, I ought to know as I and another member of my family picked it up in Langkawi, symptoms not noticeable for a couple of weeks usually till you notice the little buggers moving around under the skin of your foot!! Not always correctly diagnosed and treated, my daughter returned to OZ and when it developed saw 3 different doctors and given useless anti-biotics and anti fungal cream, the itching was driving her crazy. Then it developed in me, I went to The London School of Tropical Medicine who diagnosed it straight away and gave the correct treatment.

Whilst what happened to the OP sounds like sandflies this might be a good time to point out that its a wise precaution to wear some type of footwear on any beach to which animals have access.

[Livinginexile]

This is interesting. I recall speaking with a Thai woman in Bangkok and telling her I was headed to Hua Hin for a couple weeks. She said to watch out as there are little bugs in the sand that will bite you.

I spent a few days on the beach in Hua Hin and lo and behold I had all kinds of bite marks on the tops of my feet and ankles. Much worse than a mosquito bite they were larger and took weeks to go away. I don't get reactions from mosquito bites but I did get reactions from these bites.

Not sure what they were but I recall a friend of mine telling me that when he was visiting Rio years ago they had dug up the entire beach to get rid of an insect or parasite.

Sounds like sand flies. Best thing is go to a clinic and get the bites checked.

Yeah sand flies for sure. Did you go to the beach?

They often don't swell and start itching untill the next day.

I have just returned from Koh Chang and got about 20 bites across my back and arms.

Extremely uncomfortable