Tests and diagnosis

By Mayo Clinic Staff

Doctors can usually identify mosquito bites by sight, particularly during seasons and in warm, humid regions with many mosquitoes.

The red, itchy, painful swelling referred to as skeeter syndrome is sometimes mistaken for a secondary bacterial infection brought on by excessive scratching and broken skin. Skeeter syndrome is actually the result of an allergic reaction to proteins in mosquito saliva. There's no simple blood test to detect mosquito antibodies in blood, so mosquito allergy is diagnosed by history of mosquito exposure followed by large, red areas of swelling and itching.

Oct. 24, 2012