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ViewAttendees 3

10-Minute Paper

Medical, Urban, and Veterinary Entomology

MUVE: Human Dimensions

Working groups address delusional infestations

Tuesday, November 7, 2023
4:42 PM – 4:54 PM ET
Location: Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, National Harbor 2
In-Person
Extension, entomology, mental health, and pest management professionals from academia, industry, and state agencies created the University of Tennessee One Health Initiative Delusional Infestations Working Group to address delusional infestations in Tennessee. Delusional infestations is a condition in which an individual strongly, but falsely, believes they or their surroundings are infested with parasitic organisms or fibers. Although case reports are rare, Tennessee Extension and pest management professionals participating in an online survey created by the working group revealed nearly 7 out of 10 respondents had encountered a suspected case in the past year. In addition, these professionals spent more time and had longer interactions with suspected delusional infestation cases than general inquiries. Respondents need training and resources to help them interact with delusional infestation cases. We then leveraged the success of this working group to obtain funding from the Southern Region Integrated Pest Management Center to initiate a Southern Region Delusional Infestations Working Group with 12 of 13 southern states represented. The regional working group will produce and deliver educational materials to prepare Extension agents to better assist sufferers in resolving their condition.