Burn-Like Marks Appear On Woman's Leg After Returning From Vacation: 'Didn't Even Feel It'

An Australian woman suffered severe burns on one of her legs during a recent trip to Bali and she realized it only after returning home. The woman is now warning other travelers to be cautious.

Cindel Lewis shared images of her burn-like blisters on social media and revealed that it was caused by a rove beetle, known as tomcats in Indonesia, 7NEWS reported. The rove beetle is similar in size to an ant.

Lewis said she "didn't even feel it happen" and woke up with "marks on her legs."

"Would love to know other people's experiences who have been burnt by a tomcat insect in Bali and if their burn mark completely healed?" she wrote on Facebook, Yahoo New Zealand reported.

Her doctor prescribed her a 1% cortisone cream for the burn marks. However, the skin still looks burned off, the woman added.

"But even though the burn has mostly peeled, I'm still left with burned-looking skin underneath," she wrote.

Lewis' experience has left several travel lovers confused, while others said they have never heard of the beetle.

"What is a tomcat? A male cat or something Balinese please?" questioned a social media user.

Another traveler revealed she had also suffered burns after coming in contact with the insect.

"You just helped me figure out how I got my burns in Bali six weeks ago," the user wrote, adding that her burns healed in about two to three weeks before scarring. "It was very sore at the time, but it's fine now."

One user pointed out such scars can last much longer. "Seven weeks and counting, mine was quite bad, now it just looks like a bruise," he commented.

Another user seconded it, saying her scars took years to fade away. "Yes, it takes a couple of years, but it does heal and my scars have gone," she said.

Dr. Swaid Abdullah, an expert in Veterinary Parasitology, told Yahoo News Australia that rove beetles carry a toxic venom called Paederin, which causes paederus dermatitis.

"The toxin is spread by the beetles if they crawl on you or on your clothes, bedding or towels and can cause mild to severe skin irritation when the toxin comes in contact with the skin," Dr. Abdullah said. "The affected areas remain irritated, blistered and sore for 10 days if left unattended."