The Mango–Poison Ivy Connection

Figure 1. A 27-year-old man had had a pruritic and eczematous rash for three days. One week earlier, he had peeled a mango, become distracted by a telephone call, and rested his left hand on his right leg. Three days later, contact dermatitis became apparent. When much younger, the patient had been sensitized to poison oak and poison ivy; the sap of the mango rind contains oleoresins that cross-react with the oleoresins of poison ivy. The rash resolved after one week of treatment with topical corticosteroids.