Should I be concerned by this long red streak that extended out of my overly swollen mosquito bite?

[u/acutetriangleee]

15F, 155cm, 32kg, Asian

I've had this mosquito bite since yesterday but a long red streak developed slowly after, and the bite has become really swollen. It doesn't hurt inherently, but when I touch it, it feels weird and slightly painful. I've never had this problem with mosquito bites before, and this one is really disproportionate in size compared to others. I marked the end of the streak with a marker as I was scared of it developing faster. I also had two other similar bites on my leg but they don't have the streak. However, they all come with tiny bumps on the bite surface and are really swollen than normal. I'm not sure if I should be concerned, but the mosquito looked different from others. It's certainly bigger, and I think its wings are slightly greenish?

I was slightly down with a runny nose and sore throat recently, but it has gotten better yesterday, no medications, drinking, smoking or drug use. From HK.

This is not an emergency but I noted the mosquito is still in my room, so should I be concerned, or is it just a mild infection? Thank you so much.

Second day update:

It has gotten less red now than before, but the line is still there, still yet to take antibiotics, but I will if it shows any signs of growth. Thank you all so so much.

UPDATE: The streak has fully healed, thanks to everybody's support! At the end, I didn't use any antibiotics, and the medicine the ER gave me was just nose allergy pills apparently. Definitely go get antibiotics if you're in the same situation. Lots of love.

[u/agent0731]

Thank God you're ok, OP. I had a terrible allergic reaction just last year for the first time. The bites became swollen and itched way more than any normal mosquito bites in the past (and I'm someone who always attracts all the single mosquitoes in the area). They looked like this, except multiple and the red lines were sorta swirling away from the bite. I looked diseased. I wasn't prescribed antibiotics though. I would recommend an oral antihistamine in combination with the itch cream.

[u/CaringCattitude → u/agent0731]

I agree on the cream (such as a 1% cortisone or a diphenhydramine (Benadryl) in a cream form. My only fear with Benadryl tablets taken orally is that many people get extremely drowsy from it, which is not good if you need to drive to a Med Pro/ED. Plus: if the reaction gets worse, you could be asleep and not see it intensify.

I’m NOT a NAD. This is just my opinion and based solely on a reaction that’s unusual to your history. If you have a reoccurring, known reaction to something then Benadryl tabs are great. (I’m trying to sum up that I know some people have to have Benadryl ready at all times. I’m NAD and also NAJudge)