Background: Cercarial dermatitis' or swimmer's itch' is an itchy inflammatory response to the penetration of the skin by non-human schistosome parasites. In the hot season, (May to September) in Khuzestan province in the south west of Iran, swimming in canals and agriculture activities in swampy areas are common. This survey was made on people from villages north of Ahwaz city in south west Iran, to estimate cercarial dermatitis in this region.
Methods: 2000 people were observed for clinical signs of cercarial dermatitis. Also 2000 Lymnaea gedrosiana snails were collected from agriculture canals and examined for animal schistosome cercariae during 1998-2000.
Results: From this survey 1.1% of people had pruritic maculopapular rash on their feet, hands or other parts of body. From the total of examined snails, 2.4% were found to be infected with bird schistosome cercariae including Trichobilharzia species.
Conclusion: Cercarial dermatitis could be a health problem in this area. This is the first report of cercarial dermatitis from this region of Iran.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC293466 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-3-35 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Approach to skin problems in travellers: clinical and epidemiological clues.
J Travel Med
December 2024
Infectious and Tropical Diseases, Sorbonne University, Faculté de médecine, Hôpitaux Universitaires Pitié Salpêtrière, Boulevard de l'Hôpital, 75013, Paris, France.
Article Synopsis
- Travelers often experience skin problems requiring medical attention, with proper diagnosis relying on clinical examinations and understanding travel history and behaviors.* -
- The most common travel-related skin issues include insect bites, sunburns, and infections like hookworm and bacteria, with specific diseases like dengue fever and schistosomiasis being noteworthy.* -
- Evaluating skin conditions involves considering travel history, activities, and specific lesion characteristics, which help identify risks and guide treatment.*
Molecular identification of species in recreational waters in North-Eastern Poland.
PeerJ
July 2024
Department of Medical Biology, School of Public Health, Collegium Medicum, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Olsztyn, Poland.
Background: In Europe, avian schistosomes of the genus are the most common etiological agents involved in human cercarial dermatitis (swimmer's itch). Manifested by a skin rash, the condition is caused by an allergic reaction to cercariae of nonhuman schistosomes. Humans are an accidental host in this parasite's life cycle, while water snails are the intermediate, and waterfowl are the final hosts.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFreshwater sports and infectious diseases: A narrative review.
Infect Dis Now
June 2024
Direction des Maladies Infectieuses, Santé publique France, Saint-Maurice, France. Electronic address:
Freshwater sports involve a wide range of practices leading to contact with soil and water that can entail exposure to agents of potential infectious diseases. The pathogens can be multiple (bacteria, parasites, viruses, fungi), and be either well-known or more unfamiliar and exotic. We conducted a literature review to describe various infections contracted following exposure to water and mud during freshwater sport activities.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFZoonotic Threats: The (Re)emergence of Cercarial Dermatitis, Its Dynamics, and Impact in Europe.
Pathogens
March 2024
Global Health and Tropical Medicine (GHTM), Associate Laboratory in Translation and Innovation Towards Global Health, LA-REAL, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Universidade Nova de Lisboa (UNL), Rua da Junqueira 100, 1349-008 Lisboa, Portugal.
Cercarial dermatitis (CD), or "Swimmer's itch" as it is also known, is a waterborne illness caused by a blood fluke from the family Schistosomatidae. It occurs when cercariae of trematode species that do not have humans as their definitive host accidentally penetrate human skin (in an aquatic environment) and trigger allergic symptoms at the site of contact. It is an emerging zoonosis that occurs through water and is often overlooked during differential diagnosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHigh prevalence of natural infection by the ruminant blood fluke in the intermediate snail host in Uttaradit, Northern Thailand.
Vet World
February 2024
Division of Microbiology and Parasitology, School of Medical Sciences, University of Phayao, Phayao, Thailand.
Background And Aim: Freshwater snails belonging to the family serve as the first intermediate hosts of many species of important parasitic flukes of animals and humans. Information regarding the occurrence of planorbid snail larval trematode infection is limited in Northern Thailand. Thus, this study aimed to estimate the prevalence of larval trematode infection of the freshwater snail in Uttaradit, Thailand, and to identify trematode species based on their morphological and molecular characteristics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!