Answer to Case 725

 Answer toParasite Case of the Week 725: Swimmer ' s itchAs noted by Florida Fan, this is " typical swimmer ’s itch, also known by other names depending on the activity of the patient like ' clam digger ’s itch ' or ' duck itch ' . " (Also called Pelican itch in Australia) " All are caused by [zoonotic] cercariae in most freshwater bodies of water frequented by ducks and/or water birds. The cercariae penetrate the skin and cause a cercarial dermatitis. This summer is so hot even in the Northern most states that a quick plunge into the lake is certainly very appealing. We may expect to see more cases like this one. "Indeed, this is a distressing result from what would otherwise be a lovely dip in a cool lake! An anonymous reader elaborated that " Swimmer ' s itch is an allergic condition that occurs when trematode cercariae, the motile and infectious stage of avian schistosomes (eg, Trichobilharziaspp.), penetrate the skin of humans. They utilize a variety of different species of birds as definitive hosts (humans are not suitable hosts), and rely on different snail species as intermediate hosts. If any, only symptomatic therapy is needed (anti-itch lotions, antihistamine), the cercariae die quickly without causing a severe trematode infection. "Marc Couturier noted " Growing up in Maine, we just called that...the result of swimming in Maine " . Yikes! It ' s also common in northern Minnesota and Wisconsin in the United States.I had to laugh at the Twitter (X...
Source: Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites - Category: Parasitology Source Type: blogs