Mysterious outbreak of disfiguring tropical disease in western Uganda linked to decades of walking barefoot in volcanic soils

(Burness) A puzzling surge in western Uganda patients diagnosed with a painful, disfiguring skin condition known as elephantiasis was caused not by the parasitic worms typically associated with the affliction, but by long-term exposure to irritating soil minerals absorbed while walking barefoot, according to a new study published today in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.
Source: EurekAlert! - Infectious and Emerging Diseases - Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: news