Imported Tungiasis

Burke, William A.; Jones, Billy E.; Park, H. Kim; Finley, James L

doi:10.1111/j.1365-4362.1991.tb04359.x

Cited by 23 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…Although physicians sometimes have difficulties in diagnosing tungiasis in travelers returning from the tropics and request histopathologic examination of a biopsy sample, [20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28] the etiology of the lesion, particularly its dynamic changes in size and macroscopic appearance, is so characteristic that the diagnostic findings used in this study are unlikely to be inaccurate and are believed to be virtually pathognomonic for tungiasis. However, it cannot be excluded that other lesions have been overlooked or misdiagnosed.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ectopic localization of tungiasis.

Heukelbach¹,

Wilcke²,

Eisele³

et al. 2002

The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

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Abstract. Tungiasis is caused by the penetration of the female sand flea Tunga penetrans into the epidermis. It is generally assumed that lesions are confined to the feet. To determine to what degree tungiasis occurs at other topographic sites, 1,184 inhabitants of a poor neighborhood in northeastern Brazil were examined; 33.6% were found to have tungiasis (95% confidence interval ‫ס‬ 30.9-36.4%). Six percent presented lesions at locations other than the feet, with the hands being the most common ectopic site (5.5%). Other sites were the elbows, thighs, and gluteal region. Ectopic tungiasis was significantly associated with the total number of lesions (P < 0.001) and an age less than 15 years old (P ‫ס‬ 0.02). In 86 patients actively recruited with lesions on their feet, ectopic localizations were observed in 25.6%. Since untreated sand flea lesions are prone to become superinfected, clinicians should be aware of not missing any ectopic localization of tungiasis.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although there are dozens of case reports of tungiasis in travelers returning from tropical countries, 6,8,17,[20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28] ectopic localizations have been reported in only two cases. 16,19 It is unlikely that a traveler with tungiasis will have overlooked a lesion on his or her body.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ectopic localization of tungiasis.

Heukelbach¹,

Wilcke²,

Eisele³

et al. 2002

The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

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“…There are various popular designations for the flea -e.g. jigger, chigoe, nigua and bicho-de-pé -and they indicate that tungiasis has long been a common disease in many parts of the tropics (Mashek et al 1989, Burke et al 1991.…”

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confidence: 99%

The patterns of tungiasis in Araruama township, state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Carvalho

Almeida

Barbosa-Silva

et al. 2003

Mem. Inst. Oswaldo Cruz

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“…In single cases of atypical tungiasis, diagnosis can be difficult, and a biopsy may be indicated, for example, when lesions have a pseudoepitheliomatous appearance at ectopic sites [6]. Parts of the female flea and eggs in its abdomen are evident in histological sections [28,[49][50][51][52][53][54][55].…”

Section: Diagnosismentioning

confidence: 99%

Revision on tungiasis: treatment options and prevention

Heukelbach

2006

Expert Review of Anti-infective Therapy

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The parasitic skin disease tungiasis occurs in many resource-poor communities in Latin America, the Caribbean and sub-Saharan Africa. The sand flea, Tunga penetrans, most commonly penetrates into the skin of the feet. Many individuals harbor a large number of embedded parasites and show significant morbidity. Standard treatment consists of surgical extraction of the flea and application of a topical antibiotic. There are no drugs available with proven effectiveness. Clinical trials performed in the last few years did not show very promising results. Thus, surgical extraction still remains the treatment of choice in patients with a low parasite load, such as tourists returning from endemic areas. Probably the best approach to reduce tungiasis-associated morbidity in heavily affected individuals is the application of a repellent to prevent the penetration of sand fleas. In the future, we should see new exciting data on the biology, epidemiology, therapy and control of tungiasis.

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Imported Tungiasis

Cited by 23 publications

References 7 publications

Ectopic localization of tungiasis.

Ectopic localization of tungiasis.

The patterns of tungiasis in Araruama township, state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Revision on tungiasis: treatment options and prevention

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