Outbreak of swimmer's itch in Central Italy: Description, causative agent and preventive measures

Abstract

Swimmer's itch is caused by the penetration of free-swimming larvae of trematodes of the family Schistosomatidae in human skin. It is usually reported in people engaged in recreational water activities in freshwater bodies and in most of cases, it is provoked by bird schistosomes of the genus Trichobilharzia. In the summer 2017, many cases of dermatitis were recorded in people bathing in the waters of the Albano Lake (Rome, Italy) and a parasitological investigation was carried out in order to ascertain the causative agent of these cases. Snails of the family Lymnaeidae, natural intermediate hosts of bird schistosomes, were collected from lake shallow waters to detect the presence of trematodes of the genus Trichobilharzia. Pools of maximum 10 snails were placed in Petri dishes, and cercarial emergence was stimulated exposing snails to strong artificial light intensity at 25°C. Three hundred and thirty-seven snails were collected and screened for the shedding of cercariae. Furcocercariae of the family Schistosomatidae, with a morphology overlapping that of the genus Trichobilharzia, were detected in seven Petri dishes. Assuming that in each positive Petri dish just one snail was shedding furcocercariae, the minimum infectious rate was 2.1%. Molecular analysis of furcocercariae allowed ascribing them to the species Trichobilharzia franki.Snails of the species Radix auricularia were identified as intermediate hosts of the parasite. This is the second record of T. franki causing cercarial dermatitis in Central Italy, the third in Italy. The 2017 was in Italy exceptionally warm and dry. Trematodes are sensitive to changes in temperature, being cercarial production and emission rates temperature dependent. Small increases in water temperature would speed up parasite development and transmission, leading to a manifold increase in cercarial emergence. Moreover, high temperatures raise chances to acquire the infection, due to increased time spent in water by people.

Avian schistosome species in Danish freshwater lakes: relation to biotic and abiotic factors

“…The first three species have been previously reported from several countries in Europe, including Denmark (Horák et al, 2009(Horák et al, , 2015Cichy et al, 2011;Soldánová et al, 2013;Christiansen et al, 2016;De Liberato et al, 2019). However, this is the first report on the identification of T. anseri from Danish lakes, which links this work to a few previous findings in Europe (Jouet et al, 2015).…”

“…anseri . The first three species have been previously reported from several countries in Europe, including Denmark (Horák et al ., 2009, 2015; Cichy et al ., 2011; Soldánová et al ., 2013; Christiansen et al ., 2016; De Liberato et al ., 2019). However, this is the first report on the identification of T .…”

Nitric oxide debilitates the neuropathogenic schistosome Trichobilharzia regenti in mice, partly by inhibiting its vital peptidases

“…In humans, cercarial dermatitis (or swimmer's itch) represents a neglected allergic condition which develops after repeated exposure to avian schistosomes [30,31]. Being regarded as an emerging disease, cercarial dermatitis has substantial health and economic consequences, especially if outbreaks afflict recreational bathing areas [32][33][34][35].…”

Literature Review: Water Quality of Public Bathing, Potential Health Problems and Water Borne Diseases on Visitors

“…Various studies stated that disorders related to the digestion system are the most common disease in a public bath. The results showed that the epidemic of cercarial dermatitis occurred due to Trichobilharzia franki in snails as an intermediate host (39). The longer the contact with the water, the higher the risk of getting infected by pathogens in the water.…”

“…Visitors who swim will likely have a higher risk of getting infected by diseases than those who do not. A study suggested that the diseases were not only related to digestion but also respiratory (39). Other studies suggested that respiratory disease experienced by visitors of public baths may come from the presence of Adenovirus droplets in the water (11).…”