Tungiasis: high prevalence, parasite load, and morbidity in a rural community in Lagos State, Nigeria

Abstract

The prevalence of tungiasis and the parasite load were high, and the severity of the disease was considerable. The prevalence and parasite burden showed a characteristic distribution. In western Nigeria, tungiasis needs to be regarded as an important public health problem.

Tungiasis in Northern Tanzania: a clinical report from Qameyu village, Babati District, Manyara Region

“…Unlike other studies performed in African countries [8,11], which recorded higher incidence of tungiasis in chidren and elderly, we observed tungiasis only in children with an age ranging from 5 to 14 years. Although this study was performed only on children, all patients coming to the health center were examined (approximately 50 subjects daily).…”

“…Tungiasis associated morbidity, such as pain, difficulty in walking and deformity of toenails, was commonly reported (Table 2). These clinical manifestations have been reported in different studies [8,10,13,14]. One of the most common symptoms reported in our study was itching (62.9% of patients), which is believed to facilitate the leakage of eggs.…”

“…To date, very few studies on tungiasis epidemiology in Africa have been published [3][4][5][6][7][8]. In 1981, Ejezie reported that 49.5% of primary schoolchildren in the Lagos State (Nigeria) were affected by tungiasis [4].…”

Tungiasis infestation in Tanzania

“…The report indicates that, similar to recent accounts from other African countries such as Nigeria [2,16], Madagascar [17] and Cameroon [18,19], the disease may also reach high parasite loads in individuals in Tanzania, with consequently severe pathology, in contrast to milder cases reported by returning tourists. The patient was living under conditions previously described as risk factors in studies from Brazil and Nigeria [20,21]: i.e., people living under poor conditions, usually in houses with floors made of sand or mud.…”

“…For many centuries, the parasite was native to Latin America and the Caribbean, but from there it spread to sub-Saharan Africa in the 19 th century [1]. Since then, tungiasis continues to be an endemic health problem in countries stricken by poverty and deprivation not only on the American, but also on the African continent [1][2][3]. Tunga penetrans infestations may cause severe disease resulting in deformation of digits, chronic lymphedema, ulceration, secondary bacterial infections and tetanus [1,4,5].…”