What is swimmers itch?
Swimmer’s itch or schistosome cercarial dermatitis is a skin reaction that certain people get the larval stage of certain flatworms enters into the epidermal layer of the skin. After the parasite enters, it dies and may cause dermatitis in individuals who have been previously sensitized. This sensitivity will rarely disappear; it usually get worse to subsequent exposures.
Swimmers itch is a dermatitis that develops on exposed areas of the skin after contact with waters containing cercaria (larval forms) of avian schistosomes (parasitic flatworms). The rash that develops is an immune response caused by penetration of the skin by the cercaria. Waterfowl are the usual hosts of these schistosomes, with humans accidentally infected. Typically, adult worms live in the blood of their avian hosts (waterfowl) and produce eggs that are passed in the feces. After the eggs hatch, the larvae infest an intermediate molluscan host which in marine systems is usually the mud snail Nassarius obsoletus. The cercaria develop in the mud snails and are released into the water when certain environmental conditions (that are poorly understood) exist. Any person in the water when the cercaria are present may inadvertently come into contact with them, and develop swimmers itch. In Suffolk County, the majority of swimmers itch complaints are associated with marine waters, althoug
Itchy red spots that can occur on your skin after swimming in the lake and may last several days. They are caused by a parasite that lives in tiny snails and aquatic birds during two stages of their life cycle. It can be prevented by showering or towelling off thoroughly after swimming, and by staying away from the shallow areas where geese, ducks, and other waterfowl congregate. It can be treated with 1% hydrocortisone cream. Swimmer’s Itch rarely occurs and should not be a deterrent to most swimmers. More details ……
