scholarly journals Swimmer's Itch in Belgium: First Recorded Outbreaks, Molecular Identification of the Parasite Species and Intermediate Hosts

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 190-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yannick Caron ◽  
Ariane Cabaraux ◽  
Françoise Marechal ◽  
Bertrand Losson

limited data for the greater Townsville area (Kay et al.1996). Based on the prevalence of key vector species and their abundance and that of the viruses recovered, it was concluded that Big Bay, originally recommended as a prime site for recreational development by the Department of Local Government in 1985, actually presented lower risk than any other locality. Antill Creek also proved relatively safe in terms of mosquito-borne infections, whereas Toonpan during the wet season was a place to be avoided. Both Ross River and the environs of Townsville offered intermediate risk, the latter due to large numbers of saltmarsh mosquitoes breeding in intertidal wetlands. 9.5 Snails and swimmer’s itch Schistosome dermatitis, known as swimmer’s itch, is a common global problem for users of recreational swimming areas in water resource developments. The rash is caused by free living larvae called cercariae (Figure 9.4) of parasitic flukes which burrow into exposed parts of the body. Normally the life-cycle involves water birds such as ducks and pulmonate snails, so infection of humans is accidental. A large number of cercariae may penetrate the skin where they die but cause a localized allergic reaction in sensitized persons. In northern Australia, swimmer’s itch (Trichobilharzia) has been traditionally associated with Austropeplea (= Lymnaea) lessoni (= vinosa) although two planorbid snails, Amerianna carinata and Gyraulus stabilis, have also been identified as intermediate hosts in Lake Moondarra near Mt Isa, Queensland. Our recent data implicates Gyraulus gilberti at the Ross River dam. Snails are also commonly infected with other trematode cercariae, mainly echinostomes, strigeids/diplostomids and clinostomids.

1998 ◽  
pp. 148-148

Pathogens ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 740
Author(s):  
Anna Stanicka ◽  
Łukasz Migdalski ◽  
Katarzyna Szopieray ◽  
Anna Cichy ◽  
Łukasz Jermacz ◽  
...  

Research on alien and invasive species focuses on the direct effects of invasion on native ecosystems, and the possible positive effects of their presence are most often overlooked. Our aim was to check the suitability of selected alien species (the snail Physa acuta, the bivalve Dreissena polymorpha, and the gammarid Dikerogammarus villosus) as diluents for infectious bird schistosome cercariae—the etiological factor of swimmer’s itch. It has been hypothesized that alien species with different feeding habits (scrapers, filterers and predators) that cohabit the aquatic environment with intermediate hosts of the schistosomatid trematodes are capable of feeding on their free-swimming stages—cercariae. In the laboratory conditions used, all experimental animals diluted the cercariae of bird schistosome. The most effective diluents were P. acuta and D. villosus. However, a wide discrepancy in the dilution of the cercariae between replicates was found for gammarids. The obtained results confirm the hypothesis that increased biodiversity, even when alien species are involved, creates the dilution effect of the free-living stages of parasites. Determining the best diluent for bird schistosome cercariae could greatly assist in the development of current bathing areas protection measures against swimmer’s itch.


1994 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 563 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Hurley ◽  
MN Hearnden ◽  
D Blair ◽  
BH Kay

Prevalence of trematode cercariae within freshwater snails at the Ross River reservoir is presented, with special attention to Trichobilharzia sp(p). (Digenea:Schistosomatidae), known causative agents of schistosome dermatitis. Three pulmonate snails-a lymnaeid, Austropeplea lessoni, and two planorbids, Gyraulus gilberti and Amerianna carinata-and one prosobranch snail, Thiara balonnensis, were common in the reservoir. These snails were infected with trematode cercariae representing six different families. Both Austropeplea lessoni (4.5%) and G. gilberti (1.8%) act as intermediate hosts of Trichobilharzia sp(p). Trematode infection levels increased as snail size increased. The implication for surveillance techniques is that only the larger snails (A. lessoni > 10 mm, G. gilberti > 3 mm and Amerianna carinata >6 mm) require dissection to determine the prevalence of trematode infections.


Author(s):  
Anna Stanicka ◽  
Łukasz Migdalski ◽  
Kamila Stefania Zając ◽  
Anna Cichy ◽  
Dorota Lachowska-Cierlik ◽  
...  

Bird schistosomes are commonly established as the causative agent of swimmer's itch − a hyper-sensitive skin reaction to the penetration of their infective larvae. The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of the genus Bilharziella in comparison to other bird schistosome species from Lake Drawsko − one of the largest recreational lakes in Poland, struggling with the huge problem of swimmer's itch. In total, 317 specimens of pulmonate snails were collected and examined. The overall digenean infection was 35.33%. The highest bird schistosome prevalence was observed for Bilharziella sp. (4.63%) in Planorbarius corneus, followed by Trichobilharzia szidati (3.23%) in Lymnaea stagnalis and Trichobilharzia sp. (1.3%) in Stagnicola palustris. The location of Bilharziella sp. on the presented phylogeny showed that it is with high probability a different species than known so far B. polonica. Our finding complements the confirmed occurrence of bird schistosomes in European water bodies. Overall, presented research reveals the special importance of P. corneus as a source of the bird schistosome cercariae. This study suggests that the health threat connected with the blood flukes need to be further investigated by constant monitoring of their occurrence in intermediate hosts.


2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
J. P. Peirce ◽  
J. J. Pellett ◽  
G. J. Sandland

2018 ◽  
Vol 117 (12) ◽  
pp. 3695-3704 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Marszewska ◽  
Tomasz Strzała ◽  
Anna Cichy ◽  
Grażyna B. Dąbrowska ◽  
Elżbieta Żbikowska

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1978 ◽  
Vol 61 (4) ◽  
pp. 670-671
Author(s):  
Matti Uhari

Dr. Cupoli reported photodistribution of viral exanthems (Pediatrics 59:484, March 1977) just as Gilchrest and Baden had done earlier.1 Their conclusions are obviously right, but I would like to remind the reader of another disease, swimmer's itch, which may occur like the exanthems Cupoli reported.2 The lesions in Figure 1 of Cupoli's report resemble very much real swimmer's itch (accompanying Figure). It is caused by a worm, cercaria ocellata, and is acquired by swimming in infected water.3


2016 ◽  
pp. 2587-2593
Author(s):  
Christian Selbach ◽  
Bernd Sures

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