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Parasitic Infestations

»	Where and how does one acquire cutaneous parasitic diseases?
»	What is “creeping eruption”?
»	How do you treat creeping eruption?
»	What is different about larva currens?
»	Are there other nematode infestations that cause skin disease?
»	How do filarial infections differ from other nematode infections?
»	Where is onchocerciasis most prevalent? How is it transmitted?
»	Does river blindness cause cutaneous manifestations?
»	What are some of the problems with onchocerciasis treatment?
»	What is loiasis?
»	What causes elephantiasis?
»	Can other filarial diseases affect the skin?
»	What is myiasis?
»	What is a warble?
»	What is Congo floor maggot?
»	What is tungiasis?
»	What is the difference between a chigoe and a chigger?
»	Do chiggers burrow into the skin to lay eggs like the sand flea?
»	What is leishmaniasis?
»	Name the different types of leishmaniasis.
»	Can leishmaniasis be contracted in the United States?
»	How does cutaneous amebiasis, due to Entamoeba histolytica, present?
»	What are the skin findings in American trypanosomiasis?
»	What are the skin findings in African trypanosomiasis?
»	Describe the cutaneous manifestations of schistosomiasis as they relate to the parasite’s life cycle.
»	Are swimmer’s itch and sea bather’s eruption the same thing?
»	What is sparganosis?
»	Can other tapeworms affect the skin?
»	What is Demodex?
»	Does Demodex cause skin disease?
»	What are morgellons?

How do filarial infections differ from other nematode infections?

All the filariae have an insect vector integral to their life cycle and live in pairs within their mammalian host. The microfilarial offspring of this couple are the primary source of morbidity. The most important filarial diseases are filariasis, loiasis, and onchocerciasis (Table 33-1).

Table 33-1. Parasitic Infestations of the Skin
	PARASITIC INFESTATION	VECTOR OR MODE OF TRANSMISSION
	Filariasis	Mosquito
	Onchocerciasis	Black fly
	Creeping eruption	Soil contact and larval penetration
	African trypanosomiasis	Tsetse fly
	American trypanosomiasis	Kissing bug
	Leishmaniasis	Sand fly
	Schistosomiasis	Water contact and cercarial penetration
	Dracunculiasis, sparganosis	Ingestion of larva
	Echinococcosis, cysticercosis	Ingestion of cysts
	Amebiasis	Direct contact or ingestion of cysts
	Loiasis	Horse and deer flies
	Demodex	Person-to-person contact in childhood