Disease from the pond: what you should know about “duck fleas” and the dermatitis caused by them
The causative agents of the disease enter the water with the feces of birds.
Later, the larvae hatch, which penetrate the body of the mollusk, and then look for the next host.
In the heat, it is tempting to cool off in a lake or pond. But, unfortunately, this pleasure can cost health. Many people do not pay attention to itching and hives that appear immediately after swimming in non-flowing water bodies. But this is how a common parasitic disease — cercariasis — can manifest itself.
— Cercariasis is provoked by cercariae (people also call them “duck fleas”), the main hosts of which are waterfowl, — says Ella Matiyash, a parasitologist. — Cercariae eggs fall into water with bird feces, and larvae hatch from them. First, they penetrate the body of molluscs, and then look for the next host. When trying to infect a person, cercariae get under the skin and eventually die there. But they cause swelling, itching, rash. —
Throughout the summer, patients with symptoms of cercarial dermatitis traditionally increase, says Zhanna Prykhodko, a dermatologist.
— Once a man came, whose lower legs were simply burning with red, liquid-filled nodules the size of peas, and complained of severe itching (the skin feels like tearing!), insomnia, fever. It turned out that these symptoms appeared and gradually increased after fishing in the pond. Unfortunately, the man endured discomfort for several days, and only when he got an infection in the morning did he rush to help. And with this disease, it is very important to start treatment as early as possible, as soon as rashes appear on the skin.
— How is cercarial dermatitis treated?
● Zh. Prikhodko:
— The rule of first aid is to wipe the affected skin with salicylic alcohol (or vodka, if you have it at hand), an aqueous solution of apple cider vinegar (a tablespoon per glass of water), and make a bath with the infusion of the stock. Next, anoint the affected areas with an anti-pruritic ointment (from insect bites) or zinc-based ointment. Combing the skin is very dangerous – you can get an infection and get complications. If the dermatitis progresses, antibiotics and anthelmintics may be needed.
Contact with cercariae is especially difficult for children, whose skin is more delicate and it is easier for parasites to get under it. In children, more often than in adults, body temperature rises (up to 38°C), sleep and appetite are disturbed. Patients with diabetes are also at risk, because they have weakened immunity and problem vessels, so every microwound can end in a serious inflammatory process. Therefore, in order to protect yourself from cercariae, before entering the water, I advise you to apply cream or ointment (against mosquitoes, etc.) to all exposed parts of the body, and after leaving the water, wash the skin with clean water and dry it well with a towel.
● E. Matiyash:
— And it is better to avoid swimming in ponds with stagnant water, not even to walk barefoot on underwater vegetation – this is a zone of concentration of cercariae. The greatest probability of infection is in ponds with a large number of waterfowl and aquatic molluscs. “Duck fleas” become especially active on sunny days in warm water.
Author: Iryna Kontorskih
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