Cercariosis

What is cercariasis

Cercariasis (or “bather’s disease”, “bather’s itch”) is a parasitic disease caused by the larvae of helminths-cercariae, invisible to the naked eye, that are found in waterfowl. Most often, you can pick up cercariae in the summer, when it gets hot and you want to swim. It is at this moment that cercariae emerge from infected mollusks, however, until October and the water temperature is +3 … +5 ° С, the larvae remain active.

Causes of cercariasis

It is always dangerous to swim in shallow and overgrown with mud reservoirs – there you can catch not only some kind of infection, but also parasites. So make it a rule: in shallow, stagnant lakes and ponds, where there are a lot of algae, river snails, and waterfowl, you should not swim.

Cercariae initially live in the bodies of infected pond snails. In the warm season, they leave them in search of their main hosts – ducks, gulls, wild geese. And if a person meets on their way, cercariae try to penetrate into him through the skin, but they just don’t take root and soon die, before that causing severe itching and skin irritation.

Symptoms of cercariasis

Firstly, cercariasis affects only open areas of the skin, where it is easiest for parasites to reach. Under a tight swimsuit and even more so a wetsuit, the larvae cannot penetrate, so the hips, back, arms, legs, buttocks most often suffer.

The main symptoms of cercarial dermatitis are tingling and redness of the skin, itching (sometimes very severe), small red blisters or pimples. In some cases, sleep disturbance, slight fever and dry cough may join.

In the first hours and days after swimming in contaminated water, a person may experience slight itching or tingling of the skin, which subsides over time. On the first day, small red blisters appear on the skin. On average, unpleasant symptoms can last up to a week, then the larvae gradually die. But if a person develops a strong allergic reaction, then the redness and itching will be very strong, and the treatment will take a long and serious one. Skin pigmentation persists for about two weeks.

– In young children, the disease will proceed in a more severe form than in an adult. Also, the disease is more unpleasant in allergy sufferers. The so-called anaphylactoid-type cercariasis can cause: fever, pressure drop, bronchospasm, laryngeal edema and even asphyxia, clarifies Regina Basharova, an infectious disease doctor.

Diagnostics

Before making a final diagnosis and prescribing treatment, the doctor prescribes a preliminary diagnosis. The patient is examined by a dermatologist and a therapist, as well as an infectious disease specialist. Specialists interview the patient, find out possible ways of infection – for example, whether a person has recently swum in shallow fresh water.

– Diagnosing this disease is quite problematic – its symptoms are similar to many allergic or skin problems. To exclude allergies, the doctor prescribes a blood test to determine the level of immunoglobulin, while it will not reveal infection with cercariae larvae. Moreover, there are no accurate tests for the definition of cercariasis today, the specialist clarifies.

Treatment of cercariasis

“All treatment of cercariasis is aimed at combating itching, which interferes with sleep and work,” explains infectious disease specialist Regina Basharova. – To soothe itching, you can use:

• alcohol Salicylic;
• balm Asterisk;
• ointments containing diphenhydramine or menthol;
• Cindol suspension;
• new generation antihistamines: Suprastin, Tavegil, which relieve itching well, as well as Zirtek or Claritin;
• anti-itch lotions or creams (consisting of corticosteroids);
• antipyretic (if the temperature rises).

Additionally, doctors prescribe a course of physiotherapy procedures – this will help to significantly reduce inflammation, eliminate swelling of the skin. Such sessions of procedures are painless, and the effectiveness is quite high.

Prevention of cercariasis at home

Although cercariae are not particularly dangerous, it is better to protect yourself from encountering parasites and carefully choose a place to swim. For example, if there are a lot of snails on the shore, then most likely the water will be infected with larvae. Also, parasites are often found in lakes, which are chosen by waterfowl. Therefore, it is better to stay away from shallow lakes with warm stagnant water, too muddy bottom and a lot of algae.

Also try not to walk barefoot on grass and sand near such water bodies, because the larvae can penetrate the skin of the feet.

If you nevertheless took a chance and swam in a suspicious reservoir, then immediately, as soon as you got ashore, thoroughly rub your skin with a dry rag or towel. Most likely, this will not 100% protect against infection, but it will definitely reduce the number of larvae on the skin. And if possible, immediately take a shower with soap, so you protect yourself from other skin diseases that can be picked up in dirty water. Also, before bathing, you can apply a cream based on petroleum jelly to exposed skin – this will not allow parasites to penetrate the skin.

If you are spearfishing or diving, get yourself a wetsuit, and you will not be afraid of any cercariae.

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