| Title | Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of hookworm-related cutaneous larva migrans. | | Author(s) | Heukelbach J, Feldmeier H | | Institution | Department of Community Health, School of Medicine, Federal University of Ceará, Brazil; School of Public Health, Tropical Medicine and Rehabilitation Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Australia. | | Source | Lancet Infect Dis 2008 May; 8(5):302-9. | | Abstract | Hookworm-related cutaneous larva migrans is caused by the migration of animal hookworm larvae in the human skin. The disease mainly occurs in resource-poor communities in the developing world, but it is also reported sporadically in high-income countries and in tourists who have visited the tropics. Diagnosis is made clinically in the presence of a linear serpiginous track moving forward in the skin, associated with itching and a history of exposure. Itching is typically very intense and can prevent patients from sleeping. Bacterial superinfection occurs as a result of scratching. Treatment is based on oral drugs (albendazole or ivermectin) or the topical application of tiabendazole. To control hookworm-related cutaneous larva migrans at the community level, regular treatment of dogs and cats with anthelmintic drugs is necessary, but this is seldom feasible in resource-poor settings. Animals should be banned from beaches and playgrounds. For protection at the individual level, unprotected skin should not come into contact with possibly contaminated soil. | | Language | eng | | Pub Type(s) | Journal Article
| | PubMed ID | 18471775 |
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