| the patterns of tungiasis in araruama township, state of rio de janeiro, brazil. | this paper describes patterns of infestation with tunga penetrans (l., 1758) within the poor community of araruama municipality, state of rio de janeiro, brazil, assessed by the number of persons and domestic animals parasitized. the overall prevalence of infestation was 49.2% (211 parasitized hosts) of the 429 examined. humans (p < 0.01) and dogs (p < 0.01) were the most important hosts with 62.6% and 35.6% respectively. dogs were considered as the potential infestation source to humans. consid ... | 2003 | 12700859 |
| investigations on the biology, epidemiology, pathology and control of tunga penetrans in brazil: i. natural history of tungiasis in man. | tungiasis is an important health problem in poor communities in brazil and is associated with severe morbidity, particularly in children. the causative agent, the female flea tunga penetrans, burrows into the skin of its host, where it develops, produces eggs and eventually dies. from the beginning of the penetration to the elimination of the carcass of the ectoparasite by skin repair mechanisms, the whole process takes 4-6 weeks. the present study is based on specimens from 86 patients, for som ... | 2003 | 12756541 |
| septic shock secondary to scrub typhus: characteristics and complications. | scrub typhus is an acute febrile illness caused by infection with orientia tsutsugamushi transmitted by the bite of larval trombiculid mites (chiggers). a prospective study was conducted in septic shock patients in maharat hospital, nakhon ratchasima province, thailand, from 12 november 2001 to 5 january 2002. of the 51 septic shock patients studied during the 7 week period, 18 (35.3%) were found to have evidence of scrub typhus infection; 3 patients (16.7%) died. in this study, septic shock cau ... | 2002 | 12757226 |
| investigations on the biology, epidemiology, pathology and control of tunga penetrans in brazil. ii. prevalence, parasite load and topographic distribution of lesions in the population of a traditional fishing village. | tungiasis is hyperendemic in many poor communities in brazil and is associated with considerable morbidity. in order to understand the factors that determine the distribution of this ectoparasitosis in a rural community, an epidemiological study was carried out in a traditional fishing village in ceará state, north-eastern brazil. based on active case detection and voluntary participation, 91% of the population (belonging to 95% of all families) was examined. embedded fleas were looked for over ... | 2003 | 12768415 |
| tunga penetrans: molecular identification of wolbachia endobacteria and their recognition by antibodies against proteins of endobacteria from filarial parasites. | in search of wolbachia in human parasites, wolbachia were identified in the sand flea tunga penetrans. pcr and dna sequencing of the bacterial 16s rdna, the ftsz cell division protein, the wolbachia surface protein (wsp) and the wolbachia aspartate aminotransferase genes revealed a high similarity to the respective sequences of endosymbionts of filarial nematodes. using these sequences a phylogenetic tree was generated, that indicates a close relationship between wolbachia from t. penetrans and ... | 2002 | 12856318 |
| scrub typhus: vector competence of leptotrombidium chiangraiensis chiggers and transmission efficacy and isolation of orientia tsutsugamushi. | a total of 4,281 rodents, belonging to 20 species, was collected from three villages in chiangrai province, northern thailand, from january 1994 to december 2001. the predominant species were rattus rattus, r. losea and bandicota indica, accounting for 96% of the total. more than 135,000 chigger mites were removed from wild rodents of which 1% were identified as leptotrombidium chiangraiensis, a new species vector of scrub typhus. five orientia tsutsugamushi-infected l. chiangraiensis colonies e ... | 2003 | 12860596 |
| characterization of orientia tsutsugamushi isolated from wild-caught rodents and chiggers in northern thailand. | we previously reported orientia tsutsugamushi detection from tissue samples (kidney, liver, spleen, and whole blood) of 12 wild-caught rodents from chiangrai province, northern thailand. of the 30 chiggers individually removed from scrub typhus-infected rodents, 2 were found positive for o. tsutsugamushi. we further characterized the o. tsutsugamushi detected from these rodents and chiggers by rflp using three different enzyme digestions. all 14 o. tsutsugamushi samples (12 from tissue samples a ... | 2003 | 12860627 |
| [detection of hantaan virus from gamasid mite and chigger mite by molecular biological methods]. | to study the proliferation and location of hantaan virus (hv) in gamasid mites and chigger mites. | 2003 | 12869987 |
| seroprevalence of rickettsial infection in commensal rodents and shrews trapped in the bangkok metropolitan area. | murine typhus and scrub typhus are important human rickettsial diseases in thailand. small mammals, including many species of rodents and shrews, serve as the reservoir host of rickettsial diseases. rickettsia typhi can be transmitted to humans by fleas causing murine typhus, while infection with orientia tsutsugamushi causing scrub typhus in humans is transmitted by chiggers. the prevalence of rickettsial infection depends on the geographic area. the seroprevalence of antibody to r. typhi and o ... | 2003 | 12924799 |
| stowaways with wings: two case reports on high-flying insects. | more people than ever before are traversing continents, either for business purposes or on holiday. because 3-10 percent of these travelers experience skin, hair, or nail disorders related to these trips there is an increasing likelihood that western physicians will be expected to treat exotic conditions imported from different countries. tungiasis and furunculoid myiasis are two typical disorders of intertropical regions. they represent nuisances induced by the presence of arthropod larvae or e ... | 2003 | 12952757 |
| severe tungiasis in underprivileged communities: case series from brazil. | tungiasis is caused by infestation with the sand flea (tunga penetrans). this ectoparasitosis is endemic in economically depressed communities in south american and african countries. tungiasis is usually considered an entomologic nuisance and does not receive much attention from healthcare professionals. during a study on tungiasis-related disease in an economically depressed area in fortaleza, northeast brazil, we identified 16 persons infested with an extremely high number of parasites. these ... | 2003 | 12967492 |
| [tunga penetrans induced tetanus]. | | 1953 | 13037604 |
| trombicula (trombiculindus) kansai, a new chigger from central honshu, japan. | | 1953 | 13053305 |
| four new species of harvest mite or chigger and a new furmite (acarina: trombiculidae and listrophoridae). | | 1953 | 13111806 |
| chigger mite infestation. | this article reports on a 45-year-old woman who presented with pruritus and was diagnosed as having chigger mite infestation, a rare condition. the chigger mite larvae were encountered while the patient was traveling in south america. a small erythematous area with a well-circumscribed papule in the sulcus of the second digit of the right foot was incised and drained. follow-up examination showed relief of all symptoms, including pain and pruritus. this unusual case presentation underscores the ... | 2003 | 13130088 |
| a new chigger mite (genus euschöngastia) from the central united states. | | 1954 | 13192537 |
| a new species of chigger mite from colorado (acarina, trombiculidae). | | 1955 | 13252502 |
| shunsennia biplumulosa, a new species of chigger from japan (acarina: trombiculidae). | | 1956 | 13320258 |
| a new species of chigger mite, hannemania hegeneri (acarina; trombiculidae). | | 1956 | 13320259 |
| occurrence of rickettsia tsutsugamushi in korean rodents and chiggers. | | 1957 | 13478581 |
| early references to the occurrence of tunga penetrans in tropical africa. | | 1963 | 13963854 |
| isolation of pasteurella tularensis from ticks and chiggers parasitized on tularemia-wild hares, with some tularemia transmission experiment. | | 1962 | 13986518 |
| the anatomy of an adult chigger mite blankaartia acuscutellaris (walch). | | 1964 | 14165131 |
| relation of tick and chigger infestations to home areas of california meadow mice. | | 1964 | 14188828 |
| two new schoengastiine chiggers from thailand (acarina: trombiculidae). | | 1965 | 14280483 |
| parasitic phase of chigger mite, hannemania hegeneri, on experimentally infested amphibians. | | 1961 | 14450331 |
| change in authorship of two chigger species, euschongastia diversa and e. trigenula (acarina, trom-biculidae), with designation of lectotypes. | | 1962 | 14466538 |
| [intraspecific variability and sympatry in closely related chigger mite species of the genus hirsutiella (acari: trombiculidae)]. | intraspecific variability in three closely related chigger mite species of the genus hirsutiella schluger et vysotzkaya, 1970, h. steineri (kepka, 1966), h. llogorensis (daniel, 1960), and h. alpina stekolnikov, 2001 has been studied based on materials collected in caucasus and turkey. it is established that both h. steineri and h. llogorensis include western caucasian and asian forms, the first one being larger than the second one. western caucasian samples of h. steineri are also split into la ... | 2003 | 14515506 |
| chigger mites (acari: trombiculidae) new to the fauna of cuba, with the description of two new species. | two new species of chigger mites, hyponeoculta monocoxalae sp. n. from bats and reptiles, and perares nudosetosus sp. n. from bats, are described. the first finding of larvae of tectumpilosum negreai feider, 1983 in nature is reported from a bat collected at the type locality, and the description of this species is emended. four species, perates monops (brennan et jones, 1960), parasecia manueli (brennan et jones, 1960), beamerella acutascuta brennan, 1958, and blankaartia sinnamaryi (floch et f ... | 2003 | 14560976 |
| investigations on the biology, epidemiology, pathology and control of tunga penetrans in brazil: iii. cytokine levels in peripheral blood of infected humans. | tungiasis is caused by penetration of the female jigger flea, tunga penetrans, into the skin of its host. this parasitic skin disease is almost invariably associated with intense inflammation around embedded fleas, the underlying mechanisms being unknown. a study was undertaken to determine whether the inflammatory process can be attributed to immune activation induced by a biologically active foreign body. we determined the concentrations of th1-mediated (ifn-gamma, tnf-alpha) and th2-mediated ... | 2003 | 14574559 |
| topical treatment of tungiasis: a randomized, controlled trial. | tungiasis is caused by the penetration of the female sand flea tunga penetrans into the epidermis of its host. human infestation with this ectoparasite is hyper-endemic in many resource-poor communities in sub-saharan africa, the caribbean and south america and is associated with considerable morbidity. currently, there is no effective drug available to treat tungiasis (or at least none for which a parasiticidal effect has been clearly demonstrated). in an attempt to fill this gap, the effects o ... | 2003 | 14613633 |
| patterns of infestation by chigger mites in four diurnal lizard species from a restinga habitat (jurubatiba) of southeastern brazil. | we studied the parasitism by larvae of the chigger mite eutrombicula alfreddugesi on the lizard community of restinga de jurubatiba, rio de janeiro state, southeastern brazil. we investigated the patterns of infestation (prevalence and intensity) of chigger mites in four sympatric lizards: tropidurus torquatus, mabuya agilis, m. macrorhyncha and cnemidophorus littoralis. all lizards collected were checked for the presence of mites, which were counted under stereomicroscope. we tested the relatio ... | 2004 | 14758698 |
| the copperhead snake as a host for the chigger mite trombicula (eutrombicula) alfreddugèsi. | | 1950 | 14795335 |
| mite vectors (acari: trombiculidae) of scrub typhus in a new endemic area in northern kyoto, japan. | between 1983 and 1999, 27 human cases of scrub typhus (two fatal) occurred in the nodagawa river basin of northern kyoto, japan, an area where no cases had been previously reported. antibody screening of infected patients' sera showed that nine of 15 patients had high titers against the gilliam type of orientia tsutsugamushi (hayashi). to determine the vector mite transmitting the disease, we studied rodent and chigger populations in and near a rice field alongside the nodagawa river between 199 ... | 2004 | 14989353 |
| [effectiveness of 20% salicylated vaseline in the treatment of profuse tungiasis. report of 8 cases in french guiana]. | the treatment of tungiasis involves the mechanic extraction of the gravid females of tunga penetrans. we have observed on 8 patients profuse tungiasis diagnosed in the centre hospitalier de cayenne. we have carried out different types of treatment, including the occlusive application of 20% of salicylated vaseline during 12 or 24 hours. this procedure causes the death of the parasites and facilitates their extraction. | 2003 | 15015851 |
| differential diagnosis between tunga penetrans (l., 1758) and t. trimamillata pampiglione et al., 2002 (insecta, siphonaptera), the two species of the genus tunga parasitic in man. | of the ten currently known species of sand fleas, only two, tunga penetrans and tunga trimamillata, are known to be parasites of man, besides other warm blooded animals, most of which are peridomestic. the hosts of the other eight are limited to a few genera of wild mammals. t. trimamillata was only recently identified and differentiated from t. penetrans by features of the gravid female phase. in the present paper the different morphological characters of both for non-gravid females and males o ... | 2004 | 15071827 |
| epidemiological studies on host animals of scrub typhus of the autumn-winter type in shandong province, china. | in order to elucidate the host animals of scrub typhus in shandong province, epidemiological studies on host rodents of the autumn-winter type scrub typhus were carried out from 1995 to 2002 at four localities in the shandong province. based upon ecological observations of the composition, seasonal fluctuation of animal hosts, isolation of orientia tsutsugamushi, detection and identification of serotypes of antibodies to o. tsutsugamushi were conducted. two thousand eight hundred and eighty-four ... | 2003 | 15115095 |
| high attack rate of tunga penetrans (linnaeus 1758) infestation in an impoverished brazilian community. | tungiasis (jigger) is endemic in many impoverished communities in many parts of brazil. forty-seven individuals entering an endemic area were followed up for a period of six weeks and regularly examined for the presence of newly embedded sand fleas. at the end of the third week, the attack rate of tunga penetrans infestation had already approached 100%. | 2004 | 15138080 |
| the role of mite pocket-like structures on agama caudospinosa (agamidae) infested by pterygosoma livingstonei sp. n. (acari: prostigmata: pterygosomatidae). | pterygosoma livingstonei sp. n. collected from the kenyan lizard agama caudospinosa meek shows morphological affinities with other south african congener species parasitizing lizards of the genus agama, especially with p. triangulare lawrence, 1936, but it differs in having glabrous genua ii and iii. p. livingstonei shows affinities with the lawrence's hispida species group in the characters of genital and peripheral setae. this new species was found concentrated in a nuchal "mite pocket-like st ... | 2004 | 15139379 |
| ectoparasites of gray squirrels in two different habitats and screening of selected ectoparasites for bartonellae. | gray squirrels, sciurus carolinensis, were livetrapped in 2 different habitat types, woodland (67 squirrels) and parkland (53 squirrels), in southeastern georgia. ectoparasites were recovered from anesthetized squirrels and compared between hosts from the 2 habitats. because of the absence of low vegetation in parkland habitats, it was hypothesized that the ectoparasite fauna, especially ticks and chiggers, would be more diverse on woodland squirrels. the results were generally in agreement with ... | 2004 | 15270090 |
| molecular phylogeny of isolates of ctenocephalides felis and related species based on analysis of its1, its2 and mitochondrial 16s rdna sequences and random binding primers. | the phylogenetic relationships among 31 different flea isolates representing seven different species were studied by nucleotide sequence comparison of the internal transcribed spacer 1 (its1), internal transcribed spacer 2 (its2) and/or mitochondrial 16s ribosomal rna gene (mt16s-rdna) to examine the patterns of variation. results show that all regions are useful in discriminating among flea species. in ctenocephalides felis and tunga penetrans, some differences in these gene regions occurred am ... | 2004 | 15340839 |
| investigations on the biology, epidemiology, pathology and control of tunga penetrans in brazil: iv. clinical and histopathology. | tungiasis is a parasitic skin disease caused by the sand flea tunga penetrans. this ectoparasitosis is endemic in south america, the caribbean and sub-saharan africa, where it is an important but neglected health problem in resource-poor communities. as part of a study of tungiasis-related morbidity in a typical slum in fortaleza, brazil, we identified 86 individuals with tungiasis. lesions were counted, classified according to the stage of development, and clinical pathology was documented. one ... | 2004 | 15368123 |
| [chigger infestation (trombidiosis); an endemic caused by leptus (trombicula) autumnalis in the thisted region]. | | 1950 | 15443150 |
| wolbachia infection in the newly described ecuadorian sand flea, tunga trimamillata. | wolbachia pipientis is an intracellular endosymbiont producing reproductive alterations in its hosts. this bacterium have been reported in many arthropods and nematodes. by pcr amplification and sequencing of the 16s rdna and ftsz genes we have identified a wolbachia strain in the newly described sand-flea, tunga trimamillata. prevalence of this endosymbiont in the 26 individuals screened is equal to 35%. sympatric and allopatric specimens of the related species tunga penetrans were also analyse ... | 2004 | 15491544 |
| high infection rate of wolbachia endobacteria in the sand flea tunga penetrans from brazil. | tunga penetrans is an ectoparasite causing considerable morbidity in endemic communities. recently, endobacteria of the genus wolbachia were identified also in t. penetrans. since wolbachia were suggested as targets for intervention of insect pests and human filariasis, sand fleas were collected from infested humans, dogs and rats in a hyperendemic area in northeastern brazil, and screened for wolbachia infections. twenty-one adult fleas and four batches of flea eggs were examined by pcr using p ... | 2004 | 15533291 |
| investigations on the biology, epidemiology, pathology and control of tunga penetrans in brazil. v. cytokine concentrations in experimentally infected wistar rats. | tungiasis is caused by the penetration of the female sand flea tunga penetrans into the skin of its host. this parasitic skin disease is almost invariably associated with an intense inflammation around embedded fleas, the underlying mechanisms being unknown. a study was undertaken to determine whether wistar rats can be used as an animal model to assess cytokine kinetics during the natural course of the infection. laboratory-raised wistar rats were exposed in cages put on the soil in an area wit ... | 2004 | 15549386 |
| [variability in leptotrombidium europaeum and two new related chigger mite species (acari: trombiculidae) from caucasus]. | two new chigger mite species closely related to leptotrombidium europaeum (daniel et brelih, 1959) are described from small mammals collected in caucasus and transcaucasia. l. alanicum sp. n. differs from l. europaeum in having shorter legs (taiii = 61-81, ip = 734-927 versus 72-90, and 855-1017), shorter scutal and idiosomal setae (d(min) = = 30-45, d(max) = 48-67, h = 59, pl = 58 versus 40-52, 54-69, 64, 63), slightly smaller scutum (ap = 25, sd = 47, pw = 89 versus 28, 50, 91), and more numer ... | 2004 | 15553769 |
| the animal reservoir of tunga penetrans in severely affected communities of north-east brazil. | tungiasis is a zoonotic ectoparasitosis caused by the sand flea tunga penetrans l. (siphonaptera: tungidae). this disease is hyperendemic in poor communities of north-east brazil, causing considerable morbidity in affected human populations, but the animal reservoirs have not been investigated previously in brazil. to assess the prevalence and intensity of t. penetrans infection in domestic and peri-domestic animals, as well as in the human population, we surveyed two typical communities of nort ... | 2004 | 15641998 |
| blood-feeding of tunga penetrans males. | the jigger tunga penetrans (linnaeus, 1758: type-species of the family tungidae) is the smallest known species of flea (siphonaptera), causing serious ectoparasitosis of humans and domestic animals. the adult female tunga lodges in the epidermis of the mammalian host, grows by neosomy, becomes gravid and expels eggs. relatively little is known about the free-living male tunga adults. among impoverished communities of fortaleza in north-east brazil, we observed t. penetrans males as well as femal ... | 2004 | 15642011 |
| characterization of orientia tsutsugamushi strains isolated in shandong province, china by immunofluorescence and restriction fragment length polymorphism (rflp) analyses. | in order to identify the characteristics of the sta56 gene of the 23 isolates of orientia (o.) tsutsugamushi isolated in shandong province, indirect immunofluorescence assay (ifa) was used to identify the gene type of 23 strains o. tsutsugamushi isolated from scrub typhus patients, chigger mites, and rodents. restriction fragment length polymorphism (rflp) analysis was also used to analyze the restriction profiles of the sta56 gene pcr amplification products of the 23 isolated strains of the o. ... | 2004 | 15691135 |
| chigger mites of the genus eutrombicula ewing, 1938 (acari: trombiculidae) from cuba, with the description of three new species. | three new species of chigger mites, eutrombicula cubensis sp. n. and e. anguliscuta sp. n. from lizards and bats, and e. leiocephali sp. n. from lizards, are described. one species, e. lipovskyana (wolfenbarger, 1953), is recorded for the first time in cuba. data on distribution of e. alfreddugesi (oudemans, 1910) in cuba are reported. | 2004 | 15729949 |
| seasonal variation of tungiasis in an endemic community. | tungiasis (caused by the sand flea tunga penetrans) is hyperendemic in many resource-poor communities in brazil. to understand transmission dynamics of this parasitic skin disease in a typical endemic area, a longitudinal study was carried out in a slum in fortaleza in northeastern brazil. in a door-to-door survey, the population of a randomly selected area (n = 1,460) was examined on four occasions for the presence of embedded sand fleas. prevalence rates were 33.6% in march (rainy season), 23. ... | 2005 | 15741550 |
| an unusual case of ectopic tungiasis with pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia. | tungiasis is caused by the penetration of the female sand flea tunga penetrans into the epidermis, and subsequent hypertrophy of the parasite. in most cases lesions are confined to the feet. during a cross-sectional study, an unusual case of ectopic tungiasis in the inguinal area was detected. histological examination of tissue samples showed a remarkable pseudoepitheliomatous aspect of the epidermis. clinical features and differential diagnoses are discussed. | 2004 | 15880239 |
| [ivermectin]. | initial clinical trials in 1980 showed that ivermectin was remarkably effective against onchocerca volvulus. some 25 years after more than 50 million people are treated annually with mectizan mainly within the framework of the african programme for onchocerciasis control (apoc). this success has been possible thanks to merck mectizan donation program and to distribution through a novel strategy based on the strong involvement of endemic communities. in the last few years mectizan has been used i ... | 2005 | 15903082 |
| novel mitochondrial gene content and gene arrangement indicate illegitimate inter-mtdna recombination in the chigger mite, leptotrombidium pallidum. | to better understand the evolution of mitochondrial (mt) genomes in the acari (mites and ticks), we sequenced the mt genome of the chigger mite, leptotrombidium pallidum (arthropoda: acari: acariformes). this genome is highly rearranged relative to that of the hypothetical ancestor of the arthropods and the other species of acari studied. the mt genome of l. pallidum has two genes for large subunit rrna, a pseudogene for small subunit rrna, and four nearly identical large noncoding regions. nine ... | 2005 | 15931495 |
| euschoengastia suzukii (acari: trombiculidae): a new species of chigger mite collected from soil samples in the nest burrows of streaked shearwater in japan. | euschoengastia suzukii takahashi, fukaya & takahashi is described and illustrated. the type material was collected from soil samples in the nest burrows of the sea bird streaked shearwater, calonectris leucomelas (temminck), living on mikurajima island in tokyo; oomorijima island, oki, shimane prefecture; and awashima island, niigata prefecture, in japan, indicating that c. leucomelas is the main parasitic host of e. suzukii new species. | 2005 | 16119540 |
| field trial of the efficacy of a combination of imidacloprid and permethrin against tunga penetrans (sand flea, jigger flea) in dogs in brazil. | in a field trial in brazil 17 dogs penetrated by females of the jigger flea, tunga penetrans, were topically treated with a combination of 10% imidacloprid and 50% permethrin (advantix), while 17 dogs remained untreated. the follow-up controls on days 7, 14, 21 and 28 post-treatment clearly showed that, beginning from day 7, the flea load in treated dogs decreased, so that most of the dogs became free of tungiasis lesions, while in the untreated group the flea load remained high. since the dogs ... | 2005 | 16228267 |
| tunga penetrans. a case report and review of the literature. | tungiasis is an infection caused by infestation of tunga penetrans into the epidermis. although, at the moment, presentation of this condition seems rare in europe and northern america, tungiasis is highly endemic in other parts of the world. we describe a case of tunga penetrans infection in the foot of a 22-year old dutch female returning from kenya, and present a review of the literature. now that intercontinental travel is increasing, physicians in other parts of the world will be expected t ... | 2005 | 16315847 |
| a survey of ectoparasites in gunung stong forest reserve, kelantan, malaysia. | a survey of ticks and other ectoparasites was carried out during a national biodiversity scientific expedition at gunung stong forest reserve, kelantan, malaysia from 23-29 may 2003. a total of 272 animals comprised of 12 species of birds, 21 species of bats, 7 species of rodents and 2 species of insects were examined for ticks and other ectoparasites. from these animals, 5 species in 4 genera of ticks; 7 species in 2 families of mesostigmatid mites and 5 species of chiggers were collected. amon ... | 2005 | 16438136 |
| revision on tungiasis: treatment options and prevention. | the parasitic skin disease tungiasis occurs in many resource-poor communities in latin america, the caribbean and sub-saharan africa. the sand flea, tunga penetrans, most commonly penetrates into the skin of the feet. many individuals harbor a large number of embedded parasites and show significant morbidity. standard treatment consists of surgical extraction of the flea and application of a topical antibiotic. there are no drugs available with proven effectiveness. clinical trials performed in ... | 2006 | 16441216 |
| outbreak investigation of scrub typhus in himachal pradesh (india). | scrub typhus outbreak investigation was undertaken during september 2003 in the three worst affected districts shimla, solan and sirmaur in himachal pradesh (india). a total of 113 cases and 19 deaths (17.27 percent case fatality rate) were reported from the eight districts, which were reporting cases. cases were prevalent in all age groups and in both the sexes among the persons frequenting forest for occupational work. 35.7 percent of the patients serum samples showed a titer of > 1: 80 agains ... | 2004 | 16506551 |
| tungiasis in rural haiti: a community-based response. | tungiasis is a disease endemic to poor communities in latin america, the caribbean and africa. it is caused by the female flea, tunga penetrans, which burrows into the skin of its host to feed while producing and extruding eggs. consequent lesions may be painful and even crippling with damage ranging from mild erythema and swelling to necrosis. superinfection of lesions can be serious and may result in auto-amputation or death from tetanus. we describe an outbreak of tungiasis in rural haiti and ... | 2006 | 16516941 |
| seasonal variation of infestation by ectoparasitic chigger mite larvae (acarina: trombiculidae) on resident and migratory birds in coffee agroecosystems of chiapas, mexico. | parasitism is not well documented for birds found in tropical habitats. long-distance migratory birds may face additional risks to an already hazardous journey when infected. this study explores the ecology of an ectoparasite infestation in chiapas, mexico. during a mist-netting project in 2 different coffee management systems, chigger mites (acarina: trombiculidae), ectoparasitic during the larval stage, were found on both resident and migratory birds. using a rapid assessment protocol, it was ... | 2005 | 16539008 |
| tungiasis. | tungiasis is a neglected parasitic skin disease caused by the permanent penetration of the female sand flea (also called jigger flea) tunga penetrans into the skin of its host. after penetration, most commonly on the feet, the flea undergoes an impressing hypertrophy, and some days later the abdominal segments of the flea have enlarged up to the size of about 1 cm. the flea infestation is associated with poverty and occurs in many resource-poor communities in the caribbean, south america and afr ... | 2005 | 16553319 |
| [geographical variation in the species montivagum dihumerale and speciation in chigger mites (acari: trombiculidae)]. | intraspecific morphological variation of the chigger mite species montivagum dihumerale (traub et nadchatram, 1967) is studied. eco-geographic rules of the variation are revealed. general size of mites is found to be increased along with the rise of the high-mountain character of the landscape in the collection localities. the numbers of idiosomal setae are varied independently from the size parameters and geographically close populations are proved to be the most similar by these characters. at ... | 2006 | 16579029 |
| high exposure to tunga penetrans (linnaeus, 1758) correlates with intensity of infestation. | tungiasis is a parasitic skin disease widespread in resource-poor urban and rural communities in brazil. inhabitants of an urban slum in northeast brazil were examined for the presence of tungiasis lesions and followed-up twice a week for a period of three weeks. each time the number, stages, and topographic localization of lesions were recorded on a documentation sheet. the infestation rate (number of newly embedded sand fleas per individual and day) remained stable during the observation perio ... | 2006 | 16612510 |
| whartonia (fascutonia) natsumei (acari: trombiculidae): a new bat chigger collected from plecotus auritus (chiroptera: vespertilionidae) in japan, with host and distribution records of the genus whartonia. | we describe and illustrate a new bat chigger, whartonia (fascutonia) natsumei takahashi, takahashi & kikuchi n. sp., ex. plecotus auritus (linnaeus, 1758), from japan, and summarize the host and distribution records of the chiggers of the genus whartonia ewing, 1944. with the description of a new species here, the number of whartonia species increases to 40 composed of 22 species from asia, 14 from north and south america in addition to central america, and four from africa. | 2006 | 16619590 |
| molecular mechanisms for the variation of mitochondrial gene content and gene arrangement among chigger mites of the genus leptotrombidium (acari: acariformes). | the gene content of a mitochondrial (mt) genome, i.e., 37 genes and a large noncoding region (lnr), is usually conserved in metazoa. the arrangement of these genes and the lnr is generally conserved at low taxonomic levels but varies substantially at high levels. we report here a variation in mt gene content and gene arrangement among chigger mites of the genus leptotrombidium. we found previously that the mt genome of leptotrombidium pallidum has an extra gene for large-subunit rrna (rrnl), a p ... | 2006 | 16830100 |
| caamembecaia gratiosus n. gen., n. sp. (acari: trombiculidae), from trinomys gratiosus (gunter) (rodentia: echimydae), of atlantic forest in southeastern brazil. | from june 1999 to may 2001, small mammals were captured in three areas of the atlantic forest in southeastern brazil and examined for ectoparasites. analysis of ectoparasites revealed the presence of a new chigger genus and species, caamembecaia gratiosus, from trinomys gratiosus. this is the first record of a chigger from t. gratiosus. | 2006 | 16830704 |
| a plant-based repellent protects against tunga penetrans infestation and sand flea disease. | tungiasis is a parasitic skin disease prevalent in impoverished populations in the tropics and associated with considerable morbidity. treatment options are limited and prophylaxis has never been attempted. we assessed the effectiveness of a plant-based repellent to prevent infestation with tunga penetrans and sand flea disease in an urban squatter settlement in fortaleza, northeast brazil. two cohorts were formed. one cohort started with the intervention while another served as control. the pla ... | 2006 | 17010927 |
| genetic variability of tunga penetrans (siphonaptera, tungidae) sand fleas across south america and africa. | tunga penetrans is a widely distributed sand flea, infecting men and domestic animals. it originated in south america, but it is now also endemic of sub-saharan africa due to a recent accidental introduction. previous genetic analyses indicated a very limited variability in the ecuadorian populations; on the other hand, samples from madagascar resulted to be genetically isolated. to better examine the genetic variability of t. penetrans, a wider sampling was analysed for mitochondrial (cytochrom ... | 2007 | 17058107 |
| morbidity assessment in sand flea disease (tungiasis). | tungiasis, caused by the sand flea tunga penetrans, is a health problem in many impoverished communities in latin america, the caribbean, and sub-saharan africa. sand flea disease is associated with a broad spectrum of clinical and histological pathology. the factors determining the disease burden in endemic communities are not well understood, and severity of clinical pathology has never been assessed quantitatively. thus, two severity scores were developed: one for acute disease and one for ch ... | 2007 | 17058108 |
| observations on the endemicity of plague in karatu and ngorongoro, northern tanzania. | commensal and field rodents and wild small carnivores were live-trapped in five villages of karatu district and one settlement in the ngorongoro conservation area in ngorongoro district in tanzania. blood samples were taken and serologically tested for plague, using the blocking elisa technique. some domestic dogs and cats in the karatu villages were aseptically bled and similarly tested for plague. fleas were collected from the examined animals and from randomly selected residential houses. a t ... | 2006 | 17058792 |
| tungiasis (tungosis) comes to the czech republic. | a case of a 39 year old patient in whom infection by the sand flea tunga penetrans was diagnosed by histological examination is described. clinical findings included small red lesions on the lower extremities, containing a pyodermic component and a central black dot resembling tattoo. a tropical parasitic disease was considered as the signs developed following the patient's return from tanzania. | 2002 | 17147544 |
| tunga penetrans: a stowaway from around the world. | tungiasis is a cutaneous ectoparasitic infestation by the female sand flea tunga penetrans. it is predominantly a health problem in sub-saharan africa, the caribbean, latin america and south america. however, increasing numbers of returning travellers, immigrants, and adopted children are also affected in non-tropical countries. it is a cause of substantial morbidity, with prevalence rates as high as 76% in certain endemic areas. to date, the early extraction of the flea is still the first line ... | 2007 | 17207161 |
| [tungiasis (tunga penetrans)]. | | 2006 | 17269166 |
| tungiasis: more than an exotic nuisance. | tungiasis is a parasitic and zoonotic skin disease caused by the sand flea tunga penetrans-also called the jigger flea, which burrows into human skin, usually on the feet. the ectoparasitosis occurs in many economically depressed communities in the caribbean, south america and africa, and affects sporadically travellers to endemic areas. usually, only one or two lesions are found in travellers, whereas the local populations commonly harbour dozens, sometimes even hundreds of lesions, associated ... | 2003 | 17291909 |
| [insects know no border.]. | one of the major consequences of the joined action of demographic pressure and evolution of human activities lies in enormous increase of transportation, both in frequence and speed; taking advantage of these facilities, some arthropods could increase their geographical distribution and create new health threats. several demonstrative examples are exposed in order to illustrate this anthropic dissemination of the vectors : the introduction of anopheles gambiae s.l. in mauritius island between 18 ... | 1996 | 17292311 |
| tungiasis and myiasis. | tungiasis and myiasis are common ectoparasitic infestations that occur in developing countries in the tropics, particularly where poverty and poor standards of basic hygiene exist. the growth in international travel to and from these regions has led to an increase in the presentation of these conditions in nonendemic countries. despite recent progress in the treatment and prevention of tungiasis and myiasis, diagnosis can present a challenge to those unfamiliar with these conditions, especially ... | 2007 | 17350494 |
| [investigation of chigger mites on the rat eothenomys miletus in yunnan]. | to understand the species, species distribution, the dominant species and their interspecies interaction of chigger mites on eothenomys miletus(a dominant species of rats) in yunnan. | 2006 | 17361812 |
| [study of chigger communities on major species of rodents in yunnan province]. | to understand the characteristics of the chigger communities on the major species of rodent hosts. | 2006 | 17366968 |
| scrub typhus vaccines: past history and recent developments. | scrub typhus, an acute, febrile and potentially fatal disease, caused by infection with the obligate intracellular bacterium orientia tsutsugamushi, is commonly seen in the asia-pacific region. this disease can be handled successfully with rapid diagnosis, proper antibiotic treatment, and rodent and chigger control. however, recent reports of scrub typhus outbreaks in endemic areas, and a decreased effectiveness of antibiotic treatment suggest a continued need for a suitable vaccine. this review ... | 2007 | 17375000 |
| infestation of wistar rats with tunga penetrans in different microenvironments. | tungiasis is a zoonotic ectoparasitosis that causes considerable morbidity in affected populations. the type of microenvironment that facilitates infestation of hosts by tunga penetrans has not been investigated. in this study, we exposed 30 laboratory-raised wistar rats, a suitable model for the infestation, at six different places characterized by different microenvironments in a hyperendemic fishing village in northeastern brazil. during a period of two weeks, the animals were monitored and t ... | 2007 | 17426167 |
| chigger mites (acari: trombiculidae) from wild birds in costa rica, with a description of three new species. | three new species of chigger mites, eutrombicula costaricensis sp. n., eutrombicula passerinoruni sp. n., and eutrombicula hectochaeta sp. n. are described from wild birds from costa rica. two species, eutrombicula pacae (floch et fauran, 1957) and parasecia findata (brennan, 1969), are recorded for the first time in costa rica and on new host species. data on the distribution of blankaartia sinnamaryi (floch et fauran, 1956) in costa rica are also reported. | 2007 | 17441438 |
| tungiasis: high prevalence, parasite load, and morbidity in a rural community in lagos state, nigeria. | tungiasis is common in resource-poor populations throughout latin america, the caribbean, and sub-saharan africa, but epidemiologic data from africa on this ectoparasitosis are scarce. | 2007 | 17472674 |
| [tungiasis: a neglected disease causing severe morbidity in a shantytown in fortaleza, state of ceará]. | the parasitic skin disease tungiasis, caused by the jigger flea tunga penetrans, is endemic in low-income communities in brazil. in this study, inhabitants of a shantytown in fortaleza, northeastern brazil, who had an elevated parasite load, were identified. the number of lesions, localization, staging and associated diseases were recorded. the 142 individuals identified were living in extremely precarious housing conditions. a total of 3,445 lesions located on the feet were counted (median = 17 ... | 2007 | 17486257 |
| ectoparasites in an urban population of big brown bats (eptesicus fuscus) in colorado. | ectoparasites of an urban population of big brown bats (eptesicus fuscus) in fort collins, colorado, were investigated during summers 2002, 2003, and 2004. eleven species of ectoparasites were found (the macronyssid mite steatonyssus occidentalis, the wing mite spinturnix bakeri, the myobiid mites acanthophthirius caudata and pteracarus aculeus, the chirodiscid mite alabidocarpus eptesicus, the demodicid mite demodex sp., the chigger leptotrombidium myotis, the soft tick carios kelleyi, the batf ... | 2007 | 17626343 |
| winter infestation of wild birds by ticks and chiggers (acari: ixodidae, trombiculidae) in the czech republic. | in winter months during 2003-2006, wild birds were captured and examined for ticks and chiggers at two sites near brno, czech republic. in total, 1,362 birds, mostly passerines, were examined. the tick ixodes arboricola schulze et schlottke, 1929 was found on 47 (3%) birds of six species. ixodes ricinus linnaeus, 1758 was found on 11 (1%) birds of five species. larvae of chiggers ascoschoengastia latyshevi (schluger 1955) were found on 13 (1%) birds of six species. i. arboricola and a. latyshevi ... | 2007 | 17674046 |
| the native host of the chigger. | | 1925 | 17776491 |
| investigations on the life cycle and morphology of tunga penetrans in brazil. | in the present study, the life cycle of tunga penetrans was established in wistar rats in the laboratory, and the morphology of the resulting developmental stages was studied by means of light and scanning electron microscopy. it was seen that the females enter at a nonfertilized stage through the skin of their hosts. only there the copulation occurs, while females and males brought together in a petri dish showed no interest in each other. in any way -- fertilized or not -- the females start ab ... | 2007 | 17823833 |
| investigations on the biology, epidemiology, pathology and control of tunga penetrans in brazil. vi. natural history of the infestation in laboratory-raised wistar rats. | tungiasis is endemic in many countries in latin america, the caribbean and sub-saharan africa, and it is associated with severe morbidity. the pathophysiological and immunological characteristics of the ectoparasitosis are not well understood, and no effective therapy is currently available. the aim of this study was to describe the natural history of tungiasis in laboratory-raised wistar rats. the rats were exposed in the laboratory to the parasite or were kept in a natural environment with an ... | 2007 | 17851690 |
| ectoparasites of chevrier's field mouse, apodemus chevrieri, in a focus of plague in southwest china. | chevrier's field mouse, apodemus chevrieri milne-edwards (rodentia: muridae), has been identified as the main wild reservoir of plague in the sylvatic plague focus of yunnan province, southwest china. here, the ectoparasite communities of a. chevrieri and the potential medical and veterinary importance of these ectoparasites are described. a high proportion (66%) of 321 mice were found to be infested with ectoparasites. a total of 81 species of ectoparasite, including 48 species of chigger mite, ... | 2007 | 17897372 |
| imported tungiasis: a report of 19 cases and review of the literature. | tungiasis is an infestation caused by penetration in the skin of the gravid female of the flea tunga penetrans. in the period 1991-2006, 19 patients with imported tungiasis were observed at our institute. all patients were subjected to general and dermatological examination, laboratory tests (including bacteriological examinations) and surgical excision of the lesions with histopathological examination. in all patients tetanus prophylaxis was made. all patients were followed up for at least six ... | 2007 | 17910715 |
| [imported case of human tungiasis in hungary]. | tungiasis is a parasitic skin disease due to the permanent penetration of the female sand flea t. penetrans (linnaeus, 1758) into the skin of its host. | 2007 | 17932007 |
| [surveillance on rickettsia in epidemic areas of scrub typhus in xinyang areas of henan]. | to understand the epidemic status of rickettsia in xinyang areas of henan province. | 2007 | 17939381 |
| upper eyelid localisation of tunga penetrans. | this report describes two cases of palpebral localisation of tunga penetrans. | 2007 | 17947835 |
| repetitive sequences in the its1 region of the ribosomal dna of tunga penetrans and other flea species (insecta, siphonaptera). | different tunga penetrans isolates from various hosts obtained from south america (fortaleza. brazil) have been studied by nucleotide sequence comparison of the first and the second internal transcribed spacer (its1, its2) of the ribosomal deoxyribonucleic acid (rdna) and part of the mitochondrial 16s rdna. results show no significant host-dependent sequence differences. no indication for intraindividual and intraspecific polymorphisms could be detected. comparing the its1 spacer region of t. pe ... | 2008 | 17952470 |
| clinical and histological features of inoculation site skin lesions in cynomolgus monkeys experimentally infected with orientia tsutsugamushi. | cynomolgus monkeys, as animal models of scrub typhus, are typically infected with orientia tsutsugamushi by intradermal inoculation. however, the clinical and histological features at the o. tsutsugamushi inoculation sites, akin to "eschars" at chigger inoculation sites in humans, have not been fully characterized. we intradermally inoculated one medial thigh of six cynomolgus monkeys with semi-purified o. tsutsugamushi (karp). within 7 days, two animals developed scrub typhus-like eschars and f ... | 2007 | 17979530 |
| molecular detection and characterization of spotted fever group rickettsiae in taiwan. | rickettsioses are emerging infectious diseases caused by rickettsiae in association with arthropods. we report the detection of spotted fever group rickettsiae (sfgr) in taiwan using molecular methods. phylogenetic analyses of the 17-kd protein and citrate synthase (glta) genes showed that sfgr twkm01 detected in rhipicephalus haemaphysaloides ticks was most similar to rickettsia rhipicephali. three twkm01 isolates were obtained from three individual r. haemaphysaloides ticks. small, intracellul ... | 2007 | 17984347 |
| a tropical chigger, eutrombicula batatas linn. attacking man in california. | | 1949 | 18153058 |