Bedbug is a small parasite that penetrates the skin, mainly in the feet, where it grows rapidly. It is also called sand bedbug, pig bedbug, dog bedbug, jatecuba, matacanha, sand flea or tunga, for example, depending on the region.
It is a skin infection caused by a small flea, called Tunga penetrans, which is able to infiltrate and live several weeks on the skin, causing a small injury that can ignite and cause symptoms such as pain, itching and redness.
- To treat this infection.
- It is necessary to remove this parasite from the skin.
- Preferably in a health center.
- With a sterilized needle.
- O Tiabendazole or ivermectin in tablet or ointment form.
- For example.
- Recommended by your doctor if necessary.
However, the only way to control and prevent new infections is prevention, avoiding walking barefoot on soils with sand and mud, and rare environments with garbage and poor sanitary conditions.
The infection causes lesions that occur mainly in the soles of the feet, around the nails and in the spaces between the toes, although it also occurs in the hands or elsewhere in the body.
Within the first 30 minutes of penetrating the skin, the parasite produces initial symptoms, such as a red spot of about 1 mm and mild local pain. So, the symptoms that may appear on the skin over the days are:
After about 3 weeks, and after the expulsion of all eggs, the parasite may come out spontaneously or be killed and eliminated by the immune system, but it can leave residues that can remain on the skin for months.
To diagnose and confirm the presence of the bedbug, the doctor or nurse should only evaluate the characteristics of the wound and no additional testing is necessary.
The places where eggs and insect pests live are mainly sandy and dimly lit soils, such as near backyards, gardens, porters or mounds of manure. The flea measures approximately 1 mm and can also be found in the hair of dogs and rats, feeding on their blood.
When the female is full of eggs, it tries to penetrate the skin of other host animals, such as pigs or humans, where it infiltrates leaving the back outside, resulting in the black spot of the injury, in order to remove the eggs and faeces.
During this period, which lasts from 2 to 3 weeks, the female can reach the size of a pea due to the development of the eggs, which are released outwards. After that, the insect dies, its shell is expelled and the skin heals again, and the eggs deposited in the environment become larvae in three or four days, which will grow and become new fleas that can re-infect more people.
Even if the parasite is only temporarily on the skin, it is very important that the treatment is performed, both to avoid complications such as bacterial infections, loss of nails, ulcers and deformities in the fingers, and to prevent new eggs from forming. be free in the environment. and can infect other people.
Treatment options include
Your doctor may guide the use of antibiotics, such as cefalxine, in case of bacterial infection. In addition, tetanus vaccination is indicated in all cases of insects, as perforation of the skin can be a gateway for bacteria in this disease.
To avoid the virus, you should always wear closed shoes in places with sand and where many pets, such as dogs and cats, pass through.
In addition, it is important to take the animals to the veterinarian to assess whether they are infected with the flea and to initiate appropriate treatment so that the disease does not spread to humans.
Another common disease contracted by worm-infected animals is the geographic bedbug, which causes sores, with severe redness and itching, mainly in the feet. Learn more about this infection in the symptoms of a geographic error.