Cercarial Dermatitis

Cercarial dermatitis' or swimmer's itch' is an itchy inflammatory condition caused by the penetration of the skin by non-human schistosome parasites. In the hot season, May to September in the countryside, swimming in canals and agriculture activities in swampy areas are common. This is a major cause of cercarial dermatitis. A survey was conducted in Iran involving two thousand people to know about this disease. They asked them of the presence of itching and maculopapular rash or eruption on the body especially hands or feet during and after there involvement in the swamps. Clinical symptoms were recorded. This study was approved by Tehran University of Medical sciences Ethic Committee.

From the 2000 people involved in this survey for cercarial dermatitis 22 persons were found to have dermatitis symptoms. Dermatitis was observed as a macular or papular rash on the hands or feet. The symptoms were abundant in children. Separate studies suggested that these symptoms appeared when in contact with infected snails.

So it can be stated that due to the presence of infected snails in the swamps where people from the rural areas bathe in the summer, cercarial dermatitis is a factor. Apart from snail this disease could be carried around by any mammal or bird and from them be transferred to human beings.