Cercarial dermatitis: Swimmer's itch, also called cercarial dermatitis, is a skin rash caused by an allergic reaction to infection with certain parasites of birds and mammals. These ... more about Cercarial dermatitis.
Cercarial dermatitis: A short-lived rash that occurs as an allergic reaction to larval (cercariae) infection of the skin. These particular parasites use birds and animals as their first hosts. Larval eggs are excreted in the faeces and when they land in water, they hatch into larvae which then infect certain aquatic snails. The infected snails release another form of the larvae called cercariae which then search for a bird, mammal host. When they enter the skin of a human they die as humans are unsuitable hosts but the skin can produce an allergic reaction. More detailed information about the symptoms, causes, and treatments of Cercarial dermatitis is available below.
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Swimmer's itch, also called cercarial dermatitis, is a skin rash caused by an allergic reaction to infection with certain parasites of birds and mammals. These microscopic parasites are released from infected snails to swim in fresh and salt water, such as lakes, ponds, and oceans used for swimming and wading. Infection is found throughout the world. Swimmer's itch generally occurs during summer months. (Source: excerpt from Cercarial dermatitis: DPD)
A sensitization reaction to repeated invasion of the skin by cercariae of schistosomes - (Source - WordNet 2.1)
Cercarial dermatitis is listed as a "rare disease" by the Office of
Rare Diseases (ORD) of the National Institutes of Health
(NIH). This means that Cercarial dermatitis, or a subtype of Cercarial dermatitis,
affects less than 200,000 people in the US population.
Source - National Institutes of Health (NIH)
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