A Severe case of swimmer’s itch in Victoria, Australia with bullous eruption
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33321/cdi.2024.48.8Keywords:
swimmer’s itch, cercarial dermatitis, avian schistosomiasisAbstract
Cutaneous schistosomiasis (swimmer’s itch) is an itchy maculopapular rash that follows skin penetration by cercariae of nonhuman schistosomes, during fresh or brackish water exposure. It is typically a mild skin reaction that settles in one to three weeks.
Here we describe a case of severe swimmer’s itch acquired in Victoria, Australia, with widespread bullous lesions on water-exposed areas of skin. This case presented a diagnostic challenge and is unique given the severity of the reaction and the geographic occurrence; the condition rarely causes bullae, and to date has been reported only in more northern latitudes of Australia. With climate change trends, swimmer’s itch is likely to become increasingly prevalent in more temperate regions, illustrating the importance of clinician awareness of this condition.
Downloads
References
Parks Victoria. Jawbone Marine Sanctuary (Jawbone Marine Sanctuary, Local Port of Port Phillip). [Internet.] Melbourne: Victoria State Government, Parks Victoria. [Accessed in May 2023.] Available from: https://www.parks.vic.gov.au/places-to-see/sites/jawbone-marine-sanctuary.
Rademaker M, Numan H. Swimmer’s itch. [Webpage.] Auckland: New Zealand Dermatological Society, DermNet; September 2021. [Accessed in May 2023.] Available from: https://dermnetnz.org/topics/swimmers-itch.
Kolářová L, Horák P, Skírnisson K, Marečková H, Doenhoff M. Cercarial dermatitis, a neglected allergic disease. Clin Rev Allergy Immunol. 2013;45(1):63–74. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12016-012-8334-y.
Verbrugge LM, Rainey JJ, Reimink RL, Blankespoor HD. Prospective study of swimmer’s itch incidence and severity. J Parasitol. 2004;90(4):697–704. doi: https://doi.org/10.1645/GE-237R.
Al-Jubury A, Bygum A, SusannaTracz E, Koch CN, Buchmann K. Cercarial dermatitis at public bathing sites (Region Zealand, Denmark): a case series and literature review. Case Rep Dermatol. 2021;13(3):360–5. doi: https://doi.org/10.1159/000516981.
Frew JW, Henderson CJ, McCrossin ID. The early bird and the worm: a case of cercarial dermatitis. Med J Aust. 2016;204(3):122–3. doi: https://doi.org/10.5694/mja15.00802.
Appleton CC, Lethbridge RC. Schistosome dermatitis in the Swan Esturary, Western Australia. Med J Aust. 1979;1(5):141–5. doi: https://doi.org/10.5694/j.1326-5377.1979.tb128947.x.
Hurley M, Hearnden M, Blair D, Kay B. Larval trematodes in freshwater snails at the Ross River Reservoir, northern Australia, with emphasis on Trichobilharzia sp(p)., causative agents of swimmer’s itch. Aust J Mar Freshw Res. 1994;45(4):563–7. doi: https://doi.org/10.1071/MF9940563.
Sridhar J, Deo R. Marine and other aquatic dermatoses. Indian J Dermatol. 2017;83(1):66-78. doi: https://doi.org/10.4103/0019-5154.198052.
Tremaine AM, Whittemore DE, Gewirtzman AJ, Bartlett BL, Mendoza N, Rapini RPet al. An unusual case of swimmer’s itch. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2009;60(1):174–6. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaad.2008.07.060.
Rademaker M, Ngan V. Sea bather’s eruption. [Webpage.] Auckland: New Zealand Dermatological Society, DermNet; January 2021. [Accessed in October 2023.] Available from: https://dermnetnz.org/topics/sea-bathers-eruption.
Tomchik RS, Russell MT, Szmant AM, Black NA. Clinical perspectives on seabather’s eruption, also known as ‘sea lice’. JAMA. 1993;269(13):1669–72. doi: https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.1993.03500130083037.
Horák P, Mikeš L, Lichtenbergová L, Skála V, Soldánová M, Brant SV. Avian schistosomes and outbreaks of cercarial dermatitis. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2015;28(1):165-190. doi: https://doi.org/10.1128/CMR.00043-14.
Victoria State Government Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning. Victoria’s climate science: Report 2019. Melbourne: Victoria State Government Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning; 2019. Available from: https://www.climatechange.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0029/442964/Victorias-Climate-Science-Report-2019.pdf.
Purnell C. The role of waterbirds in Australia’s 2022 Japanese Encephalitis outbreak – a rapid synthesis. Sydney: Wildlife Health Australia / Melbourne: BirdLife Australia; June 2022. Available from: https://wildlifehealthaustralia.com.au/Portals/0/Documents/Ongoing%20Incidents/Role_of_waterbirds_Aus_2022-JEV-outbreak_RapidSsynthesis_BirdLifeAustralia.pdf.
Published
How to Cite
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Communicable Diseases Intelligence
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
