Swimmer's itch in Canada: a look at the past and a survey of the present to plan for the future.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Cercarial dermatitis, colloquially "swimmer's itch", is a rash contracted in natural bodies of water, when people are exposed to skin-penetrating, larval flatworm parasites of the family Schistosomatidae, that emerge from aquatic snails. Swimmer's itch is a globally-distributed, allergic condition, of which we know very little regarding local dynamics of transmission. This study aims to gather relevant information on swimmer's itch in Canada, from multiple perspectives, including the human experience, parasite and host presence and distributions, and insight from historical perspectives.

Methods

Herein we utilize a mixed-methods approach towards examining the environmental health issue of swimmer's itch in Canadian lakes from a nation-wide viewpoint, with an examp

SUBMITTER: Gordy MA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6203143 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature