Parasitic Infection from Walking Barefoot: A 7-Year-Old Boy’s Itchy ⁣Feet

A 7-year-old child⁢ complained of itchy and sore ⁤feet after playing barefoot on the sand⁢ with friends. The‍ symptoms were caused‍ by parasites. The child stepped on ⁢the feces⁢ of an infected animal and the sand where the‌ parasites laid larvae, and the larvae burrowed under the skin of the child’s feet, causing infection.

According to ‍a case study published in the ⁢scientific research journal Scientific Research, the⁣ child from Namibia, Africa, visited a hospital complaining of severe itching on his left foot for three days. The area gradually⁣ worsened, developing dark linear discoloration, ‍and was accompanied by intense itching.

The‍ child had no history of ‍insect bites or injuries. He ‍had received ‍all age-appropriate ‌vaccinations. The family ⁣lived in‌ the outskirts of Rundu, in the eastern Kavango region of⁢ Namibia, Africa,​ and owned a dog. Before complaining of pain, ⁢the child ⁣reported playing barefoot in the sand with peers of the ⁤same age.

The​ results of a full-body health examination ⁣showed that all the body systems of this ‍child ​were ⁣normal. A local examination ‌of the​ foot revealed‍ a linear, tortuous lesion extending from the top of the left foot to the inside and ‌the sole. ⁢There was no pain, and the skin was slightly swollen. These were the marks left​ by the parasite ⁣larvae penetrating the skin.

Complete blood counts were ‍within the normal range, and no serologic‍ tests or biopsies were ⁢performed. The medical ⁤team clinically diagnosed cutaneous ⁢larva migrans (CLM). The​ medical team prescribed the child 400​ mg‌ of⁣ albendazole once a day for⁣ 3 days, and also prescribed an antihistamine to relieve itching.⁤ After a week, the itching disappeared,​ and the lesions ⁢began ​to disappear. After 6 weeks of⁤ follow-up, the lesions completely disappeared, and the child ⁢was discharged from the ⁤hospital.

In 2018, an Australian woman was reported to have been infected with hookworm ⁤while walking on a sandy beach‌ in Vietnam and felt the worms moving under her ⁤skin. Taking medication only⁣ made her symptoms⁣ worse. The medication was said to have caused the parasites to wriggle inside her body,⁤ making her even‍ more miserable.

“My feet were ​swollen, it was the worst itching I’ve ever felt in my life, swelling, veins were popping out. I had pinprick blisters all over my toes, and that’s⁤ where it was infected. It was horrible,” she ⁣said.

How to Get Infected

You can get infected by walking barefoot on sand or dirt. Cutaneous larva migrans is a zoonotic disease. Hookworms, which are found mainly in the feces or wounds ‌of dogs and⁣ cats, are parasites⁤ that can infect‍ humans in‌ countries with poor ‍sanitation and ​warm, humid climates.

The eggs of these⁣ worms are transmitted through animal feces and hatch well in warm, moist sandy soil. ‌People⁤ can become ‍secondarily infected ⁢when they walk barefoot on sand or ​soil. ⁣It usually appears as a rash limited to the‍ skin of the ‌feet, but‍ can occur on ⁤any⁣ exposed ⁢body part.

Once infected, the skin becomes⁢ hypersensitive to the larvae⁤ and their secretions,⁤ causing itching and swelling. ⁣The larvae cannot penetrate the epidermal basement membrane of‍ human skin, so‌ they​ remain in the epidermis and can live for weeks or months before dying naturally. As they move around the epidermis, they​ leave⁤ behind lesions such as papules, which can later become infected ⁣with bacteria.