7/1/2023 0 Comments Mild swimmers itch picturesSEM of an avian schistosome cercaria penetrating human skin. Credit: Curtis L Blankespoor MSIP plans to help organize similar groups this summer in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Thanks in large part to the MSIP’s lobbying, Michigan’s 2016–17 government budget has provided $250,000 toward trapping common merganser ducks-blamed for 95 percent of the swimmer’s itch parasites in the popular tourist lakes of northwestern Michigan-and releasing them in areas where parasites cannot reproduce. ![]() This can trigger an allergic reaction in the form of violently itching red bumps that characterize swimmer’s itch. But Michigan has taken the lead in battling it with research and control measures targeting ducks that act as hosts to schistosomes-near-microscopic, wormlike parasites whose larvae try to burrow into people’s skin. Few officials take swimmers itch (also called cercarial dermatitis) very seriously as a public health problem. With summer looming and people heading for lakes and waterholes for a refreshing dip, those “little buggers” will again become, in parts of the U.S., a very big holiday nuisance. “There are days when I can feel those little buggers grabbing me right when I am coming out of the water.” “Moms will come down to the beach and say, ‘Is Leslie itching?’” says Ritter, who has become well acquainted with the parasites she lures with her body. Ritter’s statistics were instrumental last year when the MSIP successfully lobbied the Michigan legislature to fund research and prevention. If her skin starts to tingle, she knows something in the lake is after her-and swimming lessons are canceled.įor the past few years Ritter has been sending the results of her unusual experiment to the Michigan Swimmer’s Itch Partnership (MSIP), a coalition of more than 20 Michigan watershed associations that shares research and raises public awareness about something lurking in these waters-a scary-sounding parasite that can really ruin someone’s day, even if it has long been considered medically harmless. After 30 minutes she gets out and records wind and temperature data. As head of the lifeguarding program at the Congregational Summer Assembly (a vacation community in northwest Michigan), Ritter wades into Crystal Lake up to her knees. These patches are more pronounced in darker-skinned people and may take months to return to normal pigmentation.Every morning for about eight weeks each summer, Leslie Ritter becomes bait. Breast tenderness occasionally develops in both men and women, as glands in the nipple may become infected.Īlthough hot tub rash usually resolves within 7–14 days without treatment, the rash may leave behind patches of darker (hyperpigmented) skin. Swollen and tender lymph nodes (glands that help produce antibodies, special proteins that fight off infection) may occur. ![]() In addition to the rash, symptoms can include mild fever, headache, sore throat, and fatigue. Hot tub rash typically arises within 1–4 days of exposure to the contaminated source. Located around hair follicles, these bumps tend to be itchy or tender. ![]() The rash appears as small (2–10 mm) pink to red bumps, which may be filled with pus or covered with a scab. Groin and buttocks (“bathing suit” distribution).The most common locations for hot tub rash include:
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