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What are skin parasites?
Skin parasites are organisms capable of living in the skin of other organisms.
Humans, like other creatures, can also become hosts or carriers of many parasites who, besides being very disturbing, can transmit numerous diseases.
Types of skin parasites
The main human skin parasites are:
Insect parasites
– Lice: Head lice are parasitic wingless insects that live in the body of mammals, including man. Lice infestation is known as pediculosis. The main lice that affect humans are:
– Head lice (Pediculus humanus capitis) They live in the hair of the head where they lay eggs called nits. The head louse feeds on human blood through its suckering and punching mouth which causes intense itching. itching is responsible for scratching, that can produce skin infections.
– Body lice (Pediculus humanus corporis) The body louse is another sub-species of human louse that lives in the body of infected people. It lays eggs on clothes.
– Crab lice (Pediculus pubis) Crab louse is a type of louse that lives in pubic hair. Like the previous types of human lice, it causes intense itching in the genital area.
Arachnid parasites
– Scabies mite (Sarcoptes scabiei) It is a type of arachnid that penetrates the skin, lay their eggs, once they have hatched, produce an intense itching. This type of parasite is responsible for scabies
(Scabiosis)
– Ticks: These are spiders that live parasitizing the skin of many animals and humans. They have an oral appliance with which they can pierce the skin and suck blood. They can transmit many diseases through their saliva and defecations.There are the following types of ticks:
– Hard ticks (Ixodes ricinus, Ixodes dammini..) They are considered the authentic ticks. Their body is protected
– Soft ticks (Argas reflexus) Unlike the above ticks, they have no shell.
– Eyelash mites (Demodex folliculorum) : These are parasites that live on the skin of certain areas of the face such as the cheeks, eyelashes or nose. They generally produce little discomfort and are not visible to the naked eye.
– Fowl mite (Dermanyssus gallinae) They are parasites that infest birds, mainly chickens, and other mammals, including humans.
Worm parasites
– Loa loa/ African eye worm: It is a worm that can be found in Africa. It is responsible for an infestation known as loasis. It lives under the skin of the head, body and limbs which produces tunnels that manifest externally in the form of marks, some of them can appear in the eye ball, causing sight problems. The contagion is produced by means of some flies bites (Chrysops silicea and Chrysops dimidiata.)
– Hookworm: (Necator americanus, Ancylostoma duodenale Ancylostoma ceylonicum) Parasitic worms in the form of threads that lays their eggs in dogs, cats and other mammals, including humans. They live in the intestines, feeding from blood. Humans can become infected when larvae penetrate the body through the skin.
– Filaria (Onchocerca volvulus) They are African and American worms that cause river blindness (filariasis= Onchocerciasis), an infestation with the larvae of this parasite. It is transmitted by the bite of the black fly. It can cause serious illness in the eyes of those affected, even blindness.
More information about skin parasites and its natural treatment.
