Many people around the world suffer from skin conditions of some kind, whether it is mild such as dry skin, skin rashes, or scaly skin, or more severe such as rosacea, scabies, or Tungiasis.
Every year, many people consult doctors to try to improve their skin condition, but many doctors fail to inform people that parasites live and burrow into the skin, and this causes a majority of skin conditions.
All doctors must study microbiology and parasitology, but there seems to be some concern that if people knew about parasites and how they cause health and skin problems, there would be mass panic. However, how can people truly overcome health issues if they do not know what truly causes them? So today, I will teach you all about some of the parasites that cause common everyday skin conditions, as well as about the more serious skin diseases they cause.
Parasites In The Skin
Parasites can settle into any of the three skin tissue layers: The deepest subcutaneous fat layer, the middle dermis layer, and the epidermis, which is the outer top layer.
Parasite eggs and their babies can inhabit the deeper layers of skin, the subcutaneous layer, or the dermis layer since it is warmer there and allows them access to nutrients. Adult parasites often inhabit the outer part of the skin in the form of a nest or colony, which may look like a boil, pimple, wart, dry skin, rash, discoloration, or scales.
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| Image source: Murch, B. (2007). “Tiny “inchworm” in my index finger”. Flickr. |
“Epidermal parasitic skin diseases (EPSD) are a heterogeneous category of infectious diseases in which parasite-host interactions are confined to the upper layer of the skin. The six major EPSD are scabies, pediculosis (capitis, corporis, and pubis), tungiasis and hookworm-related cutaneous larva migrans” (Feldmeier, H., & Heukelbach, J. (2009). Bulletin of the World Health Organization).
Parasites That Cause Skin Conditions and Rashes
Many parasites cause skin conditions and rashes on the skin. Here are a few of them, as well as the skin conditions that they cause:
1. Parasitic Roundworm Ascaris
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| Image sources: SuSanA Secretariat. (2014). “Ascaris Lumbricoides (roundworm)”. Flickr. |
“Forty (73.3%) patients presented angioedema and 15 patients (26.6%) had a chronic rash. Patients who were infected with Ascaris had more severe symptoms: more than 2/3 had angioedema, and only one third had a chronic rash. More than 2/3 of the patients were infested with Ascaris lumbricoides” (Varga, M., Dumitraşcu, D., Piloff, L., & Chioreanu, E. (2001). NCBI PubMed.gov).
2. Scabies Mites – These mites burrow into the skin and lay their eggs there, which causes intense itching and red bumpy rashes.
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| Image source: Wunderli, M. (2006). “Sarcoptes scabiei – Scabies”. Flickr |
3. Fleas and Lice – The bites from these creatures causes bumpy red rashes.
4. Ticks – Tick bites create a large round bullet-shaped red rash in a bull’s eye shape.
5. Hookworms – These creatures create pallor/pale-looking skin, as well as a condition called creeping eruption or cutaneous larva migrans.
“Creeping eruption causes severe itching, blisters, and a red growing, winding rash. The rash can grow up to 1 to 2 centimeters per day. The infection usually appears on areas of the body that have been exposed to the contaminated ground. These include the feet, legs, buttocks, or back” (John’s Hopkins Medicine).
6. Parasitic Cyclosporosis – This parasite causes severe dehydration that results in dry skin that has no elasticity, as well as sunken eyes.
7. Norwegian Scabies – When people diagnosed with eczema, psoriasis, and intense dry skin had their skin tested, it was sometimes discovered that they had Norwegian Scabies, so eczema and psoriasis are also caused by parasitic infections.
“I requested permission to scrape a piece of skin for microscopic testing, but her son refused, stating that her skin had already been sent off for testing by another physician and had come back negative for scabies. I explained to him that if the doctor removes skin and does not test it immediately, or properly preserve it, the skin will simply degrade, and all living organisms within it will die and decompose. This will yield a false negative result. Once her son understood, I obtained a sample of her skin and examined it under a microscope. I saw mites, eggs, and fomites (feces) in the skin sample, and was able to formally diagnose and treat her” (Kaplan MD Beverly Hills).
8. Loiasis Filariasis – These parasites can be seen moving underneath the skin, and they cause red itchy swollen rashes.
“Filariasis is a parasitic disease caused by thread-like filarial nematodes (roundworms) in the family Filarioidea (also known as ‘filariae’)…Cutaneous filariasis may be caused by Loa loa (the African eye worm), Onchocerca volvulus, and Mansonella streptocerca. These worms occupy the subcutaneous layer of the skin, in the fat layer…Loiasis is a skin and eye disease caused by the nematode worm, Loa loa. Humans are the only known natural reservoir…Flies from two species of the genus Chrysops are the vector for loiasis…During a blood meal, an infected fly introduces third-stage filarial larvae onto the skin of the human host, where they penetrate into the bite wound. The larvae develop into adults that often live in subcutaneous tissue…It is estimated that 2-13 million humans are infected with the Loa loa larvae” (Henderson, R., & Bonsall, A. (2014). Patient).
9. Bed Bugs – These parasites create red round welt-like rashes.
10. Carpet Beetles – These creatures act parasitically since they feed on dead skin cells. They create a skin condition known as dermatitis, which has large raised blisters and skin lesions.
11. Kissing Bugs – These creatures create a red swollen skin condition known as Chagas disease.
“Transmission typically results from the introduction of fecal matter from infected Triatomines into the bloodstream. However, the transmission may also occur via transplacental transfer, blood transfusions, organ transplantations, and food. While travel is responsible for most infestations, autochthonous cases have been reported in the Southern United States” (Ash, M.M., & Phillips, C.M. (2016). Parasitic Diseases With Cutaneous Manifestations. North Carolina Medical Journal, 77(5), 350-354. doi: 10.18043/ncm.77.5.350).
12. Demodex Mites – These creatures cause folliculitis, dermatitis, and even rosacea.
“Demodex mites asymptomatically inhabit the pilosebaceous units of most adults (80%–100%), but an increased mite density (>5 mites/cm2) may induce pityriasis folliculorum, pustular folliculitis, periorificial dermatitis, papulopustular rosacea, and papulopustular scalp eruptions” (Ash, M.M., & Phillips, C.M. (2016). Parasitic Diseases With Cutaneous Manifestations. North Carolina Medical Journal, 77 (5), 350-354. doi: 10.18043/ncm.77.5.350).
Conclusion
Today you have learned that parasites can cause everything from skin rashes, redness, eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis, rosacea, to swimmer’s itch. All of the parasites mentioned here today in this article cause far more health conditions than what was mentioned. However, this list gives you a good idea about how common it is for parasites to cause everyday skin conditions.
In life, parasites are all around us. We are their food, so we are constantly being targeted by them; this makes it impossible to avoid them. However, knowledge is power. Knowing about parasites helps you avoid them, and properly treat the skin conditions that they cause. So always take skin conditions seriously. Parasites cause various problems both inside and outside of the body. For example, a parasite that causes dry skin can cause more serious diseases to develop over time as they continue to feed on you. An example of this would be anemia.
Any skin condition that you have or may get in the future should be treated for parasites; this will save you a lot of trouble in the future and give you better overall life health for years to come.
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