4 complications of sand flea bites, how to get rid of them and by what means

The sand flea has a smooth, slightly shiny body of red-brown or dark brown color, which is flattened on the sides and consists of three parts:

small head;
brisket (there is a white contrasting spot on the back);
abdomen.

Appearance of an insect

The entire body is covered with strong chitinous protection (shell), which makes the insect so difficult to crush.

The parasite can reach a maximum length of 2 mm and a maximum width of 1 mm.

There are three pairs of legs on the chest, the hind ones are long and strong, since thanks to them the insect is able to jump up to 3 cm.

The flea does not have wings.

What is the sand flea often confused with?

With its bites, the flea primarily resembles its relatives, who are not capable of causing so much harm to humans, and it can also be confused with the following insects:

bedbugs;
ants;
mites;
mosquitoes;
midges.

How to get rid of pests: remedy for sand fleas

It's time to learn how to control fleas. If pests have attacked the house, the fight should begin immediately - you should use a remedy for sand fleas.

A number of insecticides are used for these purposes:

Tick Carpet Spray (suitable for cleaning carpets, curtains and other fabrics with pile);
Tick Lawn Spray (will help when parasites infest non-residential rooms and streets; the drug is very toxic);
Room Fogger (people successfully eliminate sand flea larvae with the product; the drug is not used for mature individuals: the adult sand flea is resistant to it).

To use any of the products described, you need to spray it over the surface and wait about 2 hours. The composition should not erode. After the time has passed, the room can be opened, the carpet or bedspread can be hung outside for ventilation. Then there is cleaning using kerosene and soap solution. The entire procedure should be repeated twice.

Treatment of sarcopsillosis

You should consult a doctor when the first signs indicating infection appear. Timely treatment begins reduces the risk of complications and concomitant diseases.

Scratching the bite site leads to an increase in the area of irritation. The wound becomes moist, increasing the risk of infection. In order to get rid of burning and irritation, ointments (Fenistil, Sinergan, sulfur ointment) and aerosol preparations (Mentholat) are used.

You cannot remove a flea yourself using improvised means. Poorly treated instruments often become a source of re-infection. In addition, if you crush the insect when pulling it out, the flea eggs will enter the bloodstream and spread throughout the body. This can lead to complications and the development of sepsis.

The doctor removes the parasite using a sterile needle or tweezers. The affected area is treated with disinfectants and bandaged. The patient is necessarily prescribed antihistamines (Suprastin, Diphenhydramine, Diazolin) and antibiotics (Erythromycin, Flucloxacillin). The former relieve itching and inflammation, and the latter prevent the development of bacteria.

To relieve itching, you can use folk remedies, for example, compresses of oatmeal soaked in water.

What do fleas look like?

Pests are very small in size - no more than 1.5 mm in length. The body of the parasite is elongated vertically and is divided into three lobes: head, sternum and abdomen. The flea has three pairs of legs, with the hind legs being slightly longer than the front ones. It is due to them that the insect is able to jump far and high. The color of a flea can be light brown, brown or black.

What exactly sand fleas look like cannot be recognized with the naked eye. For this reason, cohabitation with parasites is usually recognized by insect bites that differ in appearance.

Other possible names for the Brazilian flea

The scientific name of the parasite is Tunga penetrans. Perhaps this flea lived in other tropical areas on the American continents, but it was first described in Brazil. Hence the first name – “Brazilian earthen”. The second name is a direct translation of Latin and means “penetrating flea.” Reflects the conditions under which the female lays eggs.

In English, in addition to Sand flea, there is a second name for this dangerous parasite - jigger. In each language this insect is called differently, so it is usually enough for a tourist to know the English name of the flea. And remember that "Sand flea" can cause confusion, while jigger indicates a specific type of insect.

Important!
Do not confuse the colloquial name of the parasite jigger (jigger) with chigger (chigger) - a parasitic mite.

Insect habitats

The habitat of sand fleas is in countries with a hot climate. However, pests can also be encountered on subtropical continents in the summer due to random immigration of parasites.

Today fleas have learned to survive in India, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand. Insects are found in the sand not far from the habitat of humans and farm animals. Organic substances (soil residues, tissues of living creatures) become food products for pests.

“Bloodsuckers” do not live in Russia: they do not survive in cold climates.

Attention! Fleas infect tourists visiting beaches. To do this, a person just needs to walk along the coast without shoes or lie on the sand. Only females bite vacationers.

Natural habitat (+ are they found in Russia)

This type of parasite is common in tropical countries, but the largest number of sand fleas is concentrated in the Caribbean:

Cuba;
Dominican Republic;
Africa;
Trinidad.

In addition, the insect can be found in Sri Lanka, where it will be large in size. It is almost impossible to avoid encounters with insects in this area, so it is recommended not to expose any parts of the body.

Thailand is completely overrun with these parasites, which constantly spoil people’s holidays, but in terms of their numbers, India is also not far behind, especially since it has favorable conditions for their reproduction and existence.

Sand fleas also exist in Vietnam, but in this case they do not cause any discomfort to tourists, since they are mainly concentrated in dirty cities and towns.

Insects can live everywhere: under stones, in the floorboards of private houses, in the sand on the beach, etc. Insects can also live peacefully on animals. If the parasite finds a victim, it becomes the main source of its nutrition.

The optimal temperature for the reproduction and existence of the parasite is 25–32 oC.

Sand fleas have not yet reached Russia, or their existence has not yet been recorded, because many territories of the Russian Federation have the most favorable conditions for the comfortable life of these insects.

Reproduction

The process of insect copulation can last several hours. Females have a uterus and ovaries. Males have a sexual organ called the sex claw. During mating, the female is on the back of the male and draws the sperm into herself. It takes about 15-20 minutes for the genetic makeup to reach the uterus.

The only condition for successful conception is access to food. For this reason, on the eve of intercourse, the female feeds on the blood of the owner so that she has enough strength to mate. Immediately after the process, the individual also eats; food gives it energy and accelerates the process of egg maturation. If conditions are favorable, a flea can lay several groups of larvae per day. More often it is removed from the wound before birth.

Nutrition

Male fleas feed on the blood of warm-blooded animals, including humans. They do not pose any particular danger to humans, as they can only cause discomfort and unpleasant sensations.

The sand flea feeds on blood, not someone else’s, but ours, human

The same cannot be said about females. For them, a warm-blooded animal is a kind of food factory for offspring. After her fertilization, the female plunges into the layer of human skin and turns into a subcutaneous parasite. As the eggs develop, the female increases in size hundreds of times - from a 2 mm insect, she turns into an insect the size of a pea. As soon as the eggs are ripe, the female shoots them out of the wound and gets out or, more often, dies.

While the female is in the skin, the tissues around her become infiltrated, become inflamed and suppurate.

Pest development cycle

The development cycle of the parasite has 4 stages:

egg;
larva;
chrysalis;
adult.

2 days after conception, the female is ready to lay eggs. Most often, insects do this on the body of an animal, less often on a person. A flea can lay from 30 to 50 eggs per day in batches of several pieces. Along with the eggs, the female lays out a certain amount of feces - digested blood, which has a brown color.

After a few days, the eggs hatch into larvae.

The most important condition for the existence of the organism at this stage is moisture.

Outside the host organism, the larva penetrates the sand and feeds on organic debris. On the body of an animal or person, the larva absorbs the remains of feces.

The body grows within a week. During this period, the larva molts using the fibers of its scales, wraps itself in a cocoon - a pupa appears. The cocoon is wet, sticky and within 7 days it grows an adult inside it.

The life cycle of an insect lasts about 15 days. The pupa may not develop into an adult in the absence of appropriate conditions and may prolong the cycle up to 12 months.

Appearance of an insect

Parasite characteristics:

the body shape is flattened laterally, consists of three parts: the head is small, the sternum with a white spot in the center of the back, the abdomen;
the body is smooth and slightly shiny;
the insect is 1-2 mm long, 1 mm wide and visually resembles a dark dot;
there are three pairs of legs on the chest, the hind legs are long and strong, the jumping distance is about 3 cm;
the color of the parasite is red-brown, dark brown to dark brown and even black;
the flea's body is covered with a hard and strong chitinous shell, which makes the flea difficult to crush;
there are no wings.

Note. The parasite feeds on human skin, animal tissue, plant debris and organic food.

Anatomy and life cycle of the sand flea

The flea has a pair of eyes on its rounded head. It is more of a sensory organ that detects fluctuations in air, heat and the presence of food.

The oral apparatus is able to pierce the skin, reach the capillary and, with the help of tubes, dig into them, constantly absorbing blood. Food passes through the pharynx, esophagus and into the proventriculus and then into the stomach. After it comes the midgut through the cardiac valve, which occupies most of the abdomen.

The sand flea's life cycle is divided into four stages:

Egg. Round or slightly elongated, light. The number of eggs from one female is more than 200-300. The eggs take almost 2 weeks to develop.
The larva is legless, worm-shaped, white. Size 3-4 mm. Lives for 2 weeks, feeds on organic garbage. It grows into a translucent cocoon and degenerates into a pupa.
Doll. After 3 weeks, an adult is born from it. Under unfavorable external conditions, it can remain dormant for about a year.
Adult.

The egg hatching cycle occurs under human skin. A pregnant female pierces the skin and penetrates deep. It reaches the blood vessel and attaches itself to it, its back part remains outside. In this case, you can become infected with parasites from a flea.

She actively feeds on blood. Her belly increases greatly in size. Outwardly it looks like a white ball with two points: a head with a chest and a back part, and eggs begin to develop inside it. While the parasite is inside, fluid leaks from the wound.

They come out through her anus with pressure and do not remain under the skin.

After fulfilling its function, the female dies after 4-10 days. The site where the flea has entered becomes inflamed and develops into an ulcer.

Note. An adult lives for more than six months. Life expectancy depends on living conditions. The optimal temperature for life and reproduction is 25-32 C.

What sand fleas can be confused with and are most often confused with?

The bite of some insects can easily be confused with the bite of a sand flea.

Insects can be:

Mosquitoes and midges. The bite looks like a small, reddened swelling that is itchy. After a bite, midges fly away and therefore its origin cannot always be reliably determined.
Ticks. This parasite releases an anesthetic when it bites. It is possible to detect a large, dense and inflamed tubercle later.
Ants. The bite is small and felt instantly. They bite only when they sense danger and when crawling under clothing.
Bedbugs. The lesion looks like small bumps arranged in a straight line. Bed bugs do not carry diseases and live in residential areas.

What do parasite bites look like?

Most often, females “hunt” – their bite is the most painful. The individual breaks the integrity of the skin, then penetrates deep to search for an artery - the person feels acute pain.

In the first few seconds, black, inflamed dots appear at the sites of insect bites. When the female lays eggs in the wound, the skin becomes noticeably red and swollen. When pressed, the damaged area hurts. If a male bites, the pain syndrome does not manifest itself so clearly. The bite site turns slightly red and swells a little.

Signs of illness

Signs of the disease do not develop immediately. It takes from a week to 12 days before the first symptoms appear. This is due to the fact that all this time the female is growing under the skin.

Most often affected:

feet;
nails;
wrists;
elbows;
legs to knees;
groin and buttocks area;
stomach;
back.

There have been cases where the female was found even in the area of the back of the head, pubis, penis, lips, eyelids. Depending on the degree of damage, mild and severe forms of the disease are distinguished.

The death of a female in human skin causes a number of unpleasant symptoms:

severe itching;
pain;
inflammation.

In response to the presence of the parasite in the skin tissue, the body triggers an allergic reaction. The skin turns red. Then the tissues around the parasite swell and begin to become inflamed. As a result, an abscess that resembles a boil forms. Once opened, it turns into an ulcer. If an infection gets into the wound, severe inflammation is possible, which can result in gangrene and sepsis.

Fleas tend to bite humans in certain places. These are, most often, places where the skin is thinnest - the popliteal and armpit hollows, waist, legs (bites especially often appear on the top of the foot and on the sides of the heel bone)

As the eggs develop, the entire time the female is in the skin, fluid may be released from the wound.

Pain and itching can become so severe that a person can hardly move. Unpleasant sensations may intensify at night.

Itching leads to scratching, which can lead to infection in the wound. Microbes that get into the wound cause suppuration and an abscess. Complications of this can include tetanus and gangrene.

But even if it doesn’t come to this, the consequences of infection can be very sad. Tungiasis causes:

deformation of fingers;
finger amputation;
necrosis;
thrombophlebitis;
elephantiasis;
pneumonia.

Symptoms and treatment of lesions

The tropics are home to a large number of pests that can bite humans.

The distinctive features of an insect bite are:

severe pain immediately after the bite;
swelling of tissues;
redness;
inflammation at the site of the bite;
itching and burning;
spread of the affected area (increase in bite size);
pain on palpation;
peeling of the skin;
noticeable female abdomen or white eggs in the affected area.

Fact! Most often, sand fleas bite tourists in the area of the lower extremities. Usually the feet and toes are affected - these are areas that should be regularly examined when vacationing in countries with a tropical climate.

If the described symptoms are detected, it is necessary to urgently show the patient to a doctor. If a flea is inside, removing it on your own is difficult and dangerous. When penetrating the skin, the parasite is securely attached with its paws - if you pull the insect’s abdomen, the front part will remain inside the wound and an inflammatory process will develop.

In order to carefully remove the flea from the tissues, a mini operation will be required.

To prevent the manifestation of unpleasant symptoms in the future, the patient may be prescribed the following medications for humans:

anesthetic composition - Yellow Balm;
medicine for itching and swelling – Fenistil-gel;
for allergy symptoms - a number of antihistamines.

What to do if an insect bites you

It is important not to touch the itchy areas. Otherwise, the area of irritation will increase, and liquid will begin to ooze from the bite sites. The most unfortunate way is to give up on the problem without making any attempts to cure it.

You cannot think that the reaction to a bite will go away in a few days. The tricky thing is that the longer the insect is under the skin, the stronger the inflammatory process.

Under no circumstances should you self-medicate or remove the body using improvised means.

The flea is located next to the blood vessels, and if it is accidentally crushed by clumsily pulling it out, complications cannot be avoided.

The female can only be removed surgically. The surgeon removes the insect with tweezers or sterile needles, treats the wound and bandages the operated area. If help is provided on time, the outcome is favorable.

So the best thing to do on vacation is to go to the hospital using your health insurance.

Possible complications of lesions

In addition to painful sensations and local skin reactions to an insect bite, the development of complications is possible. We are talking about carriers of dangerous pathologies, for example, sarcopsillosis - extensive inflammation that causes severe pain and itching. Then the infection penetrates deep into the tissue and leads to tissue degeneration (necrosis).

In the absence of proper therapy, the development of an infectious process throughout the entire organism cannot be ruled out.

In addition, there are bites of sand fleas, which lead to a number of the following complications:

deformation changes in fingers and nails;
pneumonia;
thrombophlebitis;
psoriasis, finger amputation;
elephantiasis.

Attention! Pests are capable of biting not only your legs. They also bite domestic animals. When fleas reproduce, they move from dogs or cats to humans and vice versa.

Harm

Fleas cause a disease called tungiasis. It most often affects people from poor areas who rarely wear shoes. Also, the disease has recently affected tourists who do not follow the safety rules for staying in southern countries. Men become infected more often.

The sand flea can lead to the appearance of festering ulcers on the human body

In addition to people, fleas also infect domestic animals - goats, pigs, dogs, causing approximately similar symptoms in them.

Precautionary measures

Pest bites spoil tourists' holidays due to failure to comply with basic precautions:

the first aid kit for rest should contain painkillers and antihistamines;
Before going to the beach, exposed areas of the body should be anointed with insect repellent;
on the beach you should wear closed shoes (ballet shoes, sneakers, etc.);
do not walk on sand barefoot;
pests cannot stand water and sunlight - it is better to be closer to the coast and not hide in the shadows;
every evening it is necessary to carefully examine the entire body;
if suspicious formations are detected on the skin, you should consult a doctor;
You should not relax on abandoned, remote, unequipped beaches;
It is recommended to monitor hygiene (take a shower, change underwear, etc.);
It is better to avoid puddles and areas overgrown with bushes.

Tips on how to protect yourself

In an exotic country where there is a risk of encountering a sand flea, it is worth taking precautions in advance:

wear rubber slippers when walking along the coastal sand;
avoid getting sand on your skin;
sunbathe only on a sunbed or mat;
Treat your feet with repellent. It is effective for up to 5 hours;
after visiting the beach, wash the sand off your feet;
when visiting places with dense vegetation, wear closed clothing with long sleeves;
do not step on puddles.

Note. Careful daily inspection of the area between the toes will help prevent the disease at an early stage.

Sand fleas settle in places that are not disinfected. With proper prevention of the territory, premises and the beach, the parasite ceases to exist. The bite of this flea is painful and can lead to serious illness. Timely contact with a specialist, removal of the female flea and a prescribed course of antibiotics completely cures and restores the body.

Source

Question answer

How do you know if a sand flea has bitten you?

The primary signs of a pest bite are sharp, severe pain, redness and swelling of the affected area. Then the bite site begins to itch.

Can parasites brought by tourists that live in the tropics take root in Russia?

The country's climatic conditions are incompatible with insect life. Theoretically, a vacationer can bring pests to Russia, which will soon die.

Is it possible to cure a sand flea bite on your own (without medical help)?

If it is not possible to visit a doctor, the patient has the opportunity to relieve symptoms. In the future he will definitely need a doctor.

How can you tell if sand fleas have bitten your pet?

The clinical symptoms of the described phenomenon are identical to the signs that appear in the case of a human bite.

The sand flea is a rather dangerous pest for humans and animals, capable of not only causing pain, but also “rewarding” it with infection. Insects live in hot countries and live in the soil. It is predominantly the females that bite because they carry and incubate the eggs.

The primary symptoms of a pest bite are: sharp pain, redness of the skin, swelling of the tissue. If signs of damage are detected, you should immediately contact a specialist.

In the absence of proper assistance, the development of complications is possible. Following safety measures while vacationing in the tropics will help prevent an unpleasant incident.

Consequences

If you do not see a doctor in time, there may be serious consequences. In some cases, after an insect bite, an allergic reaction occurs, which sometimes leads to the development of asthma or even anaphylactic shock. The problem gets worse when combing the problem area.

For reference! The bite of a female sand parasite is considered the most dangerous. She dives into the skin and lays eggs there. The process is accompanied by severe itching, burning and pain. If measures are not taken, the inflammation will develop into tungiasis, which can deprive a person of a limb.