The sand flea, also known as the Brazilian ground and penetrating flea, belongs to the Tunga family of blood-sucking insects.
Just like its other brothers, it is a blood-sucking parasite, and at the same time a carrier of dangerous infectious diseases.
- 10.1 Chemical control agents
Natural habitat
The largest populations of the parasite are observed in countries with warm climates. Optimal conditions for the development of sand fleas are in Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Africa. Rare individuals can be found on European territory. The insect population grows very quickly on neglected beaches, landfills, quarries and other places where there is sand and water.
sand flea
Another place where a high concentration of the parasite has been observed is in Cuba. There, ideal conditions have been created for her: countless beaches, an abundance of sand, water and an optimal climate. A flea can choose almost any warm-blooded animal, including humans, as a carrier.
YELLOW FEVER: DANGER FROM THE AIR (AFRICA, SOUTH AMERICA)
Tropical regions are not the most popular tourist destinations. However, more and more people are trying to explore new routes, such as walking through the jungle. Here they may face a big problem - the viral disease yellow fever. The disease got its name because it causes jaundice. The carriers of the virus are mosquitoes. The main source of infection is monkeys, as well as humans. The hotter the climate, the higher the risk of disease. In the absence of mosquitoes, a sick person is not infectious to others.
What to do: Half of people who get yellow fever die. There is no cure for this disease, you can only relieve the symptoms. When traveling to countries where yellow fever occurs, vaccination is required.
Photo: Getty Images
Appearance of an insect
The sand flea looks like an oval disk. The insect's body is flattened and divided into three unequal parts: the head, the oblong belly and the sternum. The cover is smooth with a slight mirror effect. Mature individuals reach a length of 2 mm with a width of 1 mm.
A durable chitinous shell protects the pest from physical impact. There are three pairs of legs on the body, the hind ones are jumping: they are more developed and allow you to cover a distance of 3-5 cm in one jump. Depending on its habitat, the color of the parasite can vary from black to dark red. The family does not have wings.
Anatomy and life cycle of the sand flea
On the disproportionately small head of the insect there is a tiny pair of eyes. They also act as a sensor, allowing not only to navigate in space, but also to find a suitable place to get food.
The similarity of mandibles on the oral apparatus allows you to easily bite through thick skin, and thin tubes easily reach the capillaries, organizing a continuous supply of nutritious blood for the parasite. The food enters the insect's stomach and, after processing, is released as excrement.
For reference! Sand fleas have a special buffer where excess food is stored. At the same time, the insect inflates and increases in size, noticeably exceeding its original dimensions.
Life cycle of a flea:
- Egg . A grain of sand seemingly invisible to the naked eye. This period takes the insect about 2 weeks. One female can lay up to 300 eggs.
- Larva . White worm 2-4 mm long. It feeds on any organic matter: hair, dandruff, excrement, etc. Moves to the next period after 2-3 weeks.
- Doll . It is distinguished by its robust construction and the ability to fall into suspended animation for up to a year upon the onset of unfavorable conditions. The average development time is 3 weeks.
- Imago . A sexually mature insect capable of feeding and reproducing.
Reproduction
Adults live for about 6 months, the lifespan depends on climatic conditions and the abundance of food. The optimal temperature for the development of the parasite is from +25 to +30⁰С with a humidity of 40-60%.
What are sand fleas most often confused with?
Many people confuse the bite of a sand flea with the activities of other blood-sucking and parasitic insects. Therefore, many, in the fight against supposedly one pest, ignore the weaknesses of another, and sometimes contribute to its active development.
Similar activities are observed in the following insects:
- midges and mosquitoes;
- mites;
- ants;
- bedbugs.
Important! If you have a pronounced allergic reaction to insect bites, it is advisable to consult a doctor rather than engage in self-diagnosis. The course of treatment depends on the type of parasite, so specificity is extremely important here.
Routes of infection by sand fleas
The parasite lives not only in sand near water, but also in other places. The flea waits for a suitable host in bushes, grass and farmland. The insect can also be found in swampy areas, but its main carriers are animals. Even fleeting contact with an infected dog or cat is enough for a person to become infected with a dozen parasites.
Beach fleas attack the feet of tourists and the paws of animals. Subsequently, the insect moves higher - to the legs, groin and back. Very often the pest gets under the nails, where there are a lot of capillaries, as well as food.
Important! When visiting a foreign resort, you should avoid wild beaches. The authorities of Thailand or Vietnam are very reluctant to carry out preventive measures in such places or do not treat them at all. The parasite bites tourists especially actively in September.
LAMPIRE: RIVER VAMPIRES (UK)
British authorities are sounding the alarm: the number of lampreys in local rivers has increased this year. Outwardly, these aquatic inhabitants resemble eels: a serpentine body, gill openings on the sides of the head, and a powerful sucker in front. Clinging to their prey with their round, toothed mouth, they suck out not only the blood, but also all the other liquid, thereby killing it. These underwater inhabitants are native to the Atlantic, but they are also able to live in fresh water. Being hungry, these monsters are capable of attacking humans. The wounds inflicted are not safe: the secretions of the lamprey’s cheek glands entering the wound prevent blood clotting, cause the destruction of red blood cells and tissue breakdown.
What to do: You need to carefully examine yourself after each entry into the river. Even minor bites should see a doctor.
Photo: Getty Images
Symptoms of a sand flea bite
The human body reacts to a sand flea bite almost instantly. Clear signs of infection begin to appear within 2-3 minutes after contact with the parasite.
Bite
Bite symptoms:
- redness;
- swelling;
- itching;
- an increase in the size of the problem area;
- painful sensations when touching the bite site;
- peeling of the skin;
- visibility of the parasite.
Important! If symptoms develop for more than two days, consult a doctor immediately. It is extremely difficult to remove a tiny flea on your own, because the parasite is securely attached under the skin by means of tenacious legs.
Why are flea attacks dangerous?
During a meal, the insect injects its saliva into the human wound, which contains a substance that promotes blood clotting. The penetration of the enzyme into the body provokes allergic reactions in people, and feces and undigested blood that come into contact with the skin during insect feeding aggravate the situation and cause additional skin reactions.
A single bite does not pose a serious danger to human health, which cannot be said about systematic, regular attacks by parasites. The consequences of flea bites can be very disastrous:
- Severe itching appears at the bite sites and when scratching there is a possibility of introducing microbes and infections into the wound.
- The manifestation of allergic reactions, which are accompanied by difficulty breathing, fever, intestinal disorders, hives, severe swelling of the skin. Frail children are especially prone to allergies. If you have dangerous symptoms, you should seek help from a doctor.
- Development of dermatitis, pulicosis.
- Infection of humans with endoparasites – worms, worms.
- Fleas are carriers of dangerous bacteria: plague bacillus, salmonella, encephalitis viruses, hepatitis, and typhus pathogens. In total, there are about 25 diseases that can be transmitted by insects.
In addition to being a health hazard, fleas cause psychological distress to their victims. A person develops psychosis, nervousness; it constantly seems to him that insects are crawling on him and biting him, even if at that moment there are no parasites.
How are bites treated in Thailand and Vietnam?
Insect bites at resorts are treated with local antihistamines. However, in difficult cases, this approach can be called rather preventive: if the parasite has penetrated the skin, then it is impossible to do without the intervention of a specialist. Local doctors constantly encounter such problems and know exactly how and with what to treat the consequences of the activities of beach insects.
Popular remedies for bites in Thailand and Vietnam:
- Yellow Balm;
- Compound Dexamethasone.
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.
Life cycle
The life cycle of the insect in question is divided into 4 stages:
- The female lays eggs (about 300 at a time), which are round and oblong in shape and are light in color. Eggs develop in 1.5–2 weeks.
- The worm-like larva, about 4 millimeters long, lives in this form for two weeks, feeding on organic debris. Afterwards it grows into a cocoon and takes on the appearance of a pupa.
- After three weeks, an adult flea is born from the pupa (if external environmental conditions are unfavorable, then the insect can remain in the pupa state for up to six months).
- Standard life of an adult.
Breeding cycle
The eggs hatch under a person's skin. That is, a pregnant female pierces the skin and penetrates inside, reaching the blood vessels and sticking to them.
After the eggs are born, the flea dies within 10 days, but it is important to understand that each adult can live for almost six months.
Prevention and precautions
If you follow simple rules, the risk of infection with the parasite is significantly reduced. First of all, avoid wild beaches. The latter are a real breeding ground for sand fleas and other equally dangerous pests.
How to protect yourself from the parasite:
- Avoid going to the beach in the early hours and at sunset.
- Treat your skin with protective insect repellent creams after each bath.
- Wear socks and closed shoes.
- Maintain cleanliness and change bed linen regularly.
- After walking, wash your feet in soapy water.
Washing feet
Important! Before traveling to an exotic resort, you must get a series of vaccinations. Depending on the country, their list may vary. The doctor and tour operator should be aware of this.
AMOEBIASE: THE MYSTERY OF FRESH RESERVOIR (Türkiye)
Despite restrictions on the sale of tours to Turkey, many of our fellow citizens seek to relax in this country. Unfortunately, this region confidently holds the lead in the number of amebiasis diseases. Fresh water reservoirs pose a danger. They only seem clean at first glance, but in fact, parasites live there - amoebas, which cause intestinal damage. Sometimes parasites penetrate other organs, most often the liver. Poor food or drinking water can also be the culprit of infection. In addition to Turkey, tourists need to be careful in Egypt, Tunisia, India and other southern countries.
What to do: You should not swim or wash clothes in tropical rivers and lakes, or wade through them. You need to be careful with greens and fruits, drink only bottled water, and do not drink drinks with ice.
Photo: Getty Images
Ways to get rid of sand fleas
At the first signs of the appearance of a parasite, no matter where: on the human body, on a pet or on interior items, disinfection should be carried out urgently. Otherwise, after a short period of time, there will be many more insects.
Chemical control agents
Not only interior items need to be treated, but the entire room: floors, walls, baseboards and crevices where the parasite can hide.
Effective preparations for sand fleas:
- Tick Lawn Spray;
- T Room Fogger;
- Get;
- Tick Carpet Spray.
Traditional methods
The clear advantage of this approach is accessibility and a much lower likelihood of developing allergies. However, in difficult cases, such remedies against fleas are ineffective.
Traditional methods:
- Treat all items with a mixture of baking soda and salt.
- Place bunches of wormwood and/or tansy around the room.
- Ventilate the room as often as possible when the temperature outside is low.
- Place pine shavings in areas where fleas are concentrated.
Causes
Fleas can attack a person if there is no other food source (animal or bird) nearby. However, there are also types of insects that parasitize only on humans.
The cause of flea bites is their sudden appearance in a person’s home (regardless of sanitary conditions).
Fleas can appear spontaneously:
- from pets;
- get into the apartment from the street, with dirty shoes;
- move from neighboring apartments, basement, attic, non-residential or technical premises through open windows, balconies, doors;
- be brought into the house after walking pets or when mice or rats appear in the house.
Any type of flea that lives on warm-blooded animals and birds can attack humans:
- dog, cat, chicken, rat fleas - parasitize on different types of animals;
- human fleas - appear in the house, hiding in the hair of the skin;
- earth fleas - breed in the upper layers of the soil, in the house they are localized mainly on furniture, behind baseboards or wallpaper, in carpets;
- bedding - live in bed linen and furniture upholstery, bite mainly at night;
- sandy - live in sandy soils of coniferous forests, they are distinguished not only by the fact that they bite through the skin, but also penetrate under the skin of the victim.
Insects live and breed in the fur or feathers of animals that are ideal for their habitat, or in fleecy surfaces and fabrics (blankets, rugs, bedspreads), as well as in cracks in walls and other secluded places in the house. And although they bite a person, they do not live on his body.
