Indoor infestation by Argas reflexus (Ixodoidea: Argasidae): epidemiological and clinical surveys. In troduction: house infestation by Argas (A.) reflexus (Acari: Argasidae) is frequently found; it correlates to the presence of pigeons, hosts of the larvae of this tick. Occasionally this mite, both in the larval stage and in the nymph and adult stages, bites man causing skin and mucous manifestations of variable severity up to anaphy lactic shock. Objective: to study the correlations between clinical and epidemiological data of subjects parasit ized by A. reflexus in a domestic environment and the developmental stage of the tick. Materials and methods: the study was performed on 46 subjects (28 females and 18 males) in whose houses infestation by A. reflexus have been documented. The cause of the infestation was carried out using the method of Environmental Dust Direct Examination (EDDE); clinical and epidemiological data related to the type of clinical manifestations, particularly concerning morphology, number and localization of skin lesions, as well as their seasonality, were related to the developmental stages of this tick. Results: 19 episodes of infestation by A. reflexus (41.3%) were caused by larvae of the tick, especially in spring, 27 (58.7%) were caused by nymphs and adults, both in spring (in March-May) and in late summer (especially in September). Skin lesions related to larvae and protonymphs were multiple small papules, often with systemic involvement (fever, headache, chills, sweating, sometimes even tachycardia and nausea). Those induced by adult ticks were mostly solitary nodules with central hemor rhagic-necrotic area becoming crater-like and almost never with systemic involvement. Conclusions: domestic infestation by A. reflexus is the cause of skin lesions in humans that vary in relation to the developmental stage of the tick. The use of EDDE has proved to be an indispensable diagnostic method to detect larval infestation by A. reflexus that in no other way can be diagnosed at an early stage
Infestazione indoor da Argas reflexus (Ixodoidea: Argasidae): Rilievi epidemiologici e clinici
PRINCIPATO, Mario Antonello
Methodology
;MORETTA, IOLANDAMethodology
;STINGENI, LUCAConceptualization
2011
Abstract
Indoor infestation by Argas reflexus (Ixodoidea: Argasidae): epidemiological and clinical surveys. In troduction: house infestation by Argas (A.) reflexus (Acari: Argasidae) is frequently found; it correlates to the presence of pigeons, hosts of the larvae of this tick. Occasionally this mite, both in the larval stage and in the nymph and adult stages, bites man causing skin and mucous manifestations of variable severity up to anaphy lactic shock. Objective: to study the correlations between clinical and epidemiological data of subjects parasit ized by A. reflexus in a domestic environment and the developmental stage of the tick. Materials and methods: the study was performed on 46 subjects (28 females and 18 males) in whose houses infestation by A. reflexus have been documented. The cause of the infestation was carried out using the method of Environmental Dust Direct Examination (EDDE); clinical and epidemiological data related to the type of clinical manifestations, particularly concerning morphology, number and localization of skin lesions, as well as their seasonality, were related to the developmental stages of this tick. Results: 19 episodes of infestation by A. reflexus (41.3%) were caused by larvae of the tick, especially in spring, 27 (58.7%) were caused by nymphs and adults, both in spring (in March-May) and in late summer (especially in September). Skin lesions related to larvae and protonymphs were multiple small papules, often with systemic involvement (fever, headache, chills, sweating, sometimes even tachycardia and nausea). Those induced by adult ticks were mostly solitary nodules with central hemor rhagic-necrotic area becoming crater-like and almost never with systemic involvement. Conclusions: domestic infestation by A. reflexus is the cause of skin lesions in humans that vary in relation to the developmental stage of the tick. The use of EDDE has proved to be an indispensable diagnostic method to detect larval infestation by A. reflexus that in no other way can be diagnosed at an early stageI documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.