Cutanous Larva Migrans......

[Caught]

I had one track that seemed to last forever a few years ago. It finally went away.(Or maybe crawled deep inide?)

[goldilocks]

for Gail: "hoofless horses" do you mean they have no horseshoes? I have seem some riders moving way too quickly down the beach, not cool.

Skeeving at the very thought of going into a restroom barefoot!

[Caught]

Not that Wikipedia is the answer to everything but here is a link with some pictures and explanations.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cutaneous_larva_migrans

[caribbeanprlgrl]

i do recall folks on these boards chatting about this . . . hope someone else pipes up with what worked! . . . what is the common name of these worms? ringworm?

It is a hookworm. If you look at a pic of it you'll know why it's called that. Two "fang type" hooks that it puts into your skin to drag itself along.

[caribbeanprlgrl]

I am so sorry to hear of you and your husbands terrible misfortune. I am hoping that he and you are well on the way to both physical and mental well recovery and well being.

Yes I have went thru this but my experience was nothing at all like yours, in fact the severity and description of your husbands ordeal differ quite a bit from mine.

I was diagnosed with Cutanous Larvae Migranis, unfortunately it can be picked up any where there is animal feces, especially when the animals have most likely not had any worm treatment.

My case was around 06, some soars on my right foot, upper part only and I believe one or two toes [top only]. Yes I could feel them moving around, but very little soarness or pain, but intense and I mean very intense itching, some minor burning. My local Dr. referred me to the Kansas City Infectious Disease Center kind of unsure of my condition, once I was seen by the specialist, he immediately made the diagnosis and even asked to photograph it for learning and intern purposes. I was prescribed Stromechtol which is code for Ivermectin and the Dr. prescribed 9 pills. After calling all over KC I found a CVS [back then Osco] that had 5 pills. My Dr. said go ahead that should do it. I remember within 20 to 30 minutes after taking the first pill that the parasite activity in my foot went crazy, almost as if they were trying to flee. By the next day the round red soars started to turn purple and black with a few lines also the same color. The itching and movement feeling went away immediately. The soars and lines turned black and literally peeled off, similar to flaking sun burnt skin. I missed 2 days of work and had no after effects at all. Co-workers would get a kick out of me taking my sock off and showing them.

I did get it on the beach but to be honest I have walked the same beach dozens of times since then and have not contracted it again. If you walk or mistakenly step around dog or cat feces in an area where the animals have not been wormed then that's your risk or vulnerability. I do now keep a more vigilant eye out but to be honest I still go bare footed on the beach with no hesitation.

Aware yes, scared no way. I am not to sure that loss of limb or life is common at all from this.

Hope this helps.

Jamb

Even though your case wasn't as severe as my husband's, it is still horrible that you contracted it. We were fortunate in the fact that our Drs here are familiar with it, in fact hubby's Dr practiced in several South Sea islands so he was very acquainted with it.

If a person has been infected to extent my husband's feet were, it is because of the amount of infection from, as the Dr said, " the by-products" of the hookworm, including it's scales coming off it's body. Then, if you cannot get the meds needed, as we couldn't, it leaves you with the risk of losing limbs, etc. Also, if a person ingested hookworm and it was not diagnosed immediately, within days you can be near death if not caught, and yes that will result in death.

On satellite channels there is a program called "The Monsters Inside Me". There has been real life occurences told where this has happened. This is especially true with children, which as we know, always seem to have the habit of putting hands in their mouth. Also in my extensive research I have read of losing limbs and death occurring. There is also another problem that occurrs, and apparently this occurs often, and that is of becoming anemic.

I would not wish this hookworm problem on anybody....it truly was a nightmare.

[caribbeanprlgrl]

Why are those horses aloud on the beach? That drives me crazy every time I am there, they drop there loads every where and some of those young kids ride them like maniacs up and down the beach,is this not dangerous?

Several years ago in one of the island newspapers we had read an article about this very thing.....allowing horses on beaches. There was to have been a law forbidding this on 7 Mile beach. What happened....did it not go thru, or is it just not enforced?

We have watched horses "take a dump" and the kid riding the horse gets off, digs a big hole in the sand and buries it.

The hookworms then crawl to the surface and some unsuspecting "host" steps in it and they are infected. It makes us furious anytime we have seen it. What a filthy practice where there is a constant stream of people walking. After going thru what my hubby did, my blood boils even thinking about it.

[caribbeanprlgrl]

This is one of the reasons we do not hang around any place that has dogs or cats unless we are wearing shoes. So that leaves out any place on the beach that has dogs/cats since we never wear shoes on the beach. I know this will upset all the dog/cat lovers out there, but neither has a place near the beach. Hopefully owners of businesses on the beach are learning that dogs /cats are NOT an attraction but actually hurt their business.

We agree with you totally. A resort should not have dogs/cats on the property. I cringe when I see parents allowing their kids to walk around without footwear on lawns, sidewalks, etc. After what hubby went thru, we are not really concerned what animal lovers think either. The cat population on the property where we stay is out of control.....bad!!! No doubt it was on the beach area of this property that my husband contracted hookworm.

[rasta ronnie]

Great info Rob!

[caribbeanprlgrl]

God forbid it happening. How long after contact / exposure do the problems manifest?

Thanks for the info.

The larvae enter through the pores in your skin. They can instantly manifest themselves, but usually will take a few days to start by showing up as patches of red irritated skin. We have been told this by Drs we have spoken to, as well as the hours upon hours of reading I have done. In several medical journals, Drs. have found some rare cases of incubation for up to a year before manifesting themselves.

[Rob]

Cprigirl,

It seems that you are taking your husband's HIGHLY unusual reaction to the infections that he received from not treating the hookworm when he first felt the symptoms and saying things like it is "horrible you contracted it" to Jambarney. Huh? According to history, "Hookworms have infected human intestines since prehistoric times. It's only in the last two centuries that humans have discovered and come to understand them better.

Read more at Suite101: The History of Hookworms and Hookworm Disease | Suite101 http://suite101.com/article/the-hist...#ixzz2IGqV4CJv "


It has been a common, easily treatable ailment for years. Your husband obviously contracted additional infections that for whatever reason his body was not able to adequately fend off.

There is a program "Monsters Inside Me" that is meant to be an informational show - ALL HUMAN bodies possess a range of life forms inside them - many of them are needed for our daily proper health. To get rid of them would mean you would get sick.

The "by products" as your doctor mentioned can come from scratching the effected areas - adding whatever bacteria and germs on and under his fingernails to the hookworm effected areas. Hookworm cannot cause the loss of a limb, but the improper response to hookworm can cause infections that can lead to the problem. This is the same as not treating a small wound, allowing tetanus or gangrene to set in and losing the limb. It was the improper treatment that led to that outcome. Treated efficiently and correctly this is never the case.

The horse situation is something that we have all been wondering about since the practice had been stopped years ago, and then started back up. It is truly not the smartest thing. But that aside, proper treatment can and will work. You state that your husband was not able to get the meds needed - they are available here on a regular basis at all pharmacies.

And your statement "Also, if a person ingested hookworm and it was not diagnosed immediately, within days you can be near death if not caught, and yes that will result in death" is categorically false. Some people with hookworm live for years without treatment, some their entire life. You are misleading people and needlessly creating something out of nothing. What you state is simply not true. Hookworm has been around humans since humans were humans. That will not change.

It is a shame your husband had to endure what he had to endure - but presenting misleading "facts" does no one any good other than needlessly scare people. You need to do much more research.

Children in Jamaica get hookworm. While being a hassle and an un-needed expense, it is not life threatening. Please stop making it out to be something that it is not.