RESUMO
A tungíase é uma infecção parasitária causada pela fêmea da pulga Tunga penetrans, que penetra na pele do hospedeiro para se alimentar e desenvolver seus ovos, gerando lesões que provocam prurido e dor. Assim, o objetivo deste trabalho foi relatar um caso de tungíase em um cão domiciliado em uma comunidade rural de Colinas, Maranhão. Em julho de 2020, um cachorro da raça American Pit Bull Terrier, com um ano e oito meses de idade, foi levado a uma clínica veterinária apresentando irritação e incômodo nas patas, o que dificultava sua locomoção. O cão vivia em uma residência com solo de chão batido, com acesso à rua e o tutor não possuía outros animais. Ao exame físico, constatou-se a presença de ectoparasitos nos coxins palmares e plantares, que foram retirados com auxílio de pinça cirúrgica e encaminhados ao Laboratório de Parasitologia da UFPI para identificação, confirmando tratar-se de pulgas da espécie Tunga penetrans. O cão recebeu tratamento à base de ivermectina 1%, 0,5mL via subcutânea, dose única, apresentando melhora no quadro clínico, e o tutor recebeu orientações sobre a desinfestação do ambiente. Conclui-se que a tungíase pode acometer cães em áreas rurais de um município do Maranhão, sendo importante o diagnóstico precoce e o tratamento adequado.
Tungiasis is a parasitic infection caused by the female flea Tunga penetrans, which penetrates the host's skin to feed and develop its eggs, generating lesions that provoke itching and pain. Thus, this study aimed to report a case of tungiasis in a dog domiciled in a rural community in Colinas, Maranhão. In july 2020, an American Pit Bull Terrier dog, one year and eight months old, was taken to a veterinary clinic with irritation and discomfort in the paws, which made it difficult to move. The dog lived in a house with beaten ground soil, had access to the street, and the tutor had no other animals. The physical examination showed the presence of ectoparasites on the palm and plantar pads, which were removed with surgical tweezers and sent to the UFPI Parasitology Laboratory for identification, confirming that they were Tunga penetrans fleas. The dog received a treatment based on ivermectin 1%, 0.5mL subcutaneously, single dose, showing improvement in the clinical picture, and the tutor received guidance on the disinfection of the environment. It is concluded that tungiasis can affect dogs in rural areas of a city in Maranhão, being important the early diagnosis and adequate treatment.
Assuntos
Animais , Cães , Doenças do Cão , Tunga/patogenicidade , Tungíase/veterinária , Zona RuralRESUMO
Tungiasis (sand flea disease) is caused by the penetration of females of Tunga penetrans into the skin of the feet. Within 2 weeks of penetration the burrowed flea increases its volume by a factor of 2,000. This is paralleled by intense inflammation of the surrounding tissue. Acute and chronic inflammation leads to the development of painful and debilitating clinical pathology. This results in impaired physical fitness and mobility. The social implications of tungiasis-associated morbidity are multifold. Children with tungiasis are teased and ridiculed, adults feel ashamed and stigmatized. There is anecdotal evidence that tungiasis negatively affects educational achievements. Impaired mobility and physical fitness will have a negative impact on household economics. Sand flea disease is common in resource-poor communities in South America and in sub-Saharan Africa with prevalence in the general population of up to 60%. In East Africa, it has re-emerged in epidemic dimensions in recent years. Hitherto, no effective drug treatment has been at hand. Traditional treatment, i.e., the manipulation of burrowed sand fleas with blunt and inappropriate instruments may facilitate the transmission of blood-derived pathogens. Prevention is feasible through regular application of a repellent based on coconut oil. Owing to its strong association with poverty, sand flea disease would be an excellent starting point for a community-based fight against rural poverty.
Assuntos
Administração em Saúde Pública , Tunga/patogenicidade , Tungíase/epidemiologia , África Subsaariana/epidemiologia , Animais , Países em Desenvolvimento , Humanos , Fatores Socioeconômicos , América do Sul/epidemiologia , Tungíase/patologia , Tungíase/psicologia , Tungíase/terapiaRESUMO
The Brazilian savannah-like area, the Cerrado region, covers large areas of the country and provides a habitat for a multitude of different animal species. The giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) is geographically widespread and one of the typical inhabitants of the Cerrado. They are listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. A population loss of at least 30 % over the past 10 years has been estimated based on local extinctions, habitat loss and deaths caused by fires, roadkills and hunting. Little is known about ecological and in particular parasitic conditions of this highly specialised insectivore species. During September and November 2010 we examined three roadkilled giant anteater for the presence of metazoan ecto- and endoparasites. Besides the cestode species Oochoristica tetragonocephala and the tick species Amblyomma nodosum, we found for the first time the flea Tunga penetrans. Beside morphological flea species identification, we compared a fragment of the 16S rRNA gene of eggs, a molecular method utilised for the first time in this combination. The identification of T. penetrans in M. tridactyla represents a new host record and expands the host and distribution range of the zoonotic flea species.