cutaneous larva migrans.

Paper details:

Read and respond to two (2) of your classmates’ postings: Find either a mobile app (or authoritative website) that is useful for your classmate’s chosen skin condition or problem i.e. here is an example of a mobile app for skin cancer detection: Melanoma detection App (Links to an external site.). Simply ‘Google’ a skin condition of interest, and find a Quality website or mobile app to share that is useful for health education.

This is one response to my classmate skin topic. I need to reply to this in APA format.

The topic of choice researched for skin conditions is cutaneous larva migrans. Based on the information in the article, “Cutaneous larva migrans is the most frequent skin disease among travelers returning from tropical countries” (Caumes E, 1995). The infection is also known as, creeping eruption because it appears from the entrance site is a serpentine red line that travels any direction right beneath the epidermis layer of the skin. The tunnel being dug by the larvae are bright red and are just below the surface of the skin. Over time, the tunneling becomes dry and encrusted at the older sites. Creeping eruption is caused by hookworms from an animal, usually contracted when an animal’s excrement containing the eggs of the hookworm comes into contact with human skin. Sandy areas or soil usually around a house or beach are the breeding grounds for this type of worm, the larvae, once hatched begin to tunnel and migrate underneath the skin. Complications are usually not too severe but include impetigo and general pruritus which is a local allergic reaction.

Treatment for this kind of skin infection has a couple of different options available, but with varying degrees of effectiveness. Freezing of the skin, a local application of liquid nitrogen has been used but is for the most part ineffective. “In 1 series, cryotherapy (repeated applications of liquid nitrogen) was unsuccessful for 6 patients and resulted in severe blistering or ulceration in 2 patients” ( Jelineck T, 1994). Thiabendazole, a topical ointment, has been used in the past but there was not much success with any kind of topical cream. The other problem with the topical creams is the fact that they have to be applied 2 to 3 times a day for up to 5 days. Any kind of interruption in the application or treatment process will usually make it unsuccessful. Albendazole is an oral antihelmintic drug that showed promise in the population that used it for 3 to 5 days. The oral drug was given to 26 patients over a course of 5 days; only 2 patients from that trial had not been cured of the infection. Higher doses of the drug were attempted, but most responses from patients including extreme diarrhea, nausea, and stomach cramps. Ivermectin is another oral drug, it is known for treating gastrointestinal helminths, or worms in the intestines. The success rate of this medication was 100% on two different trials, but the number of patients observed was 8 infections in one study and 12 patients treated in a different study. Since those two studies, one large one has been conducted and 56 of 57 patients had a successful cure rate of creeping eruption after use. One suggestion made by the article is, “When on tropical beaches frequented by dogs, it is best to lie on the sand washed by the tide or to use a mattress; avoid lying on dry sand, even on a towel”(Caumes E, 2000).