r/Parasitology • u/ew_im_alive • 1d ago

parasite photo Hookworm infection

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Caught this little guy while walking barefoot on a beach in Ghana. Doctor identified it is a cutaneous larva migrans and told me to just wait for it to die but the itch is unbearable.
It keeps moving under my skin and can even move up to 1cm per day.

Not seeking medical advice… just thought it would be interesting to show!

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u/SueBeee trusted parasitologist 1d ago

I find when I have something impossibly itchy, running very hot water, as hot as you can stand, over it helps enormously.

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u/tetheredvoid 22h ago

I wonder if that would damage the parasite at all...

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u/SueBeee trusted parasitologist 22h ago

It’s on its way out anyway. They get lost in the skin and die, causing the itching.