Abstract
BackgroundTungiasis (sand flea disease) is caused by the penetration of female sand fleas (Tunga penetrans, Siphonaptera) into the skin. It belongs to the neglected tropical diseases and is prevalent in South America, the Caribbean and sub-Saharan Africa. Tungiasis predominantly affects marginalized populations and resource-poor communities in both urban and rural areas. In the endemic areas, patients do not have access to an effective and safe treatment. A proof-of-principle study in rural Kenya has shown that the application of a two-component dimeticone (NYDA®) which is a mixture of two low viscosity silicone oils caused almost 80% of the embedded sand fleas to lose their viability within 7 days.MethodsIn this study we compared the efficacy of two distinct modes of application of NYDA®; one targeted application to the area where the parasite protrudes through the skin and one comprehensive application to the whole foot.ResultsIndependent of the two modes of application, the dimeticone caused more than 95% of embedded sand fleas to lose all signs of viability within 7 days. The targeted application killed embedded sand fleas more rapidly compared to when the whole foot was covered. The proportion of viable lesions at day two were 7.0 versus 23.4% (p < 0.01) and at day five 3.9 versus 12.5% (p < 0.02).ConclusionsOur findings suggest that the dimeticone could provide a safe and effective treatment for tungiasis in areas with difficult access to health care.Trial registrationISRCTN ISRCTN74306878
Highlights
IntroductionTungiasis (sand flea disease) is caused by the penetration of female sand fleas (Tunga penetrans, Siphonaptera) into the skin
Tungiasis is caused by the penetration of female sand fleas (Tunga penetrans, Siphonaptera) into the skin
A proof-of-principle study in rural Kenya has shown that the application of a two-component dimeticone (NYDA®) to the skin of the feet, repeated two times within 5 min, kills almost 80% of the embedded fleas within 7 days [21]
Summary
Tungiasis (sand flea disease) is caused by the penetration of female sand fleas (Tunga penetrans, Siphonaptera) into the skin It belongs to the neglected tropical diseases and is prevalent in South America, the Caribbean and sub-Saharan Africa. Tungiasis predominantly affects marginalized populations and resource-poor communities in both urban and rural areas. Tungiasis (sand flea disease) belongs to the family of neglected tropical diseases and is prevalent in South America, the Caribbean and sub-Saharan Africa [1] It is caused by penetration of female sand fleas (Tunga penetrans) into the skin and the ensuing inflammatory response [2]. Tungiasis predominantly affects marginalized populations and people living in resource-poor communities in both urban and rural areas [8, 10, 13,14,15]
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