Fleas

Background

Flea drawing.

• Bilaterally-flattened wingless insects with enlarged hindlimbs specially adapted for jumping (up to 100 times their body length)
• There are some 2,500 flea species, most parasitic on mammals (especially rodents) and some on birds

Clinical Features

Sand fleas and sand from each of the 13 beaches (note camouflage to environment).

→ indicates newly penetrated sand fleas; ▴ indicates older lesions; (A) baseline examination, (B) week 2, (C) week 6 and (D) week 10 of follow up.

Jigger, Tunga penetrans, in human skin.

Multiple erythematous urticated plaques (arrows) on the abdomen (A) and the upper part of back and neck (B) from cat flee bites.

Small black-colored cat fleas (Ctenocephalides felis) (A) and on microscope (B).

• Pruritic rash
• Tungiasis

Differential Diagnosis

Domestic U.S. Ectoparasites

• Bed bugs
• Lice
• Scabies (Mites)
• Ticks
• Fleas
• Pseudoparasites
• Delusional parasitosis (Ekbom syndrome)

See also travel-related skin conditions

Management

• Supportive
• Advise treating vector (e.g. pets etc.)

Disposition

• Discharge

See Also

• Ectoparasites
• Tungiasis
• Murine typhus