Outbreak of cercarial dermatitis in Thailand.

BACKGROUND

An epidemic of cercarial dermatitis caused by Schistosoma spindale cercaria occurred in November 1988 in a district called Chaiya, Surajthani province, in Southern Thailand.

CASE REPORTS

Fifty-eight Thai farmers in Chaiya, Surajthani gave a history of itch following immersion in water while planting rice. The area of rice field was flooded for 10 days before farmers started working. The duration of the disease ranged from 2 days to 1 month. Forty-one patients had the disease for the first time, seventeen had a history of previous manifestations.

CONCLUSIONS

This epidemic was caused by S. spindale cercaria, which developed in the Indoplanorbis exustus snail, associated with flooding.