In Kuala Lumpur, a native visitor became infected when he took showers in a bathroom, soiled with cat excreta ( 40).
Depending on local clothing habits and age-specific behavior, other areas of the skin may be exposed ( 31). Walking barefoot is probably the most common type of exposure. Transmission occurs when naked skin comes into contact with contaminated soil. Other nematodes of domestic and wild animals may also causehookworm-related cutaneous larva migrans. Usually,hookworm-related cutaneous larva migransis caused by hookworm larvae from dogs and cats ( Ankylostoma caninum, A. How rapidly a larva can penetrate the stratum corneum of the epidermis remains unknown. After having located a host, larvae creep across the skin and probe sites suitable for penetration into the epidermis ( 25). Under favorable environmental conditions, larvae can survive and remain infectious for several months. They develop into infective third-stage larvae after about one week ( 2). Eggs are shed in faeces and hatch in the superficial layer of the soil within one day. Biology, Transmission and Risk FactorsĪdult hookworms live in the intestine of dogs and cats. In countries of the global South as well as in travelers returning from an endemic area, hookworm-related cutaneous larva migrans is the most common cause of a creeping eruption. This clinical sign can be provoked by different parasites, such as animal hookworm larvae, other nematode larvae, Gnathostoma spp, Loa loa, Sarcoptes scabiei(scabies mites), or larvae of parasitic flies (migratory myiasis). The latter is defined as a linear or serpiginous, slightly elevated, erythematous track that moves forward in the skin in an irregular pattern. ( 10) correctly pointed out that cutaneous larva migrans is a syndrome while creeping eruption is a clinical sign. For decades, the terms creeping eruption and cutaneous larva migrans have been used interchangeably. Hookworm-related cutaneous larva migrans (HrCLM) is a parasitic skin disease caused by the migration of animal hookworm larvae in the epidermis.