Who are the sand fleas?

Sand fleas are some of the smallest parasites in their squad. The body length of the male is only 1 mm. They are found exclusively in tropical countries, since they absolutely can not stand the cold. The danger is only female insects, which, when bitten, bite deep into the skin of a person, causing serious inflammation at the site of introduction.

Sarcopsyllosis is the name of this disease. It is quite common in Brazil and Nigeria, cases of the disease are often noted in Vietnam. In Russia, it does not occur, however, Russian tourists may encounter this nuisance while traveling in tropical countries.

How to determine if you have been bitten by sand fleas?

Sand fleas are so small that it is almost impossible to see them with the naked eye. That is why they are often confused with other blood-sucking insects. In order not to be mistaken, it is important to know how these parasites look, as well as to be able to distinguish characteristic traces from their bites.

Insect appearance

Sand flea is a close relative of the rat flea living in Russia. The dimensions of her body are very small. The average length of this parasite is only 1.5 mm. In width - 1 mm.

The body is flattened vertically and divided into three parts - head, chest and abdomen. On the chest are 3 pairs of highly developed legs. The hind limbs are slightly longer than the front ones, which allows insects to jump to a height of 35 cm, which is fantastic for such crumbs.

Body color is usually dark, almost black. At a closer inspection, you can see that it is all covered with hard bristles and hairs. Here is a sand flea:

Bites

Sand flea bites are very painful, and the female bites much more sensitive than the male. She gnaws at human skin and, having found a blood vessel, sticks to it. Outwardly, it looks like a small black dot on the body. After some time, the eggs begin to mature in the body of the female. There are a lot of them, sometimes up to hundreds. The bite site looks very swollen and reddened. When pressed, severe pain is felt. In the center you can see a strongly swollen body of an insect filled with whitish testicles.

Marks from male bites look slightly different. They look like ordinary mosquitoes and pass in 2-3 days. If there are a lot of insects, then people's legs are sometimes completely covered with red dots. Here are the marks from the bites of a male sand flea:

Where do they live?

Sand fleas are found exclusively in warm tropical countries. The habitual habitats of its habitat:

• Africa
• India
• Central and South America.

Outbreaks of sarcopsyllosis have been reported in Brazil, Nigeria, Tobago, and Trinidad. Sand fleas are also found in Vietnam.

These parasites live on the earthen floor of a human dwelling. There they lay their eggs. Larvae look like little white worms. They feed on organic debris, like all the nymphs of this order of insects. In addition to human habitation, parasites can also occur in the following places:

• on the beach;
• in the dry soil of farm buildings.

Any person who is within their reach can be attacked by parasites, however, people who don’t wear shoes often suffer from sarcopsillosis.This is probably why the disease is mainly affected by the poor.

Interesting fact! A mature female sand flea shoots mature eggs from her abdomen, scattering in all directions. Soon after, she dies or crawls out from under the skin.

Symptoms of the disease

Sarcopsyllosis is a rather dangerous disease. In advanced cases, it can lead to necrosis of the tissues and gangrene. That is why it is necessary to know the characteristic manifestations of this disease in order to go to the hospital in time and prevent the disease.

Typical symptoms of sarcopsillosis:

• severe soreness at the site of the bite;
• suppuration and infiltration into surrounding tissues;
• the presence of a black dot in the center of the affected area;
• peeling;
• protruding from under the skin of the white abdomen of a female with eggs.

If the female is not removed, the inflammatory process can take a more serious form and even lead to gangrene.

What to do if you are bitten?

When bitten by a female sand flea, the following measures must be taken immediately:

• use antihistamines, both internally and externally;
• lubricate the bite site with any antiseptic ointment;
• seek help from doctors.

It is not worth trying to extract a flea from under the skin yourself, especially if it has already swollen. As a result of an awkward movement, there is a risk of crushing the insect. Then the entire contents of his abdomen will fall into the circulatory system, which can cause blood poisoning and aggravate the situation many times over.

Male bites pass independently after a few days and do not require special treatment. With severe itching, you can use any antihistamine ointment, or make lotions from soda.

Shocking footage of extracting fleas from under human skin: