Prev NEXT

Skin Parasites

Parasites and Perceptions

A Balinese long-tailed monkey picks fleas off another. Humans used to do this as a social activity too.
©iStockphoto.com/mmozzies

If reading about skin parasites hasn't left you feeling a little itchy, you're probably in the minority. It may surprise you, however, to know that our thoughts about parasites have changed over the centuries. Many of us also have some serious misconceptions about how people become infested with parasites and what it says about them.

Skin parasites have been around for thousands of years. Lice have been dated to more than five million years ago, as scientists discovered that the lineage of human head lice separated from chimpanzee head lice around the same time that their hosts diverged. Scabies mites date back to at least 2,500 years ago. Scholars believe there are references to scabies and other parasites in the Bible, and the Greek naturalist Pliny gave recommendations for getting rid of lice in his writings around 40 C.E. [source: Roncalli].

Advertisement

Humans have always strived to rid themselves of parasites as part of what some researchers point to as a relic of our animal grooming past. Yet it has not always been considered such a shameful, private affliction. In the past, ridding ourselves of fleas and lice was often a group bonding activity (similar to primates that groom each other), and it still is in some areas of the world. Parasitic infestations did not differ by socioeconomic class -- the difference was that the wealthier you were, the easier it was for you to privately get rid of your parasites. Wealthy people had servants to assist them as well as access to the latest home remedies and hygienic products. It's also important to keep in mind that it took until the 20th century to fully make a connection between cleanliness and health.

Today, getting skin parasites is often associated with being dirty. However, many infestations are simply a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Having head lice, for example, doesn't mean that you don't bathe properly or keep a clean house. You were simply unfortunate enough to come in contact with an infected person or animal. While many parasites are prevalent in less developed countries, providing access to basic treatments, as well as education on preventive measures and hygienic practices, can reduce infestations. Skin parasites can attack anybody; you just have to take steps to ensure that you aren't likely to be on the menu.

For lots more information on skin parasites and related topics, check out the links below.

Related HowStuffWorks Articles

Sources

  • American Academy of Dermatology. "Scabies." AAD Public Center. 2009.http://www.aad.org/public/publications/pamphlets/common_scabies.html
  • Bohart Museum of Entomology. "Human Skin Parasites & Delusional Parasitosis." Bohart Museum of Entomology. 2005.http://delusion.ucdavis.edu/
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Lice." May 16, 2008. CDC.http://www.cdc.gov/lice/
  • Collins, George, et al. "Tungiasis: A Neglected Health Problem in Rural Cameroon." International Journal of Collaborative Research on Internal Medicine & Public Health. Vol 1. No. 1. 2009.http://www.iomcworld.com/ijcrimph/ijcrimph-v01-n01-01-f.htm
  • DPDx. "Filariasis." CDC Laboratory Identification of Parasites of Public Health Concern. 2009.http://www.dpd.cdc.gov/DPDx/HTML/Filariasis.htm
  • Feed the Children. "Jiggers Campaign." 2009.http://www.feedthechildren.org.uk/pages/JiggersCampaignPage.shtml
  • Illinois Department of Public Health. "Common Ticks." IDPH. 2009.http://www.idph.state.il.us/envhealth/pccommonticks.htm
  • Larrick, Stephanie and Roxanne Connelly. "Human Bot Fly." University of Florida. July 2008.http://entnem.ifas.ufl.edu/creatures/misc/flies/human_bot_fly.htm
  • Mayo Clinic Staff. "Morgellons disease: Managing a mysterious condition." Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. 2009.http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/morgellons-disease/SN00043
  • MedlinePlus. "Tick Bites." Aug. 26, 2009.http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tickbites.html
  • Mendez, Andre. "Tungiasis." Stanford ParaSites. 2004.http://www.stanford.edu/group/parasites/ParaSites2004/Tungiasis/index.htm
  • Morgellons Research Foundationhttp://www.morgellons.org/
  • Muller, R. "Worms and Human Disease." CABI. 2002.
  • The National Pediculosis Associationhttp://www.headlice.org/
  • New Zealand Dermatological Society Incorporated. "Scabies." DermNet NZ. February 16, 2008.http://www.dermnetnz.org/arthropods/pdf/scabies-dermnetnz.pdf
  • Pollack, Richard and Gary Alpert." Bed Bugs: Biology and Management." Harvard School of Public Health. March 24, 2005.http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/bedbugs/
  • Potter, Michael F. "Bed Bugs." University of Kentucky College of Agriculture: Entomology. August 2008.http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef636.asp
  • Robinson, R. "Fight the mite, and ditch the itch." Parasitology Today. Volume 1. Issue 5. November 1985.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6TB8-49NHMRN-2D&_user=1532718&_origUdi=B6TD7-476VMDT-14&_fmt=high&_coverDate=11%2F30%2F1985&_rdoc=1&_orig=article&_acct=C000053589&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=1532718&md5=b0a6355e121b03f0ec7cb6f3ed605cb0
  • Roncalli, R.A. "The history of scabies in veterinary and human medicine from biblical to modern times. " Veterinary Parsitology. Volume 25. Issue 2. July 1987.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6TD7-476VMDT-14&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=1fade61213b64daf16987e9a4d950c82
  • Smith, Virginia. "Clean: A History of Personal Hygiene and Purity." Oxford Press. May 2007.
  • Turkington, Carol A. "Filariasis." Encyclopedia of Medicine. April 6, 2001.http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_g2601/is_0005/ai_2601000547/
  • U.S. National Library of Medicine. "Head Lice." National Institutes of Health. 2009.http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/headlice.html
  • World Health Organization. "African Program for Onchocerciasis Control. WHO. 2009.http://www.who.int/apoc/en/
  • Vredevoe, Larisa. "Background Information on the Biology of Ticks." University of California, Davis. 1997.http://entomology.ucdavis.edu/faculty/rbkimsey/tickbio.html
  • Stoppler, Melissa Conrad. "Bed Bugs." MedicineNet.com. 2009.http://www.medicinenet.com/bed_bugs/article.htm
  • Stewart, J.W. "Common Insect & Mite Pests on Humans." Texas Agricultural Extension Service. March 18, 1997.http://insects.tamu.edu/extension/bulletins/uc/uc-013.html
  • Time. "Parasitology: The Human Botfly." Time Magazine. July 10, 1964.http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,871286,00.html
  • U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventative Medicine. "Human Bot Fly Myiasis." U.S. Army. August 2007.http://chppm-www.apgea.army.mil/documents/FACT/HumanBotFlyMyiasisJTFAug2007.pdf