The human infection known under the names cercarial dermatitis or swimmers' itch is generally associated with swimming in lakes all over the world, however, a number of outbreaks of cercarial dermatitis developing in salt or brackish waters are also reported. The disease presents as allergic reaction which is able to trap and eliminate the parasites in the skin. However, the infection can be linked to more than skin symptoms under certain circumstances. Recent studies on bird schistosomes have shown that during primary infections of noncompatible hosts (mice) the parasites may migrate through visceral and nervous tissues of mammals. Up to date, cercarial dermatitis has been mostly associated with the cercariae of bird schistosomes of the genus Trichobilharzia. Recent findings of new genera and species indicate, however, broader spectrum of causative agents of the disease with different life cycles, host specificity and pathogenicity.

National Reference Laboratory for Tissue Helminthoses Department of Microbiology Institute for Postgradual Medical Education and 3rd Clinic of Infectious and Tropical Diseases Charles University 100 05 Prague 10 Czech Republic

Cercarial dermatitis, a neglected allergic disease

Cathepsins B1 and B2 in the neuropathogenic schistosome Trichobilharzia regenti: distinct gene expression profiles and presumptive roles throughout the life cycle

Antibody responses induced by Trichobilharzia regenti antigens in murine and human hosts exhibiting cercarial dermatitis