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Tungiasis (also known as ''nigua'',〔 ''pio'' and ''bicho de pie'',〔 or ''pique'') is an inflammatory skin disease caused by infection with the female ectoparasitic ''Tunga penetrans'' flea (also known as chigoe flea, jigger, nigua or sand flea), found in the tropical parts of Africa, the Caribbean, Central and South America, and India. ''Tunga penetrans'' is the smallest flea in the world, measuring 1 mm across. It is also known in Latin America as the ''nigua'' and ''bicho de pie'' (Spanish) or ''bicho de pé'' (Portuguese), literally "''foot bug''". ''Tunga penetrans'' is a member of the genus ''Tunga'', which comprises 13 species.〔 〕〔 〕 Tungiasis causes skin inflammation, severe pain, itching, and a lesion at the site of infection that is characterized by a black dot at the center of a swollen red lesion, surrounded by what looks like a white halo. Desquamation of the skin is always seen, especially after the flea expands during hypertrophy. As of 2009, tungiasis is present worldwide in 88 countries with varying degrees of incidence.〔http://www.gideononline.com〕 This disease is of special public health concern in highly endemic areas such as Nigeria, Trinidad and Tobago, and Brazil, where its prevalence, especially in poor communities, has been known to approach 50%.〔Heukelbach, Jorg. "Invited Review - Tungiasis." Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo 47.6 (2005): 307-313.〕 The chigoe flea is properly classified as a member of the order Siphonaptera as it is a flea. Although commonly referred to as chiggers, true chiggers are mites which are minute arachnids.〔"Chiggers." About.com. 27 Feb. 2009 ''Tunga penetrans'' is also known by the following names: chigoe flea, sand flea, nigua, chigger flea, jigger flea, bicho de pé, pico, sikka, kuti, and piqui, among many others.〔Heukelbach, Jorg. Tungiasis. Sept. 2004. Orphanet.com. 23 Feb. 2009 ==History== From the existing literature, ''T. penetrans'' seems to be native to the West Indies. The first case of tungiasis was described in 1526 by Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés, where he discussed the skin infection and its symptoms on crew members from Columbus’s ''Santa Maria'' after they were shipwrecked on Haiti. Through ship routes and further expeditions, the chigoe flea was spread to the rest of the world, particularly to the rest of Latin America and Africa. The spread to greater Africa occurred throughout the 17th and 19th centuries, specifically in 1873 when the infected crewmen of the ship Thomas Mitchell introduced it into Angola, having sailed from Brazil., 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Tungiasis」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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