A recent Tik Tok video, shared on Instagram for the Fernández Pharmaceutical profile, shows how a traveler returned from Luna de Honey with a migratory larva on the foot. This is the same infestation that suffered Lucía Pombo, sister of the influencer María Pombo, A couple of years ago during a trip to Tanzania. This parasite formed by Brazilian anchlostoma larvae can penetrate the skin through cracks and humid sands contaminated by dogs of dogs and cats. The result: an annoying reddish snake that moves through the epidermis, producing intense itching and sinuous marks. The viral case is a useful reminder that it is not only possible, but relatively frequent if tropical regions are visited and is barefoot. And, although we must avoid alarmism, prevention is simple if risks are known.
How to spread and why it bites so much
The migratory larva, not to confuse with larger ones, lives in wet and sandy soils, especially in beaches and tropical areas. Its cycle begins when an infected dog or cat leaves eggs in its feces; These continue in the environment and, on human contact, they penetrate the skin through small wounds or cracks.
Once inside, they move a few centimeters a day forming visible grooves that irritate the skin. The itching increases with movement and intensifies at night. The person usually feels How the larva moves under the skin. That feeling is what Lucia Pombo described along with constant tingling.
Doctors coincide in prevention and treatment
Parasitology experts insist that the main thing is Avoid direct contact with contaminated soils. The infectologist Antonio Zurita, from the University of Seville, remembers that we are not ideal hosts, but the parasite “is migrating on the skin”, and scratch can generate secondary infections.
Its recommendation is to walk with proper footwear in tropical areas, avoid stepping on wet sand and make sure the pets are dewormed. As for treatment, the solution is not to extract the larva surgically, but Antiparasitic medication. Oral drugs such as Benzimidazoles, who kill the parasite so that the body absorbs it naturally. After several days the larva dies, darkens and can be eliminated without intervention unless it forms a cyst. Pombo's evolution demonstrates that without surgery or invasive treatments can disappear with medical treatment and natural healing. It is something uncommon but more than we could think.
