Cutaneous larva migrans: the creeping eruption.

Abstract

Cutaneous larva migrans (CLM) is the most common tropically acquired dermatosis. It is caused by hookworm larvae, which are in the feces of infected dogs and cats. The condition occurs mainly in the Caribbean and New World, and anyone walking barefoot or sitting on a contaminated beach is at risk. Ancylostoma braziliense and Ancylostoma caninum are the most common hookworms responsible for CLM. The lesions, called creeping eruptions, are characteristically erythematous, raised and vesicular, linear or serpentine, and intensely pruritic. The conditions respond to oral and/or topical application of thiabendazole. Humans become an accidental dead-end host because the traveling parasite perishes, and its cutaneous manifestations usually resolve uneventfully within months.