Cercarial Dermatitis?

[zoomster]

Hi all!
Just wondering if any of my fellow reefers have ever experienced this, also known as "swimmers itch"?
I have been battling this condition on my hands for a number of years now and my doctor and all the Dermatologist have not been able to figure out what is the cause and can only scratch their heads.
But last night my wife was looking around on the web and hit on this condition. And I think this may be what I have now as it fits my symptoms perfectly.
It is a allergic reaction to schistosomes which are parasites that come from snails. It Starts as small pimple like bumps and then grow into blisters that eventually break, then clears up in a few weeks. And the more we discussed it the more we kind of figured out that it does seem to start after working on my tank.

So has anyone else ever heard of or experienced this?

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[zoomster]

I will also add that in this pic I just took, it is actually almost run its course and mostly healed up believe it or not. Lol
And that about 2 weeks ago as some of you know, I set up my new tank and had my hands in it ALOT the symptoms started showing up within a day or two of that.

 

[heath]

ouch, that looks horrible.. could it be some type of allergy, I know that the skin on my hands appears really thin looking after I have had my hands in the tanks for an extended period of time...
I wonder if maybe using gloves would help...

 

[zoomster]

Not the normal wrist lenght gloves but the wife has instructed me to get a pair of the ones that go up to the shoulder and to start
"Wearing them at all times when working in the tank! " Lol

 

[nathan]

This reinforces why I like to wear gloves! !

 

[EricTMah]

You're allergic to your tank. Bring it to my house and I'll find it a good home lol

All kidding aside Steve. That sucks and I'm sure it's itchy and painful too. Maybe next time you're working in your tank. Try wearing gloves to see if it helps.

Sony Xperia Z3

 

[Nonuser]

I developed an allergy to Blood worms, Thank god I don't have fresh water any longer. just a touch of it will cause a good rash. Even water with a hint of it in it will do it.

 

[SamB]

All of the pros wear gloves

 

[zoomster]

You're allergic to your tank. Bring it to my house and I'll find it a good home lol

All kidding aside Steve. That sucks and I'm sure it's itchy and painful too. Maybe next time you're working in your tank. Try wearing gloves to see if it helps.

Sony Xperia Z3

Thats what my "boss" told me to do as well.
So I plan on picking up a pair of those aquarium gloves and using them from now on. I have been using the nitrile gloves when fragging ( especially zoas and palys ) but I think its gloves from now on!

 

[zoomster]

All of the pros wear gloves

Yep, and me too now Sam!

 

[zoomster]

I developed an allergy to Blood worms, Thank god I don't have fresh water any longer. just a touch of it will cause a good rash. Even water with a hint of it in it will do it.

That really sucks. At least it didn't take years for you to figure it out! Lol.
Of course I guess most Doctors here would never think of that as a cause - same as palythoa toxin poisoning right? Lol

 

[Nonuser]

That really sucks. At least it didn't take years for you to figure it out! Lol.
Of course I guess most Doctors here would never think of that as a cause - same as palythoa toxin poisoning right? Lol

It took probably over 10 years to develop the reaction. Then it progressively got worse, till just touching a frozen piece gives me tingles. I have not touched any in over 5 years so who knows I might need a epipen.

 

[zoomster]

It took probably over 10 years to develop the reaction. Then it progressively got worse, till just touching a frozen piece gives me tingles. I have not touched any in over 5 years so who knows I might need a epipen.

Oh, so it did take you a long time to figure it out as well.
thats what it says about this allergy, the more exposure to it you get, the worse the symptoms get.

 

[Pipes]

Next time you want to work in the tank, give me a call. Then buzz over here, pick me up and I'll do it for you... It's only a 45 min drive... I need the practice.

 

[zoomster]

^^^ everyone's a comedian ^^^
Lol

 

[shamous113]

if it is flukes then you could try removing all the snails for a period of time I'm not sure how long flukes can last with out a host, or it could also be caused by chemical warfare going on in your tank

 

[Aquatic Dreams]

Well that doesn't look fun at all. I've heard of the Bloodworm allergy before but never parasites from snails. I guess that gloves are your only option. It would be interesting to know whether or not working in a tank without snails would do the same thing. Perhaps not interesting enough to go through the pain and aggravation though.

Hopefully you've figured it out so you at least know what's causing it. Be sure to keep us updated with any progress/changes.

 

[zoomster]

if it is flukes then you could try removing all the snails for a period of time I'm not sure how long flukes can last with out a host, or it could also be caused by chemical warfare going on in your tank

Chem warfare was my thought earlier but my "symptoms" didn't match.
Then my wife stumbled upon this parasite that comes from snails and the symptoms description matches mine perfectly.

 

[zoomster]

Well that doesn't look fun at all. I've heard of the Bloodworm allergy before but never parasites from snails. I guess that gloves are your only option. It would be interesting to know whether or not working in a tank without snails would do the same thing. Perhaps not interesting enough to go through the pain and aggravation though.

Hopefully you've figured it out so you at least know what's causing it. Be sure to keep us updated with any progress/changes.

These parasites are called schistosomes they apparently go from the snails to waterfowl or humans. They can live in the birds but die quickly in a human host.
Apparently, they don't even go to fish.

 

[zoomster]

This is what they look like.

Aside from wondering if anyone else has experienced what I am, I also figure this thread will serve as a heads up for others.

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