Answer to Case 654

 Answer to the Parasite Case of the Week 654: Tunga sp. flea

I encourage you to check out the posts in the Comments section by Kosta and Florida Fan who give us an excellent description of the taxonomy, morphology, epidemiology, and clinical presentation of this parasitic flea. 

Here are some of the diagnostic features from this case:

Tunga sp. eggs measuring ~0.6 mm long:

Egg within the body of the flea, along with other characteristic features:

We weren't able to locate the head of the flea, so there is a chance that it is still embedded in the skin of the host. This is not usually of significant concern, however, as the body will eventually extrude the retained flea parts. Occasionally patients will secondary bacterial infection and require antibiotic treatment.