Tungiasis in a Colombian patient

A 60-year-old male pig-farm worker from a rural area of Colombia was referred to our clinic with history of itchy skin lesions on the soles in the last two months. The patient reported often walking barefoot. Physical exam revealed clusters of monomorphic yellowish-brown papules and nodules with central black dots and indurated halos on the soles. Treatment consisted of surgical extraction of embedded fleas from the lesions and adjuvant keratolytics. A flea (Tunga spp.) and its eggs were visualized with light microscopy in one of the excised lesions (Fig. 4). At clinical follow-up, the patient had recovered completely