What is 'swimmer's itch'?

What is 'swimmer's itch'?

Daniel Behroozan (Dermatologist) gives expert video advice on: How can I avoid bug bites?; Why does it seem some people get bitten by bugs more than others?; What is 'scabies'? and more...

Swimmer's itch is an extremely itchy eruption that's self-limited. It's usually caused when a person swims or is in an area of water that is infected with a parasite or organism called the schistasome. That schistasome can invade the skin. Humans are not a normal host of this organism, so usually this organism will die within the human skin. During that process, it leads to a very reactive phenomenon of the skin that can cause itching and lasts several days. This itching is self-limited and resolves on its own, and these organisms cannot invade the infrastructures such as deep fat, connective tissue, or muscle or bone, and the disease is not communicable to another person.