SWIM WITH OFFSHORE WINDįWS/UA scientists were able to show a strong correlation between wind direction (onshore, offshore, alongshore) with cercariae concentration (Rudko et al.
FWS/UA documented that riparians greatly reduce their risk of being exposed to virulent cercariae as the day progresses. Since most of the itch-causing cercariae exit the snails in the morning and only live for a day, you would expect fewer cercariae to be around in the afternoon due to movement by wind, predation, natural mortality, etc. As mallard ducks are a designated game bird, there are limitations as to what we can do with them.ģ) Greatest quantities of schistosomes occur during the morning hours and decrease throughout the day.Ĥ) Concentrations of schistosomes diminish as you move into deeper water.ĥ) The Long Lake Association board has authorized additional sampling and testing this year in areas that new incidents of swimmers itch are reported.įRESHWATER SOLUTIONS PREVENTION STRATEGIES SWIM AFTER LUNCHįWS/UA scientists were able to quantify the risk of contracting swimmer’s itch as a function of time-of-day (Rudko et al. Also, a physical count of the types and quantities of potential host birds was performed.Ģ) It appears mallard ducks maybe the bird host most typical to the Long Lake schistosomes. Samples were taken from 10 distributed sites for analysis of types of schistosomes and snails prevalent to those sites. Different species of schistosomes are linked to certain bird or mammal hosts as well as specific snail species.ġ) LLA contracted FWS to do an Assessment of Long/Mickey Lake in the summer of 2018. These larvae are known as schistosomes and have a complex relationship with its hosts. The larvae then quickly die, since humans are not suitable hosts.
Swimmers itch is developed in people when microscopic parasitic larvae burrow into human skin, causing a red, itchy rash.