[Tungiasis acquired in Chaco Province, Argentina]

A four-year old girl and her mother were assisted at the Hospital de Clínicas for 0.7 cm wide papules with a black central core and a white hyperkeratotic halo of fourteen days of development. The girl presented these lesions on the second and fourth toe of one of her feet, and her mother on the ankle. Among the known antecedents were a trip to Chaco Province and their habit of walking barefooted. After the papule incision, both antiseptic treatment and cleaning of the lesion, were performed. The exudate extracted from the wound was sent to the Parasitology laboratory for diagnosis. With low-power amplification (100 X), portions of an arthropod with numerous characteristic Tunga penetrans eggs were identified. The patients received antibiotic therapy and tetanus immunization. Tungiasis, which originated in America, is a cutaneous parasitosis caused by Tunga penetrans. In endemic areas, it is advisable to wear shoes in order to avoid the penetration of the flea into the skin. The presence of this flea should be suspected whenever hyperkeratotic papules with a black central core appear, mainly in the sub and periungual areas, soles, ankles and/or heels of the feet.