In America?s WETLAND, there is another nematode that may be quite bothersome. Humans who work or recreate in the marsh may get an occasional case of nutria itch, a condition resulting in severe itching and swelling. It is caused by a small nematode of the genus Strongyloides (pronounced ?strong eh loy? dees?) that is parasitic in nutria intestines.
Nematode eggs leave the nutria in its feces, and they hatch into tiny larvae that swim about in the water. Normally, these larvae burrow into a nutria?s skin, become adults, and the cycle begins again.
Woe is to the hapless human who has skin contact with the nematode larvae. This may happen wading around, sitting in a blind, or crawling around under a camp repairing the foundation. The larvae instinctively burrow into the person?s skin.
Since humans are not the normal host, the larvae burrow about until they die. The whole process can cause several weeks of unmitigated agony!