A common source outbreak of cutaneous larva migrans.

CUTANEOUS larva migrans, often called creeping eruption, is caused by larval nematodes entering the skin of the poorly adapted human host. The linear cutaneous eruptions that result have been noted isince 'the late 1800's; however, Kirby-Smith and co-workers in 1926 proved the causative agent to be the feline or canine strain of the cat hookworm, Ancylostoma braziliense (1). Uncinaria, necator, bunostomum, and other species of Ancylostoma have been incriminated occasionally; however, natural exposure to A. braziliense is by far the most frequently reported cause of cuitaneous larva migrans. During the construction of a new hospital at Patrick Air Fiorce Base in Florida, a group of workmen developed an unusual dermatitis. When I was informed of this on September 2, 1964, I visited the construction area. The general foreman said that seven of the nine men (a painter and pipefitters) who worked in the 3-foot-high crawl space (an area of 41,000 square feet) under the new hospital had an extremely irritating skin malady. The workers believed that they had contracted it in the crawl space and declared that unless the situation wals remedied, ;they would walk off the job. The foreman called eight of the men from the crawl space (the ninth man was visiting his physician for treatment), so that I could see their lesi,ons. Five men had lesions typical of those caused by A. braziliense. One man's lesions were those of an atypical infection. Two men apparently were not yet infected.