Since the chigoe flea technically has no reservoir species and the female will cause tungiasis to any mammalian organism it can penetrate, this means the flea will have a relatively large number of hosts and victims. Epidemiologically, this is important as tungiasis often causes secondary infections. History
Tungiasis had been endemic in pre-Columbian Andean society for centuries before discovery of  T. penetrans as native to the West Indies. The first case of tungiasis was described in 1526 by Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés, where he discussed the skin infection and its symptoms on crew members from Columbuss Santa Maria after they were shipwrecked on Haiti. Through ship routes and further expeditions, the chigoe flea was spread to the rest of the world, particularly to the rest of Latin America and Africa. The spread to greater Africa occurred throughout the 17th and 19th centuries, specifically in 1872 when the infected crewmen of the ship Thomas Mitchell introduced it into Angola by illegal dumping of sand ballast, having sailed from Brazil. References
External links

Muehlstaedt, Michael (2008). "Periungual Tungiasis". New England Journal of Medicine. 359 (24): e30. doi:10.1056/NEJMicm074290. PMID 19073971.
Craniotabes is softening or thinning of the skull in infants and children, which may be normally present in newborns. It is seen mostly in the occipital and parietal bones. The bones are soft, and when pressure is applied they will collapse underneath it. When the pressure is relieved, the bones will usually snap back into place. Causes
Any condition that affects bone growth, most notably rickets (from vitamin D deficiency), marasmus,  syphilis, or thalassemia, can cause craniotabes if present during a time of rapid skull growth (most especially during gestation and infancy). It can be a "normal" feature in premature infants. It is the first sign in children and infants with rickets. Diagnosis
Physical examination

Management
Management of craniotabes depends on the cause. The majority of craniotabes occurs in term infants and can be a normal finding. Commonly, craniotabes results from the position of the head inside the uterus weeks prior to delivery. Calcium and Vitamin D levels should be obtained to rule out rickets, and in mothers who have prenatal labs concerning for T. pallidum infection, neonates should be evaluated for congenital syphilis. Etymology
The term (cranio- + tabes) is derived from the Latin words cranium for skull and tabes for wasting. References


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