While in Tanzania I kept noticing fine little red vesicles and pustule on my calves and they itched a fair amount. Now that I am home there are less of them, but the ones that are left itch like crazy.

Brian Van Blerk told me they had what he called Pepper Seed Ticks.

Are these just another form of what we call down here in Georgia "Chiggers" or are they actual ticks?

Should I bother seeing a doctor? Anybody know what I am talking about.

And no, I did not visit any Masai Bomas to see any ladies!

Get a mannifying glass and look! Pepper ticks are very common and can cary three different forms of Riketsia (tick fevers like Lymes disease). Some areas none of the ticks are infected, others you are guaranteed to catch something.

The Zim versions are less than 1mm in size but they are proper ticks. I used to be able to see them with my naked eyes but now can only see the little buggers when they move.

Some fleas in East/South Africa provoke the same reaction, at least in my case. I rode in the back of pick-up with a jackal I had just shot and had red welts for three weeks.

Whenever I come out of the bush, the first thing i do is have a bath and add 1 cup full of Dettol antiseptic solution to the water. That pretty much takes care of any pepper ticks left. The worst is when they end up in your crotch A full "brazilian wax" is then recommended

Most of the time though, the itchiness lasts a few days and then disappears. Calamine lotion will help against the itchiness.

I got them in Zim 2 years ago, and I was crawling with them. My PH gave me an over the counter medication that cleared them up. I did get sick afterwards for about three weeks, but the local doc put me on a broad based antibiotic and I survived.

Put ammonia on them as soon as you notice them. It will kill the bugs, and stop the itch.

What about "Chigga-rid", boys from the South? Will that work?
Dave

The pepper tick ain't no chigger, he is a serious critter that can make you real sick with flu like symptons...The best cure is prevention, permalyn on your clothes, duck tape your pants closed at the foot..but if you go to pepper tick country then be sure and take some Doxycycline, it knocks the tick fever in about one or two doses or always has with me..I have had tick fever several times...Mostly in the area just south of the old Transvaal or RSA...those little sucker will cover your clothing there....Makes me appreciate Tanzania where ticks are less nemourous...Big ones on the buffalo, but I never get more than one or two on me during a 21 day or better stay...

quote:

Originally posted by almostacowboy:
What about "Chigga-rid", boys from the South? Will that work?
Dave

I have used Chigga-rid before but honestly for chiggers I have yet to find anything that works better than Chlorine bleach.

I whole heartedly agree with Atkinson about duct tape and permanone. Just don't forget to tuck in your shirt.

On my last trip to Zimbabwe, I had some of the pepper ticks get on me. I missed one and when I got back to the United States, I came down with Tick Fever. I was told by my Doctor that it takes about a week for the flu like symptoms to appear. My Doctor gave me some antibotics and told me to come in the next day. If there was no relief in the symptoms, he was going to make a culture of wher the tick imbedded itself on my leg and send it to the Disease Center in Alanta. He was pretty scared as he had no experience in dealing with maladies from Africa. Lucky for me the symptoms were greatly lessened the next day. I would say that I would not seek medical attention unless you show some signs of sickness. The treatment was what my Doctor did for folks who contact tick fever here in New Mexico.

Thanks Guys,

I will get some Doxy. The ammonia seems to have limited them some, but not cleared yet. I swear I think these are some form of chigger, cause I have not seen even a small tick yet. I heard that you can make out the pepper seed tick with the naked eye. I appreciate your input.

Hugh W,
Join the Pepper Tick Club, I as well had hundreds of them last year in Zim. Crawling through the bush. Used Caladryl Clear lotion, stopped the itch, cleared them up. Yes they are like our Georgia version, only smaller.
Bobga

I had Permathrin on my clothing in Zambia. Crawled through a bunch of Pepper ticks, and they died on my clothing. The rest of the guys got them, but the PH had some kind of bug spray, and sprayed down everybody right away and killed the rest of them.

Thanks, guys.

Chigger-rid is just clear medicated fingernail polish clear polish alone will kill the itch by cutting off the air to it

best thing to work for me is a bath with about a cup of bleach in it nice long soak

Are these the same little buggers that burrow into the soles of your feet and need to be extracted by a needle?

We called them Jiggers ???

If you are talking rash,I shall show a rash I got last year in TZ,still battling local recurrences.
It started just like you described as a local red tiny to 4mm welts,I thought they were bites from ?,mostly under the gaitors and lower legs,finally in my face.So I thought,ticks,mosquitos,Tsezes.
It exploded when I returned,took 2 weeks of Doxycycline - just for insurance.Terrible itch.
Finally decided is was an allergy to ?,
Took massive steroids to relieve the "rash" and terrible itch,covering my entire body,looked alamost like scabies.
At this time my best guess is that it is/was a reaction to my Malaria meds - Lariam.
Still dont know


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quote:

Originally posted by NitroX:
Are these the same little buggers that burrow into the soles of your feet and need to be extracted by a needle?

We called them Jiggers ???

On that topic...A Jigger is different than a chigger. The jigger burrows into your skin, while the chigger simply bites you.

The itching effect of the chigger is actually a reaction to the saliva they leave behind in your skin.

Sheephunter,

Thank you for the photo. Your calves looked practically identical to mine following my safari. BTW I took Malarone. I do not believe it had anything to do with the Larium. And yes, I still have generalized itching of the calves even though the pustules have cleared up. I do believe that Tanzania at least does have some form of chigger. Permanone as advised earlier in this post would be a wise investment for all planning to visit Tanzania!

Gentlemen you may also use Lysol Liquid. You put 2 cap fulls into a bathtub with about 2-3" of luke warm water. Take a wash cloth and soak it in the water and wipe down the affected areas. DO NOT,I REPEAT DO NOT PUT THIS ON YOUR PRIVATES IT IS AKIN TO HAVING SET THEM ON FIRE.
I have used all of the over the counter stuf they offer. This is the best I have found, relief is almost instantaneous and the chiggers are dead. You also smell a little strong but that will go away in a few hours. I unfortunately learned of this method the hard way. Me and a buddy had to cross a field of head tall Goat weed in central Texas while bow hunting. BAD mistake. By the way sulphur in an old sock gently patted on you will keep them off. Just don't turn yourself yellow.

Sheephunter,
I have spent as much time in Tanzania as many PHs have and I have never seen such as you have..

What I do see is that it is localized to a certain heighth, were you wearing socks of that height, if so what you have is grass seed infecting your legs, very common...That is why PHs don't wear socks and wear deck shoes as the horrible little seeds do not attach to skin, just material...

That is not a reaction to Lariam or Malarone..

Also I have not encounter any small ticks in Tanzania, a few larger ones that crawled off a buffalo onto me is about it for Tanzania....

Now Tetsi flies are a whole nuther story and perhaps you have Tetsi bites on your legs that crawled up your pants, but I have never seen them like that...but it surly has something to do with what you were wearing because it stops abruptly at the same spot on both legs. high top lined gators could be the culprit also.

quote:

Originally posted by dbking:
Gentlemen you may also use Lysol Liquid. You put 2 cap fulls into a bathtub with about 2-3" of luke warm water. Take a wash cloth and soak it in the water and wipe down the affected areas. DO NOT,I REPEAT DO NOT PUT THIS ON YOUR PRIVATES IT IS AKIN TO HAVING SET THEM ON FIRE.
I have used all of the over the counter stuf they offer. This is the best I have found, relief is almost instantaneous and the chiggers are dead.

dbking - Welcome to the forum.

I'm confused... what does the liquid lysol do?

How does it kill the chiggers? It's not the chiggers in your skin that cause the itching, it's the saliva they leave behind.

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
...
What I do see is that it is localized to a certain heighth,

...but it surly has something to do with what you were wearing because it stops abruptly at the same spot on both legs.

Maybe waded across water that high or had barefeet sticking out from under blankets?

An odd rash indeed....

Ray,
I dont know what I got or have.
But the presentation made mme think.
1 you are correct, the lesions so to speak stopped at a certain height,they started under cover of my (short) gaitors and boots,Initially I thought swelling/heat/contriction had something to do with it.
The lesion spread from thereon,got worse,not better.Similar lesion than appeared on my arms
later on chest etc.
The latter indicating a systemic response of sort or allergic reaction.Not realy specific.
My dermatologist labeleled it as a dermatitis due to "dry air" - yeah right.
Because the lesion started as a pustule on the legs,I favor as an origin some sort of bite etc with a reaction maybe inclusive allergic reaction.Some of the lesions scarred badly to a depth of 3 mmm.
I never waded in a river or water.
Bottomline is I dont know,out of desperation favored an allergy though alleric reactions typically dont start on lower legs.
I strongly believe without proof of any sort its
some bites with unknown secondary infection, non bacterial as Doxy had no effect,I had no systemic disease.
If others ,even a few have the same symptoms it favors this theory.

There are some strange bugs out there. I caught a "rash" on the inside of my left elbow in Egypt about three inches in radius. In summer when I sweated a lot it came back every year for about five years but eventually went away. (BTW I accumulated so many "bugs" in Egypt, I eventually collapsed later in France and had to lie in a park for hours sleeping, before I could get to my hotel. After a day I recovered. Shit happens as the saying goes.)

Maybe you waded through a stream or river.

A friend fell into the Limpopo and caught a very nasty skin disease from contact with the water and had to be hospitalised. Other people wade through it and nothing sinister happens at all.

If you want to scare yourself, get a good Travellors medical book for Africa and read through all the diseases. From incurable itches that cause people to scratch themselves tio death or commit suicide in frustration to ebola. Good nightime reading.

Just to make your day.

For old chigger hands, that is those who can feel them almost as soon as they start to bite, the easiest and best "cure" is to wipe the affected area with rubbing alcohol. Whiskey will do in a pinch, but its a damn poor use of good drinking whiskey. Alcohol kills them instantly. If you get to them before they've had a chance to get a good bite, there will be no next day itch. This applies to the standard American chigger, or red bug as we call them in Texas. I usually just pour some r. alcohol on some toilet tissue and wipe away. You can just use your hands if you're caught short. Corncobs don't work as well.

A good alcohol wipe is a Zeiss lens cleaner. If you carry a couple of them to clean your binos/scope, they can also double for a minor first aid wipe.

sheephunter: I think what you have is definitely an allergic reaction. In 2003, I came down with a fungal infection. The doctor told me to use topical ointments. After while, it started getting better in the original location, but then my feet started breaking out like, starting on the top of my feet. The doctor then prescribed Sporonox which is an oral anti-fungal. When I was just about done with this medicine, the weals on my feet started spreading upward. Using the internet, I self diagnosed this as an allergic reaction(at the time I was out of the country). I immediately quit using the topical anti-fungal and started using moisturizing lotion instead. It started getting better the next day.

Sheephunter- I too would go with allergy. 10 years ago I was wading in the S. Pacific(Christmas Island). I started with a rash just like yours. It was up to the level of my wading that day. Within 3 days it was all over my body. A doc in our group said it has "gone systemic". A dose of predisone cured it.I travel with same now but have never had to use it again.