Tungiasis in northeastern Argentina: local knowledge, care practices, and domestic animal management in endemic communities

Abstract

Tungiasis is a zoonotic ectoparasitosis recognized as a neglected tropical disease that disproportionately affects socially vulnerable populations in tropical and subtropical regions. This study characterized local knowledge, care practices, domestic animal management, and household environmental conditions related to tungiasis in urban and rural communities of Puerto Iguazú, northeastern Argentina. A cross-sectional household-based KAP (knowledge, attitudes, and practices) survey was conducted in 38 households (15 urban and 23 rural) selected from a broader eco-epidemiological study. Structured questionnaires were administered to one adult representative per household, and epidemiological observations from the previous study were used to provide context on canine tungiasis. All respondents were familiar with the local term pique, although only 31.6% correctly identified the parasite as a flea, while 50.0% associated it with "dust bugs" or soil organisms. Most respondents (89.5%) reported self-treatment rather than seeking healthcare services. Dogs were only partially restricted in 73% of households, and their most common resting sites were house corridors (47.4%) and the space beneath houses (28.9%). Among the 61 dogs recorded in the 38 households included in the KAP survey, 36 (59.0%) had tungiasis, including 13/29 (44.8%) urban and 23/32 (71.9%) rural dogs. In the broader study population from which these households were selected, 195/402 dogs (48.5%) were infested with Tunga penetrans, with a higher prevalence in rural (70.48%) than urban (31.97%) settings. Participants also reported limited awareness of municipal control actions and widespread use of traditional treatment practices for both humans and dogs. Poor housing conditions, dusty peridomestic environments, and close human–animal interactions emerged as recurrent features of the surveyed households. These findings highlight how local knowledge, domestic animal management, and peridomestic environmental conditions may be relevant to household-level exposure to tungiasis and provide context-specific evidence to support integrated One Health control strategies in northeastern Argentina.