Given what we now know, it is clear that attempts to control Swimmer’s Itch by interrupting this complex life cycle are ineffective. Through use of DNA testing, multiple species of itch were identified (including a never before discovered species) cycling through multiple bird hosts in addition to the Common Merganser, all contributing to Swimmer’s Itch on Glen Lake. Research from 2017-2019 again revolutionized the scientific understanding of Swimmer’s Itch. Our research in the mid-’80s helped define the life-cycle of Swimmer’s Itch on Glen Lake, i.e., one snail species and one bird species. The Glen Lake Association has a 30-plus year effort in the research and management of Swimmer’s Itch. Despite these efforts, numbers of mergansers and cases of swimmer’s itch increased, and we discovered through DNA testing that mergansers were not the exclusive SI hosts we had once thought them to be. We tried to remove and harass the resident mergansers which at the time were thought to be the exclusive avian hosts on our lake from the 1980’s-2019. However, this was the only treatment for more than 30 years, from the 1950s to the 1980s. We tried to kill the snails by copper sulfate treatment, but that was ineffective (snails repopulated after expiration of the two hours of chemical potency). Historically we tried to break the lifecycle of the parasite in one of the two hosts. (NOTE: there are multiple species of parasites that cause Swimmer’s Itch in Michigan.) Cercariae are shed by multiple snail species that are infected by parasites transmitted by avian hosts -such as the Common Merganser, Canada Geese and Mallard ducks. Printable SI Prevention Tips Poster Brief tutorial and history of Swimmer’s ItchĬercarial larva is the parasite that causes Swimmer’s Itch on Glen Lake. For a printable Swimmer’s Itch Prevention Poster click the link below. With your help, we can monitor and track cases of Swimmer’s Itch -and progress in managing it. Check out this informative Swimmer’s Itch Prevention Video on what we learned from our 2017-2019 research and for more details about what you can do! And if you do experience Swimmer’s Itch, please click here to report a case. But there is so much we can do to have our best chance at preventing the itch. using shoreline lake water for small kids to swim more safely and itch free.īe aware that there is never a case, even using all these tactics, that Swimmer’s Itch risk can be reduced to zero. Use a kid friendly wading or “kiddy pool” vs.Use a parasite skimmer (watch the video link below for more info).Do not swim/wade in shallow water without using prevention measures.Do not swim when the wind is blowing onshore.Swim in the afternoon or early evening vs.Cover your skin with swimwear that covers the area you want to be itch free (SI rarely affects a person’s hands, feet, and face).Please note that these strategies should be used together to be most effective at preventing Swimmer’s Itch. If carefully employed, these methods will work to greatly reduce the total number of or even eliminate itch cases for an entire swim season. Listed below are suggested preventative strategies based on GLA Swimmer’s Itch research on the behavior and life cycle of Swimmer’s Itch.
Prevention is the key to itch free enjoyment of our waters. This certainly rings true for Swimmer’s Itch. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” so the saying goes.
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