English

A chigoe flea, bloated with eggs

Noun

chigoe flea ‎(plural chigoe fleas)

1. A parasitic flea, Tunga penetrans.
   • 1999, Luisa Maffi, Domesticated Land, Warm and Cold: Linguistic and Historical Evidence on Tenejapa Tzeltal Maya Ethnoecology, Ted L. Gragson, Ben G. Blount (editors), Ethnoecology: Knowledge, Resources, and Rights, page 52,

     In one version of the legend, the move was owing to an intolerable infestation by chigoe fleas in the Pokolum area (cf. Hunn 1977, 307).

   • 2002, Patrick R. Murray, Medical Microbiology, page 778,

     In contrast to most fleas, which do not invade the human integument, the chigoe flea, Tunga penetrans, may cause considerable damage by actively invading the skin. The female chigoe flea burrows into the skin, often under the toenails or between the toes, where she sucks blood and lays her eggs.

   • 2009, Daniel Strickman, Stephen P Frances, Mustapha Debboun, Prevention of Bug Bites, Stings, and Disease, page 76,

     The conditions that lead to their abundance are even more mysterious than for sand flies, but chigoe fleas are clearly more numerous in some households than others.

Synonyms

• (Tunga penetrans): jigger

See also

• tungiasis