For the most part, the chigoe flea lives 2–5 cm below the sand, an observation which helps explains its overall distribution. The temperature is generally too hot for the larvae to develop on the surface of the sand and the deeper sand does not have enough oxygen. This preferred ecological niche offers a way to decrease transmission among humans by investing in concrete grounds as opposed to the sand that is usually used in shacks and some favelas. Indeed, Nany et al. (2007) report that "In shacks with concreted ground being cleaned every day with water, Tunga penetrans larvae were hardly found." In a longitudinal study conducted from March 2001 to January 2002, incidence of<unk>  was found to vary significantly with the local seasons of an endemic community in Brazil. In particular, the study found that "occurrence of<unk>  varies throughout the year and seems to follow local precipitation patterns. Maximum and minimum prevalence rates differed by more than a factor of three." The authors suggest that the correlation is due to the high humidity in the soil impairing larval development during the rainy season, as well as the more obvious reason that rain may simply wash away all stages of T. penetrans due its small size of 1mm. Acting as both biological vectors and definitive hosts, humans have spread Tunga penetrans from its isolated existence in the West Indies to all of Latin America and most of Africa via sea travel. Since the chigoe flea technically has no reservoir species and the female will cause<unk>  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<unk>  often causes secondary infections.
Tungiasis
Naegleriasis
Trichiasis
Scarabiasis
Trichinosis
Necatoriasis
Dracunculiasis
Trichuriasis