Jigger
Distinctio
The colloquial name jigger may be confused with chigger, a parasitical mite. However, the jigger is a type of flear(Order Siphonaptera). The chigger is a minute arachmid Mites penetrate the skin and feed on skin cells that are broken down through an enzyme they secrete from their mouth, but they will then leave the host. The adult and the larval forms both feed on other animals. This is not the case with T. penetrans, as only the adults feed on mammals, and the mature female remains in the host for the rest of her life.
