Parasites are micro-organisms living off of other organisms or hosts for survival. The parasites include protozoa and worms which cause parasitic diseases. Intestinal worms are usually found in the gastrointestinal tract of a person during the rainy season. Some parasites do not affect the host, but others grow, reproduce and release toxins, making the host sick and leading to parasitic infection. Malaria is a dangerous disease, the cause of which is a parasitic infection. A number of parasitic infections occur in the US, including Trichomoniasis, Giardiasis, Cryptosporidiosis, and Toxoplasmosis. Different worm infections are:

• Flatworms such as tapeworm and flukes- Flatworms eat and breathe through the skin and oxygen pass through their skin. Flatworms live on the skin, mouth, gills or other outside parts of the host also they live internally like the ones living in the human-infecting
• Flukes such as blood flukes. They are able to travel through the blood and lymph to the liver and lungs and get mature into an adult worm
• Roundworms such as Threadworms or Pinworms are very common intestinal parasites

Parasitic worms show some mild to severe symptoms in human-like:

• Grinding of teeth during sleep
• Ever had food poisoning
• Pain in muscles or joints
• Having skin irritation

Medications do kill roundworms or tapeworms present in the body, but not their eggs which survive for two weeks. These worms can be seen in stool or motions in the toilet as well. Trematode, Cestode, and Nematode are three types of parasitic infections in human in which nematode infection includes Ascariasis, trichuriasis, hookworm, enterobiasis, strongyloidiasis, filariasis and trichinosis. About 60 species of roundworms parasitize humans. According to 2005, World Health Organization 0.807-1.221 billion humans have Ascariasis. Let us know what exactly Ascariasis is.

Detailing Ascariasis

Ascariasis is an intestinal infection caused by one of the species of roundworm named Ascaris lumbricoides. Ascariasis is one of the most common infections caused by roundworms.

According to the reports of the World Health Organization, around one billion people are affected by Ascaris lumbricoides. The infection is common in places that lack modern sanitation. Ascariasis is transmitted through unsafe food and water. These worms mature from larvae or eggs to adult worms and reproduce by making use of our body as a host. Adult worms could be more than 30 centimeters long. Ascariasis is the most common human worm infection worldwide, but it is uncommon in the United States. Milder cases of the infection show no symptoms whereas when the body gets infected by hundreds of worm serious symptoms and complications emerge. Young children often get this infection and are most prevalent in the tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world. It can also occur in places where sanitation and hygiene are poor. Ascariasis also occurs in rural areas of the southeast in the United States.

Ascariasis Causes

Ascariasis does not spread from person to person. A person needs to come in direct contact with the soil mixed with human feces containing Ascaris eggs. In some developing countries, human feces could be in use as a fertilizer or some poor sanitation facilities allow human waste to get mixed with local soil in ditches and fields. Children playing in dirt can get the infection if they put dirty fingers in their mouths. It is also caused when unwashed fruits or vegetables grown in contaminated soil transmits the microscopic eggs.

Worm Life Cycle

• Ingestion-The microscopic Ascariasis eggs become infective while coming into contact with soil. People eating uncooked vegetables or fruits may ingest contaminated soil by chance.
• Migration-Larvae hatch from the eggs in the small intestine. It penetrates the intestinal walls to travel lungs via the bloodstream. It then takes about a week to mature in the lungs and breaks into the airway traveling to the throat where it is coughed and then swallowed.
• Maturation– In the intestinal parasites grow into a male or female worm. The female worm is 15 inches long and little less than 6 millimeters in diameter. Male worms are small.
• Reproduction-Both the worms meet in the small intestine. The female worm produces 200000 eggs in a day. After the expulsion of egg in feces, the fertilized egg has to be in the soil for 18 days to become infective.

The whole process takes about two to three months where Ascariasis worms can live inside us for a year.

Symptoms

Many infected people do not show any Ascariasis symptoms. But it produces different symptoms in various stages depending on the larvae in the body.

Symptoms in the lungs are:

• Coughing
• Roundworms in vomit
• Wheezing or shortness of breath

After spending a week in lungs larvae travel to the throat where we cough and swallow it.

 Other Ascariasis Symptoms

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Irregular stools
• Abdominal pain
• Weight loss

Fatigue and fever are some other symptoms experienced by people with a large infestation. Proper treatment is necessary if you face all or a few symptoms. Ascariasis causes other complications like bowel obstruction and pancreatitis. Worms may cause blockage of the appendix, biliary tract, inflammation and other damage in several areas of the body causing restlessness and sleep problem.

How is Ascariasis diagnosed?

In heavy infestation, worm could be found out while a cough and vomit and it comes through another opening like the mouth or nostrils. A stool test would be done to find worms in the stool after two months of its ingestion. If you are infected with male worms there would not be any egg.
Then a blood test can also be done to find the presence of an increased number of white blood cells called eosinophils.

Also Read: Arthritis- Types, Symptoms and Treatment

Some imaging tests include:

• X- rays- If one is infected by so many worms then they would be visible in abdomen X-ray. A chest x-ray can also be done to reveal larvae in the lungs.
• Ultrasound- An ultrasound is done to find worms in the liver or pancreas.
• CT scans or MRI- Both the tests are made to show the images of internal body structures. CT scan is used to combine the x-ray images, whereas magnetic resonance imaging uses radio waves and a strong magnetic field.

Abdominal x-rays can also be used to detect the disease. The imaging is done with:

• Find out how many worms grew to maturity
• Where major worm groups are located
• Location of worms, whether they are in internal organs

The heavy infection can also be determined by placing a still camera inside our body known as endoscopy.

How to treat Ascariasis?

Infections having no symptoms do not need treatment. In some cases, Ascariasis gets fine on its own when there are no male worms to mate with the female. There are several Ascariasis treatment options. Roundworms are usually treated with anti-parasitic medicines.

• Albendazole
• Mebendazole
• Ivermectin

These medications prove effective in killing adult worms. Try to take them in a single dose else it may react resulting in severe abdominal pain and diarrhea. When there is heavy infestation a surgery would be needed to treat the disease. Surgery will repair the damage caused by worms and removes them permanently. Other complications which require surgery are:

• Intestinal obstruction
• Bile duct obstruction
• Appendicitis

How to prevent Ascariasis?

• Always try to maintain good hygiene to avoid infection.
• Do not come in contact with soil contaminated with human feces.
• Wash hands properly with soap or Dettol before eating or handling food.
• Always wash fruits and vegetables before eating because they may have been grown in soil fertilized with manure.
• Take extra care of young children and avoid their playing in dirt which could transmit infection in them.

Ascariasis is the most common roundworm infection worldwide with the highest infection rates in developing and warm climate countries. Always follow the preventive measure and try to use only bottled water while traveling.

Final words

Ascariasis is the most common roundworm infection caused by Ascaris. When the infected man pee or defecates outside in bushes the eggs gets deposited in the soil and after maturing they become infective. Infected eggs could be really harmful to the body so try to wash dirty hands before handling food and always wash fruits and vegetables before eating. Maintain good hygiene and stay healthy forever. Ascariasis treatment medications are available on a doctor’s prescription. So, fix an appointment with your doctor to get the best treatment.

In order to create more awareness on roundworm infections, please share this blog on your social accounts. Also, post comments in case you have any health queries.

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