All you need to know about Ascariasis.
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What is Ascariasis?
Ascariasis is an infection of the roundworm type. These worms are parasites that grow from larvae or eggs to adult worms using the body as a host. Adult worms that reproduce can be 30 centimetres (more than a foot) long.
Ascariasis is one of the most prevalent worm diseases in individuals worldwide and is rare in the United States. There are minor cases of no signs in most affected individuals. But extreme infestation can lead to significant complications and symptoms.
Ascariasis, particularly in areas with inadequate sanitation and hygiene, occurs most commonly in children in tropical and subtropical regions of the world.
What causes Ascariasis?
Ascariasis is not transmitted specifically from individual to individual. Instead, a person must come into contact with soil that is mixed with human or pig faeces containing eggs or tainted water for ascariasis. Human faeces are used for manure in some developed countries, or bad sanitary facilities cause human waste to combine with soil in yards, ditches and fields. People may also get it by consuming uncooked pigs or tainted chicken liver.
Small children sometimes play in the mud, and if they insert their filthy fingers in their mouths, the infection will occur. Ascariasis eggs may also be spread through unwashed fruits or vegetables grown in polluted soil.
The life cycle of a worm
- Ingestion. The tiny (microscopic) ascariasis eggs can’t become infective without coming into contact with soil. People can accidentally ingest (swallow) contaminated soil through hand-to-mouth contact or by eating uncooked fruits or vegetables that have been grown in contaminated soil.
- Migration. Larvae hatch from the eggs in your small intestine and then go through the intestinal wall to travel to the heart and lungs via the bloodstream or lymphatic system. After maturing for about 10 to 14 days in your lungs, the larvae break into your airway and travel up the throat, where they’re coughed up and swallowed.
- Maturation. Once they’re back in the intestines, the parasites grow into male or female worms. Female worms can be more than 15 inches (40 centimetres) long and a little less than a quarter-inch (6 millimetres) in diameter. Male worms are generally smaller.
- Reproduction. Female worms can produce 200,000 eggs a day if there are both female and male worms in the intestines, and the eggs leave your body in faeces. The fertilized eggs must be in the soil for at least two to four weeks before they become infective.
The whole process — from egg ingestion to egg deposits — takes about two or three months. Ascariasis worms can live inside your body for a year or two.
What are the symptoms of Ascariasis?
Many ascariasis-infected individuals show no signs or symptoms. Depending on which part of the body is infected, mild to severe infestations cause varying signs or symptoms.
In the lungs
They hatch in the small intestine after you ingest the tiny (microscopic) ascariasis eggs and the larvae pass through the lungs into the bloodstream or lymphatic system. You may experience signs and symptoms similar to asthma or pneumonia at this stage, including:
- Persistent cough
- Shortness of breath
- Wheezing
- The larvae fly to the throat after spending 10 to 14 days in the lungs, where you cough them up and then swallow them.
In the intestines
In the small intestine, the larvae mature into adult worms and the adult worms usually remain in the intestines until they die. In mild to moderate ascariasis, the infestation of the intestines can lead to:
- Vague pain in the belly
- Dizziness and vomiting
- Diarrhoea or stools that are bloody
If you have a sufficient number of intestinal worms, you might have:
- Extreme pain in the belly
- Tiredness
- Vomiting Over
- Loss of weight or malnutrition
- Between the vomit or stool, a worm
What are the risk factors of Ascariasis?
The roundworm is present across the world, but is found more commonly in tropical and subtropical areas, including Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa. In places where sanitation is bad, it’s often more popular.
Environmental risk factors for ascariasis include:
- lack of modern hygiene and sanitation infrastructure
- use of human faeces for fertilizer
- living in or visiting a tropical or subtropical climate
- exposure to an environment where dirt might be ingested
By preventing unhealthy food and water, you will limit your exposure to roundworms. It’s also helpful to keep the immediate surroundings safe. This entails laundering clothes that are exposed to unsanitary conditions and proper maintenance of cooking surfaces.
You should make sure to take precautions if you’re visiting a remote area. It’s important to:
- Always wash your hands with soap and water before eating or preparing food.
- Boil or filter your water.
- Inspect food preparation facilities.
- Avoid unclean common areas for bathing.
- Peel or cook unwashed vegetables and fruit in regions that lack sanitation infrastructure or that use human faeces for fertilizer.
Children who are 3 to 8 years old are most likely to be infected because of their contact with soil while playing.
What are the complications of Ascariasis?
Typically, mild forms of ascariasis do not cause complications. Potentially risky risks can include whether you have a severe infestation:
Slowed growth. Appetite deficiency and poor digested food absorption put children with ascariasis at risk of not having proper nutrients, which can delay development.
Blockage of the intestine and perforation. A mass of worms will obstruct a portion of your intestine during extreme infestation with Ascaris. This can cause abdominal cramping and vomiting to be extreme. The blockage may also give birth to avoid in the intestinal wall or appendix, resulting in internal bleeding or appendicitis.
Blockages in ducts. Worms will block the narrow ducts of your liver or pancreas in certain circumstances, causing intense pain.
How is Ascariasis diagnosed?
Your doctor may review your symptoms and order tests in order to diagnose ascariasis.
It’s possible to find worms in heavy infestations after you cough or vomit. The worms, like your mouth or nostrils, can come out of other body openings. Take the worm to your doctor if this happens to you so that he or she can identify it and prescribe the correct treatment.
Tests on stools
In your gut, mature female ascariasis worms begin laying eggs. Such eggs travel through your digestive system and can be found in your stool eventually.
Your doctor will check your stool for small (microscopic) eggs and larvae to diagnose ascariasis. But eggs will not appear in the stool until you are infected for at least 40 days. And you’re not going to have eggs if you’re infected with only male worms.
Tests for blood
The presence of an increased number of a certain type of white blood cell called eosinophils can be tested in your blood. Ascariasis can elevate your eosinophils, but other types of health issues can also be elevated.
Imaging tests
X-rays.
The mass of worms may be visible in the X-ray of the abdomen if you are infested with worms. A chest X-ray may show the larvae in the lungs in some cases.
Ultrasound.
In the pancreas or liver, an ultrasound can show worms. In order to create representations of internal organs, this technology incorporates sound waves.
CT scans or MRIs.
Detailed photographs of the internal structures are created from these forms of testing and will help the doctor spot worms that are blocking ducts in the liver or pancreas. X-ray images obtained from several angles are merged by CT scans. Radio waves and a solid magnetic field are used for MRI.
What is the treatment for Asbestosis?
It is usually necessary to treat only illnesses that cause symptoms. Ascariasis can resolve on its own in certain situations.
Medicines
The first line of treatment against ascariasis is anti-parasite medicine. The most prevalent examples are:
- Albendazole
- About Ivermectin
- Mebendazole
Taken for one to three days, these drugs consume adult worms. The side effects include moderate discomfort or diarrhoea in the belly.
Pyrantel pamoate can be used for pregnant women.
Surgery
Surgery may be required in cases of serious infestation to extract worms and restore the damage they have caused. Complications that may require surgery are intestinal blockage or cracks, bile duct blockage, and appendicitis.
How to prevent Asbestosis?
Strong grooming and common sense are the main defences against ascariasis. To prevent infection, follow these tips:
Practice grooming well. Please wash your hands with soap and water prior to touching food. Carefully wash the fresh fruits and vegetables.
Use caution while travelling. Using only filtered water, and unless you can peel and wash them, skip fresh vegetables.
References:
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https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/ascariasis/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20369597
https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/212510-treatment#showall
https://www.healthline.com/health/pinworms#treatment
