Ascariasis -Definition, Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

Ascariasis - Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

Definition

Ascariasis is an intestinal infection of the small intestine caused by the parasitic Ascaris lumbricoides, a large roundworm. While it is the most general human disease caused by worms in the world,Possibly as many as one quarter of the world's people are contaminated, and ascariasis is particularly most generally existing in tropical areas and in regions of low hygiene .

Infection take place through ingestion of uncooked food contaminated with fecal matter having Ascaris eggs .Ascariasis use the body as a host to stay alive and reproduce, growing from eggs to adult worms inside the body.The eggs of the worm are develop in contaminated soil by human faeces or food which is not properly cook contaminated by soil retaining eggs of the worm.The larva reach the lungs , and finally move up the respiratory tract . From there they are then reswallowed and grow in the intestine up to 15 inches in length for adult males & 20 to 30 inches for adult females.The worms can mature to be as thick as a pencil and can live for 1 - 2 years.

Causes

Ascariasis is the most widely known intestinal worm infection. It is found in connection with low personal maintenance of health , poor sanitation, and in areas where human feces are used as fertilizer .Ingestion of food or drink contaminated with roundworm eggs causes infection.

It takes two months to get ascariasis.Eggs need 10 -14 days in soil at warm temperatures to become capable of infecting a new host, and can live in the soil for up to 6 years .A female worms can produce more than 200,000 eggs in a day.

There are some of the feasible causes which occurs with Ascariasis are given below:

Difficulty in breathing Bowel blockage Interruption in the excretion of bile Inflammation of the pancreas Nausea and vomiting Pain in the abdominal areas. Short stature Pulmonary eosinophilia

Symptoms

There may be possibility that people who have ascariasis do not develop symptoms,But transfer of larvae via the lungs can lead to fever, coughing, and wheezing.There may be some abdominal cramps , a blockage of the intestine, most commonly in children due to a large number of worms in the intestine . Some symptoms may be seen with mild infection are: worms in stool,coughing up worms , appetite loss,fever ,wheezing .

Some of the symptoms of Ascariasis occurs when worm larvae in the bowels attach to bowel walls & then larvae move into the lungs that cause fever & wheezing .when worms enter the small intestine and mature into worms and remain there to feed ,it causes abdominal pain, abdominal discomfort & malabsorption .Partial or complete intestinal blockage can cause restlessness & disturbed sleep .

Mature worms sometimes block the appendix, biliary tract, or pancreatic duct, producing severe abdominal pain.

Treatments

Some recent scientific research exist in the medical literature describing that sun dried papaya & watermelon seeds may ebb infections by a large factor.

There are some pharmaceutical treatments given below:

Mebendazole: recommended oral dosage is 100 mg in 12 hourly for 3 days regularly.

Piperazine : recommended dosage is 75 mg/kg as a single oral dose.

Pyrantel pamoate:recommended dosage is 11 mg/kg not to increase more then 1 g as a single dose.

Albendazole:recommended dosage is 400 mg given as single oral dose

For the treatment against ascariasis Anti-parasite (antihelminthic) medications are efficacious.

Vermox,Albenza,Antiminth, Pin-Rid are describe as the effective treatment against ascariasis

These medications act by killing the mature worms as well as the larvae and eggs to prevent re infection.

Some tips are describe such as it will be better to keep away from contact with soil that may be contaminated with human faeces,wash hands with soap and water before handling food,wash, peel or cook all raw vegetables and fruits,protect food from soil and wash or reheat any food that falls on the floor.