explain the symptoms of ASCARIASIS
Answers
Explanation:
Ascariasis is a disease caused by the parasitic roundworm Ascaris lumbricoides.[1] Infections have no symptoms in more than 85% of cases, especially if the number of worms is small.[1] Symptoms increase with the number of worms present and may include shortness of breath and fever in the beginning of the disease.[1] These may be followed by symptoms of abdominal swelling, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.[1] Children are most commonly affected, and in this age group the infection may also cause poor weight gain, malnutrition, and learning problems.
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Explanation:
Ascariasis is a disease caused by a parasite named Ascaris lumbricoides.
Ascaris lumbricoides is a large nematode (roundworm) that infects the human gastrointestinal tract; the adults are visible to the naked eye and can reach over 12 inches in length.
Parasites cause ascariasis as they proceed through their life cycle in humans.
Risk factors for ascariasis infection include living in and/or visiting tropical and subtropical areas along with poor hygiene and eating or drinking contaminated foods.
Signs and symptoms of ascariasis may include the following:
abdominal symptoms (discomfort, swelling, pain),
nausea,
vomiting,
fever,
coughing,
wheezing,
passage of parasites and their eggs in stools.
Health care providers diagnose ascariasis by detecting characteristic Ascaris lumbricoides eggs in feces with a microscope; other tests may also be done (X-rays, ultrasound, for example).
Treatment is oral medication for about one to three days in patients who do not have additional complications.
Primary care doctors may treat ascariasis. Patients who have complications may need specialists such as infectious-disease specialists, lung specialists, and/or surgery specialists.
There are many home remedies for ascariasis, but a patient should discuss their use with a doctor before attempting these remedies.
Most of the complications of ascariasis occur in the gastrointestinal tract with obstruction of the G.I. tract as a major complication; other organs may also be involved.
The prognosis for ascariasis is very good when health care providers diagnose and treated ascariasis appropriately. The prognosis worsens if complications develop; ascariasis may also increase fertility in women.
It's possible to prevent ascariasis by avoiding contaminated food and water sources and by good hygiene and eating only cooked hot food while traveling.
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What is ascariasis?
Ascariasis is one of the tropical diseases caused by the parasite Ascaris lumbricoides, a large nematode (roundworm) that infects humans in the gastrointestinal tract and requires human infection to complete its complex life cycle. Another species, Ascaris suum, which infects pigs may occasionally infect humans.
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What is Ascaris lumbricoides? What do Ascaris worms look like?
Ascaris lumbricoides, also known as roundworm, Ascaris worms, or giant roundworm, is a nematode parasite that can infect humans by residing in the gastrointestinal tract or in other areas of the body such as the lungs. The worms have a worldwide distribution but are most common in tropical and subtropical areas where humans have poor sanitation and where human feces is used as soil fertilizer. Many individuals infected show no symptoms, but abdominal discomfort and/or cough are two major symptoms of infection.
The roundworms are the largest nematode parasites that live in the human intestine. Figures 1 and 2 show how large and how numerous these intestinal parasites can be. Figure 3 shows the life cycle of the worms in the human -- from ingestion to penetration of the intestinal lining to migration and maturation in the lungs, migration to the throat and then to small intestine where they mature and produce eggs that are passed with stool, where they await ingestion by other humans.
Worm infections (helminthic or helminth infections) are a group of diseases caused by parasites transmitted through contaminated soil. These parasites include whipworms, hookworms, and roundworms (Ascaris and Strongyloides that cause strongyloidiasis). The diseases they cause are termed helminthiasis. This article is limited to Ascaris lumbricoides infections.
Figure 1: Ascariasis lumbricoides nematode worms (male on left, female on right); females can reach lengths of over 12 inches (26.4 cm).
Figure 1: Ascariasis lumbricoides nematode worms (male on left, female on right); females can reach lengths of over 12 inches (26.4 cm); SOURCE: CDC
Figure 2: Mass of Ascariasis lumbricoides worms passed rectally by a child in Africa.
Figure 2: Mass of Ascariasis lumbricoides worms passed rectally by a child in Africa; SOURCE: James Gathany/CDC
Figure 3: Life cycle of Ascaris lumbricoides.
Figure 3: Life cycle of Ascaris lumbricoides; SOURCE: CDC
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What causes ascariasis?
The cause of ascariasis is the invasion, spread, and eventual maturation of Ascaris lumbricoides in the human host. The symptoms described below are due to the parasite's ability to penetrate the intestinal tract and proceed from there to the lungs where they eventually mature further and penetrate the air sacs of the lungs, migrate to the throat, and are subsequently swallowed to allow maturation in the intestinal tract.