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Human roundworm, which causes ascariasis, is one of the gastrointestinal parasites. People who do not observe hygiene are exposed to its invasion, especially those who do not wash their hands, and not only after leaving the toilet. How does human roundworm infection occur? What are the symptoms then? How is this parasitic disease treated? How to avoid human roundworm infection?

Human roundworm( Ascaris lumbricoides ) belongs to the group of intestinal parasitic nematodes. Adult specimens can be as long as 15-52 cm. Ascaris human feeds on the epithelium of the damaged intestinal wall and the substances contained in the intestinal contents. In the human small intestine, roundworm can survive for about 1 year.

Ascaris human is a parasite that lives in the human small intestine, which causes the disease calledascariasis(or ascariasis) - a parasitic disease that in Poland - in terms of its frequency - occupies third place after pinworm and whipworm. Its prevalence is estimated from 1% to 18 %¹.

Human roundworm - how is it infected?

The infection occurs through the ingestion - most often as a result of non-compliance with the rules of personal hygiene, usually the lack of the habit of washing hands (e.g. after leaving the toilet).

The source of infection can also be unwashed fruit or vegetables with eggs on it, or drinking water while swimming in a pond or lake.

The risk of eating eggs containing human roundworm larvae is especially exposed to children who do not yet have developed hygiene habits and who put dirty items from the ground into their mouths.

Eggs can also be brought home on shoes, toys, trolley wheels. In this case, they may remain on floors and carpets .²

The fertilized eggs are oval in shape, yellowish brown in color and covered with a characteristic, folded shell.

Ascaris human - life cycle

A female human roundworm produces about 200,000 eggs per day, which are shed in the faeces of an infected person.

In favorable conditions of the external environment, i.e. at a temperature of about 20-25 degrees, medium humidity and oxygen supply, an invasive larva will develop in the egg within a few weeks.

EggsHuman roundworms are very sensitive to desiccation, but under optimal conditions, the larvae may remain viable for up to several years.

A person becomes infected with ascariasis by eating an egg containing an invasive form of larvae.

The larva penetrates the wall of the small intestine into the venous vessels, through which, with the flow of blood, it goes to the liver, then to the heart, and then to the lungs.

In the lungs, the larvae of the human roundworm pass from the capillaries to the alveoli and then towards the trachea and pharynx.

The invasive larva that traveled from the alveoli to the pharynx, along with the expectorated and swallowed secretions, enters the gastrointestinal tract.

It reaches adulthood and sexual maturity in the small intestine. The migration period of human roundworm larvae lasts about 2 weeks.

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Child infected with intestinal parasites - what to do?

Ascaris human - symptoms of ascariasis

Infection with human roundworm is asymptomatic in many cases, but if it is intensely infested with parasites, ascariasis may cause symptoms such as: ¹

Ascaris lives in the small intestine for about 1 year. A female roundworm can shed 200,000 eggs a day. During the course of the disease, the body may contain from single to hundreds of parasites.

Allergic symptoms:

  • hives
  • itchy skin
  • swelling of the face and hands
  • conjunctivitis
  • tearing
  • dry cough

On the part of the nervous system, symptoms such as:

can occur in ascariasis
  • insomnia and / or restless sleep
  • nervous excitability
  • sometimes epilepsy-like symptoms

It has also been found that children affected by ascariasis develop significantly less physically and mentally.

Human reaction to the presence of human roundworm depends on individual sensitivity. Sometimes just one roundworm causes unpleasant and even serious symptoms in the form of persistent urticaria, nervous and intestinal disorders. In the course of ascariasis, disease symptoms may be caused by migrating larvae and adult nematodes residing in the intestine .¹

Worth knowing

Organ ascariasis - symptoms

Organ ascariasis may be a dangerous complication of intestinal ascariasis, which is the result of the unusual location of the parasite under the influence of certain foods, drugs and microbial toxins, including high temperature.

Adult roundworms then leave their habitat, which is the small intestine, pierce its walls and travel to the bile ducts,etc., causing local inflammation. Migrating larvae can also cause local inflammation, as well as liver enlargement, sometimes pneumonia.

Human roundworm - how to recognize?

The diagnosis of ascariasis is established on the basis of the presence of parasite eggs in smears of fresh feces, as well as by serological tests examining the presence of specific antibodies against human roundworm antigens, as well as an increased amount of eosinophils (eosinophils, they are a type of leukocytes) in peripheral blood. In some cases, the presence of adult nematodes can be found in stool or vomit.

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Ascaris human - treatment

Antiparasitic drugs are usually used in therapy, administered orally in a single dose.

It is worth noting that the treatment should be repeated after 2-3 weeks due to the risk of reinfection of the intestine by ascaris larvae residing in the blood vessels or the respiratory system.

How long does it take to heal ascariasis?Cure is achieved when the symptoms of infection cease and the parasite is released from the body (the presence of the parasite in the stool or the absence of eggs in the stool). As a result, the duration of treatment may differ from person to person.

Supporters of alternative medicine argue to try some home remedies for human roundworm, e.g. eating fresh leeks, garlic or pumpkin seeds.

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Ascaris human - how to avoid infection?

Prevention plays an essential role in fighting ascariasis. Personal hygiene protects against egg infection. The most important habits are:

1. Washing hands, especially before eating

2. Avoiding contamination of rooms, everyday objects, toys and other things with soil brought from outside, e.g. on shoes.

3. Thorough washing of fruits and vegetables that are to be eaten raw under running water.

4. Avoiding drinking unboiled water.

5. Keeping the child from playing in the dirty sandbox.

6. Human excrement should not be used to fertilize the soil.

Bibliography:

1. Hadaś E., Derda M., Parasożyty - the threat is still valid, "Problems of Hygiene and Epidemiology" 2014, no.95 (1)

2. District Sanitary and Epidemiological Station in Katowice,

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Parasitic diseases