What are the causes of roundworm infection? How is the infection transmitted?
Roundworm infections are most common in tropical countries. Roundworm
eggs are passed in the feces and harbored in the soil, where they may
remain for months and even years. They are transmitted to humans by hand-to-mouth
contact. This may be because of eating without having washed one's hands
that have been in contact with contaminated soil, or by eating raw food
that contained roundworm eggs, or eating contaminated food.
Roundworm
What are the symptoms of ascariasis?
A few worms in the intestine may cause no symptoms
or may give rise only to vague or intermittent abdominal pain. Heavy infection
may cause partial or complete blockage of the intestine resulting in severe
abdominal pain, vomiting, restlessness, and disturbed sleep. The heavier
or greater the worm infection, the more severe the symptoms are likely to
be. Occasionally, the first sign of infection may be the presence of a worm
in vomit or in the stool.
How is the condition diagnosed?
Roundworm infections are diagnosed by examining the stool for eggs. Most
people do not suffer any serious consequences from roundworm infections,
but in some instances the parasite may cause lung problems, intestinal
obstruction, or nutritional deficiency.
Can pets transmit these worms to humans?
Other species of ascarids such as Toxocara, which
infect dogs and cats, can, under certain circumstances, be picked up by
humans. In dogs and cats, these ascarids have a migratory cycle similar
to A. lumbricoides. In humans, however, they fail to reach the intestine.
Instead they remain active in other body tissue for some time. This state
of larval migration is known as visceral larva migrans.
Young puppies and kittens contribute most to contamination of soil by eggs
that must incubate for some time in the soil. Almost all dogs are infected
at birth. Older dogs, however, have usually become immune to the parasite.
How can roundworm infection be treated?
Doctors can treat ascariasis successfully with mebendazole,
albendazole, or pyrantel pamoate.
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