Ascariasis most common roundworm infection in human

Ascariasis is a type of roundworm infection. These worms are parasites that utilize your body as a host to mature from larvae or eggs to adult worms and reproduce. Adult worms can be more than a foot (30 centimeters) long. It is one of the most common human worm infections worldwide. Because most people have such mild cases of it, they have no symptoms. Serious symptoms and complications can occur when your body is infested with hundreds of worms.

It occurs mostly in young children and is most regnant in tropical and subtropical regions of the world — especially in areas where hygiene and sanitation are poor

Symptoms:

Most people infected with it have no symptoms. Heavy to moderate infestations depending on which part of your body is affected cause symptoms that may vary.

In the lungs

After you swallow the microscopic ascariasis eggs, they incubate in your small intestine and the larvae move through your lymphatic system or bloodstream into your lungs. You may experience symptoms and signs similar to pneumonia or asthma at this stage and which include:

• Persistent cough

• Shortness of breath

• Wheezing

After spending six to 10 days in the lungs, the larvae travel to your throat, and hence you cough them up and then swallow them.

In the intestines

The larvae mature into adult worms in your small intestine, and they typically live in the intestines until they die. In moderate or mild ascariasis, the intestinal infestation can cause:

• Vague abdominal pain

• Nausea and vomiting

• Diarrhea or bloody stools

If you have a heavy intestinal infestation you may experience a large number of worms:

• Severe abdominal pain

• Fatigue

• Vomiting

• Weight loss

• A worm in vomit or stool

Causes:

It isn't spread directly from person to person. Instead, a person has to come in connection with soil mixed with human feces that contain ascaris eggs. Because small children often play in dirt, if they put their dirty fingers in their mouths infection can occur. Unwashed vegetables or fruits grown in contaminated soil can also transmit the microscopic eggs that cause ascariasis.

Risk factors:

• Age. Most people who have it are 10 years old or younger. Children in this age group are more likely to play in dirt and hence are at a higher risk.

• Warm climate. The worms thrive in mild climates.

• Poor sanitation. It is widespread in developing countries where human feces are allowed to mix with local soil.

While symptomatic infections usually warrant treatment, infections with no symptoms don't need to be treated. In some cases, it will resolve on its own. This happens when there are no male worms to mate with females, and eventually the female die.

Medications

Anti-parasite medications are the first line of treatment against ascariasis. They are:

• Albendazole (Albenza)

• Ivermectin (Stromectol)

• Mebendazole

These medications work by killing the adult worms and each medication can be taken as a single dose. Side effects include diarrhea or mild abdominal pain.

Surgery

Surgery may be necessary in cases of heavy infestation, to repair damage the worms have caused and to remove worms. Intestinal perforation or obstruction, appendicitis, and bile duct obstruction are complications that may require surgery.