Ascaridiasis: what it is and what the symptoms are
Ascaridiasis is a widespread parasitic disease that frequently affects children and mainly affects poor and developing countries, where hygiene conditions are mostly poor or otherwise insufficient
The infection is caused by Ascaris lumbricoides, a round, pink-coloured worm whose eggs, ingested by humans or animals, hatch in the intestine where they grow to a length of between 15 and 40 cm (size varies between males and females).
The warm-humid climate is particularly favourable for the survival and development of the eggs released by the infected organism, but their resistance justifies their presence in temperate or Arctic climates.
How ascaridiosis is transmitted: the life cycle of the parasite
Ascaridiosis is a parasitic disease that falls under the umbrella of fecal-oral transmission infections and is therefore contracted by ingesting contaminated food or carrying dirty hands in one’s mouth.
Ascarid eggs released into the soil or water through faeces remain infectious, if environmental conditions are favourable, for years.
Female worms release hundreds of eggs into the soil every day.
The ingested eggs hatch in the intestine releasing larvae that are already able to travel up the wall of the organ until they reach first the liver and then the lungs.
It is precisely in the pulmonary capillaries that the larvae begin to grow and after about ten days, due to the cough they provoke in the individual, they ascend the trachea and pharynx.
While some are in fact ‘vomited’, others spill into the small intestine, which is the congenial place for their full development.
Feeding precisely on the intestinal contents (without, however, causing damage to the organ) they reach the maturity stage of their life cycle.
Of these parasites, the females will begin to produce their 200,000 eggs per day, which are expelled through defecation, once again starting their life cycle.
Signs and symptoms of ascaridiasis
The first symptoms that occur after infection are abdominal pain, to which are added the more common symptoms of intestinal disorders, i.e. diarrhoea and/or constipation.
When the contagion affects the lungs, in addition to coughing, there are manifestations of vomiting, and some symptoms of respiratory tract diseases such as allergy, asthma, bronchitis, Loeffler syndrome, etc.
In severe cases, the infection can cause intestinal occlusions and perforations of the intestinal walls.
Diagnosis of ascaridiasis and treatment
Ascaridiosis can be diagnosed through microscopic examination of faeces, which, in the case of infestation, contain a large quantity of the parasite’s eggs.
Therapy involves the use of anti-parasitic drugs, but, as for other diseases and fecal-oral transmission, the best weapon remains prevention, which is based first and foremost on the application of basic rules of hygiene: wash fruit and vegetables thoroughly, always wash your hands carefully (pay particular attention to children’s hygiene!), avoid contact with contaminated water and food.
Other prevention methods should obviously be applied upstream.
For example, it is quite usual in poor countries for soils to be fertilised with faeces; this practice should instead be avoided precisely to stem the spread of the parasite.
Read Also:
Emergency Live Even More…Live: Download The New Free App Of Your Newspaper For IOS And Android
Pulmonary Distomatosis: Symptoms, Diagnosis And Treatment Of Paragonimiasis
Dracunculiasis: Transmission, Diagnosis And Treatment Of ‘Guinea-Worm Disease’
Parasitoses And Zoonoses: Echinococcosis And Cystic Hydatidosis
Toxoplasmosis: What Are The Symptoms And How Transmission Occurs
Toxoplasmosis, The Protozoan Enemy Of Pregnancies
Managing Chickenpox In Children: What To Know And How To Act
Monkeypox Virus: Origin, Symptoms, Treatment And Prevention Of Monkey Pox
Leptospirosis: Transmission, Diagnosis And Treatment Of This Zoonosis
Pityriasis Alba: What It Is, How It Manifests Itself And What Is The Treatment
Hepatic Distomatosis: Transmission And Manifestation Of This Parasitosis