Ascariasis
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Ascariasis is a disease. It is caused by a roundworm named Ascaris lumbricoides.[1][2] The disease is caused by the worm living inside of the body. In many cases, the disease has no symptoms.[2] More symptoms can happen when there are more worms. Some of the first symptoms are shortness of breath and fever. Later symptoms can be pain and swelling in the abdomen and diarrhea.[1] Most cases are in children. In children, the disease can also cause less weight gain and weakness.[1][3]
A person is infected when they eat something that has Ascaris eggs in it.[4] This can happen when food or drink has been around feces that has Ascaris or Ascaris eggs in it. The eggs hatch in the intestines, and the larvae enter the blood. They then go to the lungs and up the trachea, where they can be coughed up and swallowed.[4] When they enter the intestine again after being swallowed, they grow into adult worms.[4]
The disease happens less in places with better sanitation.[1] Some things that have helped with this is having more toilets for people and disposing of feces correctly.[5] A person can have ascariasis many times.[4][6] There is no vaccine for it, but there are medications for it.[4] These medications include albendazole, mebendazole, and pyrantel.[4] Ascariasis is a type of helminthiasis, meaning it is a disease where worms are in the body.
Around 1 billion people have ascariasis. Most people with ascariasis are in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and Asia.[7][8] Ascariasis is the most common soil-transmitted helminthiasis. As of 2015, it causes around 2,700 deaths every year.[9]
References
[change | change source]- 1 2 3 4 Dold C, Holland CV (July 2011). "Ascaris and ascariasis". Microbes and Infection. 13 (7): 632–7. doi:10.1016/j.micinf.2010.09.012. hdl:2262/53278. PMID 20934531.
- 1 2 Anorue, Chioma Ogochukwu; Anyanwu, Ihuoma N.; Chiamah, Ogochukwu C. (2023). "A cross sectional study on the prevalence of ascariasis among school children; a case study of ikwo, ebonyi state nigeria". Medical and Pharmaceutical Journal: 75–82. doi:10.55940/medphar202338.
- ↑ "Soil-transmitted helminth infections". World Health Organization. Retrieved 2026-06-23.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Hagel I, Giusti T (October 2010). "Ascaris lumbricoides: an overview of therapeutic targets". Infectious Disorders Drug Targets. 10 (5): 349–67. doi:10.2174/187152610793180876. PMID 20701574.
- ↑ Ziegelbauer K, Speich B, Mäusezahl D, Bos R, Keiser J, Utzinger J (January 2012). "Effect of sanitation on soil-transmitted helminth infection: systematic review and meta-analysis". PLOS Medicine. 9 (1) e1001162. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1001162. PMC 3265535. PMID 22291577.
- ↑ Jia TW, Melville S, Utzinger J, King CH, Zhou XN (2012). "Soil-transmitted helminth reinfection after drug treatment: a systematic review and meta-analysis". PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. 6 (5) e1621. doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0001621. PMC 3348161. PMID 22590656.
- ↑ Fenwick A (March 2012). "The global burden of neglected tropical diseases". Public Health. 126 (3): 233–236. doi:10.1016/j.puhe.2011.11.015. PMID 22325616.
- ↑ Keiser J, Utzinger J (2010). "The drugs we have and the drugs we need against major helminth infections". Advances in Parasitology. 73: 197–230. doi:10.1016/s0065-308x(10)73008-6. ISBN 978-0-12-381514-9. PMID 20627144.
- ↑ Lozano R, Naghavi M, Foreman K, Lim S, Shibuya K, Aboyans V, et al. (December 2012). "Global and regional mortality from 235 causes of death for 20 age groups in 1990 and 2010: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010". Lancet. 380 (9859): 2095–128. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(12)61728-0. hdl:10536/DRO/DU:30050819. PMC 10790329. PMID 23245604. S2CID 1541253.