Ascariasis is a parasite-induced disease that affects people who have ascarids in their organisms( helminth parasites from the nematode group).
Disease is common throughout the globe, excluding deserts and permafrost areas. The source of contamination is the land contaminated with the products of the vital activity of the human body.
Female ascarids in a living organism lay aside more than 230,000 eggs a day, which, together with the feces, fall into the ground. In order for the larva to develop in the ground, a suitable temperature and humidity of air is needed. Thus, at 25-30 ° C the egg ripens in 17 days. And at 13-20 ° C this process will take four to six weeks.
At a lower temperature, the development of the larva stops, but it does not die. And, if favorable conditions arise in the future, it can still infect a person with ascariasis.
How can I get infected?
How can you get ascaridosis, and what is it? The causative agent of ascaridosis is ascaris ascaris lumbricoides, a large, long yellow-white worm belonging to the family of roundworms. A typical parasite lives only at the expense of its owner, lives only in humans, the animals do not get sick with ascariasis. In the human body, ascarids live in pairs, their number is always even, females reach 20 cm or more, males reach 10-12 cm.
Causes of ascariasis are infection by parasites through unwashed hands, poorly washed vegetables( especially greens), by transferring ascarid eggsinsects. Directly transfer adult worms from one person to another is impossible.
The disease occurs due to the ingress of mature eggs into the body of parasites, and this happens only after they fall into the soil. Further by the oral route, the eggs enter the small intestine, where the larvae hatch, which are then carried with the bloodstream throughout the body.
What happens after infection?
A person, swallowing mature eggs, becomes infected with ascariasis. After 2 weeks after infection begins their migration in the body. Getting into the human body, they pass in the development of several stages, and find themselves in the intestines, where their transformation into larvae occurs.
Then they enter the blood through the walls of the intestine, and migrate with the bloodstream. The basis for feeding the larvae at this time is red blood cells and blood plasma. Then they fall into other organs - the heart, liver and others, where ascariasis in humans forms infiltrates with a large number of eosinophils.
The larvae enter the lungs, bronchi and pharynx, where they travel with phlegm and from there return to the small intestine, where from the larvae, adult individuals are formed, releasing toxins and a huge number of eggs that stand out with feces. This is the stage in which obvious symptoms of the disease appear. Eggs enter the soil, infecting everything around, and the person again receives them through food that has not been thermally treated.
Symptoms of ascariasis in adults
Once in the human body, ascarids cause a number of characteristic symptoms. Early signs of ascariasis in adults begin to be observed only at the stage of migration of larvae:
- subfebrile body temperature;
- malaise;
- dry cough, sometimes with a mild amount of mucous or purulent sputum;
- allergic dermatosis;
- urticaria on hands and feet.
Being in the small intestine, helminths cause such symptoms of ascaridosis as a difficulty in the progress of food, a violation of absorption of nutrients. The patient has pain in the abdomen, he is disturbed by diarrhea or constipation, nausea appears, appetite decreases or disappears, general weakness develops, susceptibility to colds may increase, body weight may decrease. Toxins released by parasites can cause allergic skin rashes.
In a number of cases, ascarids cause blockage of the lumen of the intestine or ducts through which bile is secreted, causing intestinal obstruction, colic, appendicitis, inflammation of the gallbladder and ducts.
Depending on the general state of health, the listed symptoms can be expressed or more intensely, resembling an organism's intoxication, or to appear weakly, practically absent.
Diagnostics
In the chronic phase, the main method of diagnosing ascariasis is the study of feces for helminth eggs. However, in this way it is possible to detect invasion only 3 months after infection. Given the probability of parasitizing only males, as well as immature females or old individuals, eggs of helminths in feces may be absent: in this case, diagnostic dehelminthization is performed.
When radiographing the small intestine against a background of contrast mass, you can see ascaris in the form of light bands or tangles located in the lumen of the intestine.
Treatment of ascaridosis
After taking into account the results of all tests, and taking into account the existing symptoms of ascaridosis, the doctor prescribes appropriate treatment. The process of expulsion from the body of worms of this species includes the regular use of modern antihistamines. Treatment of ascariasis is accompanied by the intake of iron-containing drugs and multivitamins. It is also recommended to adhere to a diet containing an increased amount of protein foods.
Than to treat ascardiosis? At early stages in the treatment of ascariasis, adult patients are prescribed desensitizing therapy, minesol( 50 mg per day for every 100 to body weight in 2-3 doses) or mebendazole( 100 mg per day for 3-4 doses).Treatment of ascaridosis in children and adults is performed with the help of anthelmintics: decaris( after dinner), kombantin trinas( at meal time), vermox( in cases of polyinfusion).Continuous improvement of these drugs and increasing their effectiveness have led to the fact that today anthelmintics are able to cope with the treatment of ascaridosis in 85-100% of cases.
It is also recommended to adhere to the diet according to the treatment table number 5, with ascaridosis. The diet should reduce the presence of alcohol and fat, as well as increase the amount of food with a rich protein content. The rules of hygiene for patients with ascariasis must be observed strictly, raw water is not strongly recommended for drinking, and all food must be thoroughly washed before use.
Forecast
In uncomplicated cases, the prognosis is favorable, treatment is effective for 2 weeks, without treatment and self-infection, worms are excreted in a maximum of one year.
However, it is forbidden to use antihelminthic drugs for prophylaxis alone. Preparations are toxic, dosages for children are selected individually by weight, in the process can develop negative reactions from the liver and nervous system.
Prevention
The main measure for the prevention of infection with ascarids is compliance with certain rules :
- thoroughly wash products that could have contact with the ground( vegetables, fruits or greens);
- after contact or work on the ground, wash hands twice with soap and water;
- not to let the child pull the earth in his mouth and teach him to wash his hands after playing outside;
- place children's sandboxes in the sun and regularly loosen sand;
- not allow children to play street shoes;
- weekly wet cleaning house.
Despite the sufficient sanitary and hygienic living standards of the population, therapeutic and diagnostic capabilities, the incidence of ascariasis is high. So today to date, about 1 billion cases of ascaridosis worldwide are registered.