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Chapters

0:00 Introduction
0:47 What WHO has to say about Ascariasis
1:32 Causes of Ascariasis
2:31 Signs and Symptoms of Ascariasis
3:00 Diagnosis of Ascariasis
3:40 Treatment of Ascariasis



Ascariasis is a disease caused by the parasitic roundworm Ascaris lumbricoides.[1] Infections have no symptoms in more than 85% of cases, especially if the number of worms is small.[1] Symptoms increase with the number of worms present and may include shortness of breath and fever in the beginning of the disease.[1] These may be followed by symptoms of abdominal swelling, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.[1] Children are most commonly affected, and in this age group the infection may also cause poor weight gain, malnutrition, and learning problems.[1][2][5]

Infection occurs by eating food or drink contaminated with Ascaris eggs from feces.[2] The eggs hatch in the intestines, the larvae burrow through the gut wall, and migrate to the lungs via the blood.[2] There they break into the alveoli and pass up the trachea, where they are coughed up and may be swallowed.[2] The larvae then pass through the stomach for a second time into the intestine, where they become adult worms.[2] It is a type of soiltransmitted helminthiasis and part of a group of diseases called helminthiases.[6]

Prevention is by improved sanitation, which includes improving access to toilets and proper disposal of feces.[1][7] Handwashing with soap appears protective.[8] In areas where more than 20% of the population is affected, treating everyone at regular intervals is recommended.[1] Reoccurring infections are common.[2][9] There is no vaccine.[2] Treatments recommended by the World Health Organization are the medications albendazole, mebendazole, levamisole, or pyrantel pamoate.[2] Other effective agents include tribendimidine and nitazoxanide.[2]

About 0.8 to 1.2 billion people globally have ascariasis, with the most heavily affected populations being in subSaharan Africa, Latin America, and Asia.[1][10][11] This makes ascariasis the most common form of soiltransmitted helminthiasis.[10] As of 2010 it caused about 2,700 deaths a year, down from 3,400 in 1990.[12] Another type of Ascaris infects pigs.[1] Ascariasis is classified as a neglected tropical disease.[6]