Ascariasis: Common diseases in humans

Sergio Nichols^*
*Correspondence: Sergio Nichols, Department of Nematology Studies, Oregon Coast Community College, Newport, Oregon, USA, Email:

Received: 24-Jan-2022, Manuscript No. IJNEOAJ-22-57937; Editor assigned: 26-Jan-2022, Pre QC No. IJNEOAJ-22-57937; Reviewed: 09-Feb-2022, QC No. IJNEOAJ-22-57937; Revised: 24-Mar-2022, Manuscript No. IJNEOAJ-22-57937; Published: 31-Mar-2022

Commentary

Ascariasis is caused by an intestinal parasite called Ascaris, often known as roundworms, which causes the disease. Ascariasis is a parasitic infection caused by roundworms. These parasitic worms mature from larvae or eggs to adult worms by using your body as a host. Adult worms can grow to be more than a foot (30 centimetres) long when they reproduce. Ascariasis is one of the most prevalent worm infections in humans around the world, yet it is relatively uncommon in the United States. The majority of persons who are infected have minor illnesses with no symptoms. Heavy infestation, on the other hand, might cause serious symptoms and problems.

The roundworm is a pale white, long, thin tube-like worm that resides in people's intestines. The roundworm can be found in the faeces of a person who has been infected with it as eggs. In humans, flies are thought to be the vector for roundworms. Roundworms are usually asymptomatic, but depending on the amount of roundworms present, symptoms may occur. Ascariasis is not transmitted from one person to another. Instead, a person must come into contact with soil contaminated with ascariasis eggs from human or pig excrement, or infected water. Human faeces are utilized as fertilizer in some impoverished nations, or poor sanitation allows human waste to mix with soil in yards, ditches, and fields. It can also be contracted by consuming infected raw pig or chicken liver. The signs and symptoms of the majority of ascariasis patients show no signs or symptoms. Depending on where portion of your body is infested, moderate to heavy infestations produce a variety of signs and symptoms.

After swallowing the tiny (microscopic) ascariasis eggs, the larvae hatch in the small intestine and travel into the lungs via the bloodstream or lymphatic system. You may have signs and symptoms of asthma or pneumonia at this point, such as a persistent cough, shortness of breath, and wheezing. The larvae move to the throat after spending 10 to 14 days in the lungs, when you cough them out and ingest them.

In the small intestine, larvae mature into adult worms, and the adult worms normally reside in the intestines until they die. The intestinal infection in mild or severe ascariasis can produce vague stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea. Severe abdominal pain, fatigue, vomiting, and weight loss or malnutrition may occur if you have a significant number of worms in your gut.

This virus has the greatest impact on children. Flies transmit the eggs from the contaminated faeces to a healthy individual. The parasite normally enters through the mouth, as a result of contaminated food and water. The eggs hatch, pass through the intestines, and through blood cells, enter the lungs. They enter the lungs' alveoli and migrate up to the trachea, where they are swallowed and coughed out. The larvae mature into adult worms after they travel through the stomach for the second time.

Ascariasis can be avoided if you take certain precautions. The most important step toward eliminating ascariasis would be to improve cleanliness. The likelihood of a fly picking up a roundworm egg and infecting someone else is considerably reduced when toilets are properly functioning and cleaned. Another thing we should do religiously is wash our hands with soap after using the restroom.