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Ascariasis (Roundworm)

Ascariasis (Roundworm). End7 at UT. What is Ascariasis ?. Ascariasis , also known as roundworm, is an intestinal infection caused by the parasitic worm Ascaris lumbricoides , and is part of a family of parasites known as the soil-transmitted helminthes.

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Ascariasis (Roundworm)

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  1. Ascariasis (Roundworm) End7 at UT

  2. What is Ascariasis? • Ascariasis, also known as roundworm, is an intestinal infection caused by the parasitic worm Ascarislumbricoides, and is part of a family of parasites known as the soil-transmitted helminthes. • Ascariasisis the most common human worm infection. More than 1 billion people worldwide are infected with ascariasis, and more than 60,000 die from the disease annually.

  3. Where is Ascariasis? • Ascariasis is most prevalent in: • Sub-tropical climates • Sub-Saharan Africa • Southeast Asia • Areas of poverty, with poor sanitation or where crops are irrigated with improperly treated wastewater

  4. Sub-Saharan Africa

  5. How is it Transmitted? • Parasitic eggs are ingested and hatch into larvae, which travel through the body and can cause pulmonary symptoms such as coughing and wheezing. Once the larvae settle in the small intestine, they feed on food from the human host and can live for up to two years. • Human waste fertilizer • Improper wastewater crop irrigation

  6. Roundworm Lifecycle

  7. Symptomsof Ascariasis • Worms in stool • Coughing, sometimes accompanied by coughing up of worms • Wheezing • Fever & vomiting • Loss of appetite • Shortness of breath

  8. Symptomsof Ascariasis Continued • Swelling of the abdomen & severe abdominal pain • Malnutrition, anemia and impaired physical growth, particularly in children • Intestinal blockage or bowel obstruction (in severe cases) • Pneumonia (in rare cases)

  9. Treatment • Anti-helminthic drugs albendazole (Albenza) or mebendazole (Vermox) on an annual basis • 200 million tablets of mebendazole donated per year by Johnson & Johnson until 2020 • 1 billion tablets of Albendazole donated per year from GlaxoSmithKline. Additional need available for $US 0.02 per pill • In some cases, surgery may be required to repair intestinal blockages or bowel obstruction • Currently no vaccine exists for ascariasis

  10. Ascariasis and Education • 500 million children are infected with NTDs. That’s over 10x the number of kids who go to school in the US! • Poverty = NTDs = No School = Future Uneducated Adults = Poverty • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grZWPOGUG9U • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fz4A5CCam80&list=UU3aEP9uUm8p_cYWvXgHAixQ

  11. Discussion • How do we end this vicious cycle? • Poverty = NTDs = No School = Future Uneducated Adults = Poverty • How do we get kids back in school?

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