WORM INFESTATION IN CHILDREN- ENGLISH
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WORM
INFESTATION IN CHILDREN-.
•
One
of the leading causes of stomach ache in children is intestinal infection which
is mostly caused by intestinal parasites such as worms. Worms tend to
live in the intestine and feed off the child’s nutrition. There are different
types of intestinal worms that can cause worm infections, but the most common
are roundworms, tapeworms, pinworms or threadworms and hookworms
ROUNDWORM-
•
Roundworm
infestation is also known as ascariasis . It is caused by a worm known as
ascaris lumbricoids. These worms are parasites that use human body as a host to
mature from larvae or eggs to adult worms. Adult worms, which reproduce, can be
more than a foot (30 centimeters) long.
HOW
IT SPREADS-
•
An
individual become infected with ascariasis after accidentally ingesting the
eggs of the ascariasis lumbricoides roundworm. The eggs can
be found in soil contaminated by human feces or uncooked food contaminated by
soil that contains roundworm eggs. Children often become infected when they put
their hands in their mouths after playing in contaminated soil.
HOW
IT GROWS-
•
Swallowed
eggs first hatch in the intestine.
•
The
larvae then move through the bloodstream to your lungs.
•
After
maturing, the roundworms leave the lungs and travel to the throat.
•
The
individual cough up or swallow the roundworms from the throat. The worms that
are swallowed will travel back to the intestine.
•
Once
they’re back in the small intestine, the worms will mature, and lay more eggs.
•
The
cycle continues. Some eggs are excreted through the feces. Other eggs hatch and
return to the lungs.
SIGN
AND SYMPTOMS-
People with ascariasis often have no symptoms.
Symptoms are noticeable only when the number of roundworm increases. Roundworms in the lungs can cause:
-Coughing -shortness of breath
-aspiration
pneumonia -blood
in mucus
-chest
discomfort -fever
Roundworms
in the intestines can cause:
-Nausea -Vomiting -Weight
loss
-Irregular
stools or diarrhea -Visible
worms in the stool
-Loss
of appetite -Abdominal
discomfort or pain
-Intestinal
obstruction causes severe pain and vomiting
-Growth
impairment in children due to malabsorption
DIAGNOSTIC
INVESTIGATIONS-
•
Stool
examination
•
X-ray
•
CT
scan
•
Ultrasound
•
MRI
scan
•
Endoscopy
TREATMENT-
•
Roundworm
infestation can be treated with antiparasitic drugs. Medications most commonly
used include:
•
Albendazole
, Ivermectin , Mebendazole
•
In
severe case when the roundworms are completely blocking the intestines, patient
may need surgery .
TAPEWORM-
•
Tapeworms
are flat, segmented worms which look like a tape measure. Mainly two types of
tapeworms infest human beings .
Theses are taenia solium and taenia saginata.
Although tapeworms in humans usually cause few symptoms and are easily
treated, they can sometimes cause serious, life-threatening problems. .
HOW
IT SPREADS-
•
Eating
undercooked meat from infected animals is the main cause of tapeworm infection
in people. Humans can also become infected if there is contact with animal
feces or eating contaminated food or drinking contaminated water. People can
pass tapeworm eggs to others when they don't wash their hands
after using the same bathroom.
HOW
IT GROWS-
•
In
animals the swallowed eggs first hatch in the intestine. invade the intestinal
wall, and migrate to the striated muscles, where they develop into cysticercus.
A cysticercus can survive for several years in the animal. Humans become
infected by ingesting raw or undercooked infected meat.
•
In
the human intestine, the cysticercus develops over 2 months into an adult
tapeworm, which can survive for years. The adult tapeworms attach to the small
intestine by their scolex
and reside in the small intestine . Length of adult worms is usually 5 m or
less for T. saginata and 2 to 7 m for T. solium.
The adults produce proglottids which mature, become gravid, detach from the
tapeworm, and migrate to the anus or are passed in the stool
SIGN
AND SYMPTOMS-
• Sometimes tapeworms cause symptoms such as:
• Nausea -Weakness
• Diarrhea -Abdominal
pain
• Fatigue -Weight
loss
• Increased Hunger or loss of appetite
DIAGNOSTIC
INVESTIGATIONS-
•
Stool
examination
•
X-ray
•
CT
scan
•
Ultrasound
•
MRI
scan
•
Endoscopy
TREATMENT-
•
Tapeworm
infestation can be treated with antiparasitic drugs. Medications most commonly
used include:
•
Niclosamide,
Mepacarmine
•
In
severe case when the tapeworms reach to the brain tissue, patient may need
surgery .
PINWORM-
•
Pinworms are tiny, narrow worms. They're white
in color and less than a half-inch long. Enterobius vermicularis is
widely known as the human pinworm due to the female’s long, pointed tail.
They're the most common type of human worm infestation
HOW
IT SPREADS-
•
Accidentally
swallowing or breathing in pinworm eggs causes a pinworm infection. The tiny
(microscopic) eggs can be carried to the mouth by contaminated food, drink or
the fingers. Once swallowed, the eggs hatch in the intestines and mature into
adult worms within a few weeks.
HOW
IT GROWS-
•
Gravid
adult female Enterobius vermicularis deposit eggs on perianal
folds. Infection occurs via self-inoculation (transferring eggs to the mouth
with hands that have scratched the perianal area) or through exposure to eggs
in the environment (e.g. contaminated surfaces, clothes, bed linens, etc.). Following
ingestion of infective eggs, the larvae hatch in the small
intestine .
•
The
time interval from ingestion of infective eggs to oviposition by the adult
females is about one month . Gravid females migrate nocturnally outside the
anus and oviposit while crawling on the skin of the perianal area. The larvae
contained inside the eggs develop (the eggs become infective) in 4 to 6 hours
under optimal conditions .
SIGN
AND SYMPTOMS-
•
Symptoms
of pinworm infection may include:
•
Itching
of the anal or vaginal area
•
Insomnia,
irritability, teeth grinding and restlessness
•
Occasional
stomach pain and nausea
•
Pinworms
often cause no symptoms.
DIAGNOSTIC
INVESTIGATIONS-
•
A
tape test is the most reliable method for diagnosing a pinworm infection. This
test consists of taking a piece of cellophane tape and pressing the sticky,
adhesive side against the skin around the anus. This tape is placed on a slide
and examine it under a microscope to see if it contains pinworm eggs.
TREATMENT-
•
The
most common and effective medications to treat pinworm infection are:
•
Mebendazole
, Albendazole , Pyrantel pamoate
•
One
course of medication usually involves an initial dose, followed by a second
dose two to three weeks later. More than one course may be necessary to fully eliminate
the pinworm eggs
HOOKWORM-
•
Hookworm disease in humans is
caused by Ancylostoma duodenale, A. ceylanicum, and Necator americanus.
Hookworms affect the lungs, skin, and small intestine. Humans
contract hookworms through hookworm larvae found in dirt contaminated by
feces.
HOW
IT SPREADS-
•
The
Child can become infected with hookworms by coming into contact with soil that
contains their larvae. The larvae enter the skin, travel through bloodstream, and enter the lungs. They are
carried to your small intestine when you cough them out of the lung and
swallow. Fully grown, they can live in your small intestine for a year or more
before passing through your feces.
HOW
IT GROWS-
•
Eggs
are passed in the stool, and under favorable conditions (moisture, warmth,
shade), larvae hatch in 1 to 2 days and become free-living in contaminated
soil. Filariform (third-stage) larvae of hookworm are infective . These infective larvae can survive 3
to 4 weeks in favorable environmental conditions. On contact with the human
host, typically bare feet, the larvae penetrate the skin and are carried
through the blood vessels to the heart and then to the lungs.
•
They
penetrate into the pulmonary alveoli, ascend the bronchial tree to the pharynx,
and are swallowed . The larvae
reach the jejunum of the small intestine, where they reside and mature into
adults. Adult worms live in the lumen of the small intestine, typically the
distal jejunum, where they attach to the intestinal wall with resultant blood
loss by the host
SIGN
AND SYMPTOMS-
•
Colic,
or cramping and excessive crying in infants
•
Nausea -Fever
•
Blood
in stool -Loss
of appetite
•
Itchy
rash -Loss
of Weight
DIAGNOSTIC
INVESTIGATIONS-
•
Physical
Examination
•
Stool
examination
•
Blood
examination (CBC)
TREATMENT-
•
The
most common and effective medications to treat hookworm infection are:
•
Mebendazole
, Albendazole , Pyrantel pamoate
•
For
severe anamemia Iron supplementation may also be given
PREVENTION
FROM WORM INFESTATION-
1. Keep children’s
fingernails short and clean to keep dirt containing worm eggs from getting
lodged under their nails.
2. Stop pets from giving worms to the family by
putting them on a parasite control programme from veterinary doctor.
3. Wash hands before preparing, distributing and
eating food.
4. Wash all fruit,
salads and vegetables before use.
5. Rinse all meats
before preparing them for cooking.
6. Make sure
children wash their hands with soap and clean water after using the toilet.
7. Do not drink
water that may be dirty.
8. Wear shoes to
stop worms entering through the feet.
9. Use of sanitary
latrines by all.
10.
Deworming
your child also effectively reduces the overall spread of worm infestations in
the community.
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