Roundworms, including the human nematode, can live as parasites in the human body and cause serious or chronic disease. They are usually contracted by ingesting the worms’ eggs through poor sanitation or exposure to animal feces. Treatment involves antiparasitic drugs and prevention includes proper hygiene and deworming pets.
Roundworms are actual worms of many different types. When discussing human health, the most important types to consider are Ascaris lumbricoides, which can be called the “human” nematode. Other important types are Toxocara canis and Toxocara cati. All of these worms can live as parasites in the human body and cause serious or chronic disease.
All three nematode species live in the intestines and are excreted in the feces. They may have a spaghetti-like appearance, but people don’t tend to eat whole worms. Instead they get the worms’ eggs in their mouths, usually by touching things like the soil where they live, cleaning improperly after going to the bathroom, or eating unwashed or uncooked fruits and vegetables in areas where there is poor sanitation. This is usually what causes ascariasis or human roundworm infection. When people get toxocara infection, called toxocariasis, the main cause is exposure to animal feces or improper hand washing after playing with infected animals (often puppies and kittens).
Human nematodes and ascariasis occur more often in developing countries, mainly because wastewater can be reused in crops. Some people don’t have many symptoms when they get this infection, but other people might develop fever, upset stomach, fatigue, and stomach pain. The greatest danger of this form of infection is that the roundworms will migrate from the stomach to other areas of the body, where they can affect the lungs or other organs. While this doesn’t always happen and some people in developing countries have chronic ascariasis, treatment is very important to get rid of the worms.
The same is true for people with toxocariasis infections. The worms do not necessarily remain in the intestines and must be eliminated so that the spread does not start to occur in other organs. Similar symptoms may be present for toxocariasis and ascariasis. They should indicate a trip to the doctor to get diagnosed.
Usually, testing stool samples for the presence of worms or eggs diagnoses roundworm infection. Sometimes people will notice worms being passed in their own stool, as the worm can be quite large. Typical treatment involves using antiparasitic drugs such as mebendazole and piperazine, then retesting at a future point to be certain the infection is cleared.
In developing countries it is much more difficult to prevent infection with human roundworms due to their prevalence, although some people take a once-a-month dose of antiparasitic drugs. In developed countries, prevention may be easier due to stricter standards in food production and growth. Animal lovers still need to watch out for toxocariasis, and the best bets for prevention included deworming pets frequently, using safe measures when cleaning up feces (which should be cleaned up regularly), and making sure you wash your hands thoroughly. after handling animals.
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