Ascariasis
Also known as roundworm infection, ascariasis is caused by the parasitic worm Ascaris lumbricoides. It occurs worldwide but is most common in tropical areas with poor sanitation and in Asia, where farmers use human stool as fertilizer. In the United States, it’s more prevalent in the South, particularly among younger children.
Causes
A. lumbricoides is a large roundworm resembling an earthworm. It’s transmitted to humans by ingestion of soil contaminated with human stool that harbors A. lumbricoides ova. Such ingestion may occur directly (by eating contaminated soil) or indirectly (by eating poorly washed raw vegetables grown in contaminated soil).
Ascariasis never passes directly from person to person. After ingestion, A. lumbricoides ova hatch and release larvae, which penetrate the intestinal wall and reach the lungs through the bloodstream. After about 10 days in pulmonary capillaries and alveoli, the larvae migrate to the bronchioles, bronchi, trachea, and epiglottis. There they’re swallowed and return to the intestine to mature into worms.
