Helminths

• how does worms get transmitted into our bodies?

  stool, and contamination of the soil by this stool
• most often associated with poverty, poor sanitation, and occupational risk

  Helminths (soil-transmitted)
• transmission of helminths includes:

  soil contamination

  ground water contaminated from the soil

  physical exposure to the soil

  arthropods (insect, spider, crustacean)
• ways to prevent transmission of helminths

  Discriminate defecation

  treatment of water sources

  spacing of toilet facilities from groundwater sources

  physical protection
• The feces is examined under a microscope without any special preparation. This test can help identify certain parasites or eggs directly visible in the stool sample.

  Direct fecal smear
• Method used to detect and quantify intestinal parasites based from the fecal sample after staining

  Keto-katz
• this parasite can cause chronic blood loss

  hookworms
• they compete for vitamin A inside the body, making it harder for the host to have vitamin A

  ascaris worms
• Intestinal worm infections are usually treated with antihelminthics, this includes:

  Albendazole

  Mebendazole
• Albendazole 400 mg/chewable tab, one dose
• mebendazole 500 mg/chewable tab, one dose
• Mechanism of medication to a patient with helminth infections

  Paralyzes the worm
• The use of antihelminthics among individuals with high intestinal infection can sometimes cause worm agitation
• worm agitation is considered expected
• worm agitation can lead worms to travel to other areas of the body in an attempt to escape the paralyzing effect of the drugs
• Female morphology of Ascariasis

  20-35 cm long with straight tails

  180k to 240k eggs per day

  three lips at the anterior end of the body
• Known species of ascariasis

  ascaris lumbricoides
• Male morphology of ascariasis

  15-31 cm with curved tails

  three lips at the anterior end of the body
• 10 eggs needed to infect a host, these eggs are thick-shelled with mammillation
• Unfertilized egg with mamillated layer

  
• Unfertilized decorticated egg

  
• fertilized egg

  
• larva hatching from an egg

  
• signs and symptoms of a migrating ascariasis larvae

  positive for rales, chest pain

  massive ascaris infections if the host is positive for pneumonitis

  Loeffler's pneumonia
• signs and symptoms of a wandering ascariasis adult worm

  erratic

  positive for intestinal, pancreatic, appendiceal obstruction

  positive for liver abcesses
• Loeffler's pneumonia


  mimics CAP and asthma
• CAP

  community acquired pneumonia
• known species of trichuriasis

  trichuris trichiura
• female morphology of trichuriasis

  stout and blunt

  esophagus lined with stichocytes
• male morphology of trichuriasis

  coiled

  esophagus lined with stichocytes
• morphology of trichuriasis

  whip-like
• characteristics of a trichuriasis egg

  thick-shelled

  barrel-shaped

  polar plugs at the end
• signs and symptoms of heavy trichuriasis infections

  dysentry

  anemia

  rosebud rectum
• known species of a strongyloidiasis

  strongyloides stercoralis
• morphology of a strongyloidiasis

  threadworm

  males does not infect, but may be born inside hosts' intestines
• female morphology of a strongyloidiasis

  long and slender
• Signs and symptoms of strongyloidiasis

  Acute strongyloidiasis
• light infection of strongyloidiasis

  no signs and symptoms
• moderate infections of strongyloidiasis

  diarrhea with alternating constipations
• heavy infections of strongyloidiasis

  intractable, painless, intermittent diarrhea