Medicogram12 months ago

Illustration of an intestinal infection, Ascariasis.

Ascaris lumbricoides is a parasitic roundworm that can enter the human body through contaminated water or food and resides in the intestine causing Ascariasis. Female roundworms can lay up to 200,000 eggs per day, which are excreted in the faeces and ingested by a new host through contaminated water or food. Infection causes abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhoea and peritonitis. About 1 billion people are infected worldwide with this parasite. •Treatment: Fortunately, there is effective treatment available for ascariasis. Medications such as albendazole (Albenza) and mebendazole (Vermox) are drugs of choice for ascariasis. The drugs are usually administered for only about one to three days.