Human Ascariasis: Diagnostics Update

Abstract

Soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) infect over one billion people worldwide. Ascariasis may mimic a number of conditions, and individual clinical diagnosis often requires a thorough work-up. Kato-Katz thick smears are the standard detection method for Ascaris and, despite low sensitivity, are often used for mapping and monitoring and evaluation of national control programmes. Although increased sampling (number of stools) and diagnostic (number of examinations per stool) efforts can improve sensitivity, Kato-Katz is less sensitive than other microscopy methods such as FLOTAC®. Antibody-based diagnostics may be a sensitive diagnostic tool; however, their usefulness is limited to assessing transmission in areas aiming for elimination. Molecular diagnostics are highly sensitive and specific, but high costs limit their use to individual diagnosis, drug - efficacy studies and identification of Ascaris suum. Increased investments in research on Ascaris and other STHs are urgently required for the development of diagnostic assays to support efforts to reduce human suffering caused by these infections.

Epidemiology and geographical distribution of gastrointestinal parasitic infection in humans in Slovakia

“…Abdominal ultrasonography, tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging can identify the cause of the diffi culties (Das, 2014). In endemic countries, ascariasis is a common cause of malabsorption syndrome, malnutrition, and lack of trace elements can lead to the failure of growth, cognitive disorders as well as to the defective immune regulations and increased risk of other infections (Lamberton and Jourdan, 2015). The prevalence of ascariasis is directly proportional to the density of population in the region, the level of education, health protection measures with regard to wastewater management, droppings as fertilizer use, personal hygiene, available health care, socio-economic status of the country (Das, 2014).…”

Excretion of Ascaris lumbricoides following reduced‐intensity allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and consecutive treatment with mebendazole

“…After ingestion of worm eggs, that is, by consumption of salad that was contaminated during manuring, larvae emerge in the small intestine and migrate through the venous system to the liver and the lung. In the latter, they are expectorated through the trachea and swallowed again leading them back to the small intestine, where they grow to adult worms . Complications of migrating larvae of A lumbricoides include eosinophilic pulmonary infiltrates with respiratory failure (Loeffler's syndrome) and obstruction of the intestine or the bile duct .…”

“…In the latter, they are expectorated through the trachea and swallowed again leading them back to the small intestine, where they grow to adult worms. 7,8 Complications of migrating larvae of A lumbricoides include eosinophilic pulmonary infiltrates with respiratory failure (Loeffler's syndrome) and obstruction of the intestine or the bile duct. [9][10][11] Ascariasis often causes blood eosinophilia.…”

A Phosphorylcholine-Containing Glycolipid-like Antigen Present on the Surface of Infective Stage Larvae of Ascaris spp. Is a Major Antibody Target in Infected Pigs and Humans

“…The need for improved methods to diagnose Ascaris infections in pigs and humans has recently been extensively discussed [13, 14]. It was suggested that diagnostic tools detecting eggs in the stool are not useful for accurate evaluation of the level of exposure in pig farms [15] or sensitive enough for the detection of infection in humans where prevalence was low [16].…”