Since an estimated 68% of households in the US own at least one pet, control of intestinal worms in pets has become an essential safeguard in preventing transmission to humans. Dogs and cats entering animal shelters are routinely treated for worms using pyrantel or other anthelmintic medications. Worm infestations can follow contact with household pets and other animals such as horses, cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, and llamas. People in developing regions are at higher risk due to poor sanitation. In heavily infested areas, more than 50% of people can have intestinal worms. About 10% of the population in the developing world is affected. Since intestinal worms can be transmitted from animals to people, they are considered "zoonotic" infestations.Īccording to the World Health Organization, soil-transmitted worm infestations afflict close to 1 billion people worldwide. Worms can also be transmitted to humans by handling pets, such as dogs and cats that have not been treated for worms. When a person or animal ingests the eggs, they hatch in the intestines and lead to illness. Intestinal worms are transmitted through soil or hands that are contaminated with feces containing the eggs of worms. Drugs used to combat intestinal worms are known as anthelmintics. Pinworm infections can cause severe rectal itching and sleep disturbances, especially in young children. The worms (helminths) cause symptoms ranging from abdominal pain and loss of appetite to dysentery. That condition is intestinal worms, including pinworms. (2022).You might not have heard of it before, but pyrantel is a drug used to treat a serious condition suffered by millions of people every year. Parasites - Taeniasis: Resources for health professionals.You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy. Healthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations. Adult worms can grow more than a foot long. Infection occurs from contaminated food or water. It’s rare in the United States but may occur in the rural Southeast. AscariasisĪscariasis is an infection of Ascaris lumbricoides and affects more than 800,000 million people in the world. Most people infected with hookworms have no symptoms. They were once common in the United States, particularly in the Southeast, but they’ve become less common as living standards have improved. It’s estimated that between 576 to 740 million people are infected with hookworms. They’re easily passed between people living in close quarters. It’s estimated that more than 1 billion people in the world are infected with pinworms, and they’re the most common type of worm that infects humans in North America. Flukes are most common in East and Southeast Asia. Humans can become infected by eating contaminated food or water. They range from a fraction of an inch to several inches long. More than 70 types of flukes can live in the human intestinal tract. Tapeworms as long as 25 meters (82 feet) have been found in humans. It’s thought that fewer than 1,000 people in the United States are infected with tapeworms each year, although the exact number isn’t known. Humans get tapeworms by eating raw or uncooked pork or beef. roundworms, which cause ascariasis, pinworm, and hookworm infections.flatworms, which include tapeworms and flukes.Common types of intestinal worms that can infect humans include:
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