Signs and symptoms of hookworms in humans

Tapeworms are segmented worms that live in the intestine. Roundworm eggs in the soil can also stick to your petвЂ™s fur, especially if your dog or cat loves to dig, so always wash your hands after petting your pet. Adults can come into contact with them during gardening, and young children are at risk of infection if they play outside in the dirt and donвЂ™t wash their hands afterwards. Roundworm eggs can survive in soil for up years and can even endure Canadian winters. Always wash your hands thoroughly after handling dog or cat stool. Always use a bag to collect your petsвЂ™ waste, and regularly pick up the stool in your backyard to help limit the potential spread of parasites. Roundworms can cause disease in humans if we unknowingly eat the microscopic eggs that infected dogs and cats shed in their feces. Here are a few places you could pick upвЂЇroundworms:

ThatвЂ™s why itвЂ™s very important to wash your hands carefully after working or playing outside in soil or handling dog or cat stool (particularly from puppies or kittens). This can cause serious organ damage, including blindness and respiratory failure. If the roundworm eggs are accidentally ingested the larvae will then hatch and migrate around the body. Humans can pick up roundworms from a variety of places, including contaminated soil or feces where roundworm eggs have accumulated. HereвЂ™s our guide to the parasites your cat or dog could catch and how you can reduce the risks of you and your family contracting them.

ThatвЂ™s why itвЂ™s so essential to know the symptoms of worms in cats and dogs, to deworm your pet and maintain a regular deworming schedule, as required. ItвЂ™s important to know, however, that worms can also pose a health risk for you and your family. Cal Tech researchers, in describing pork tapeworm infection, state that seizures are caused by larvae attaching to brain tissue.Дepending on the portion of the brain that is infected, the patient might experience other specific symptoms, such as a loss of balance, paranoia or hallucinations.ДЄccording to the CDC, as a Naegleria infection progresses, the patient can develop hydrocephalus, which is fluid buildup in the brain.Most pet owners only think of their petвЂ™s welfare when they treat worms. With pork tapeworm infection, nausea could be linked to a secondary parasitic infection in the gastrointestinal tract.ДЄs a Naegleria infection advances, seizures can occur, according to the CDC. The California Institute of Technology (Cal Tech) states that when larvae attach to brain-fluid cavities, nausea can result. Nausea, possibly triggered by the presence of parasites in particular parts of the brain, is experienced with parasitic infection. Fever will still occur, but the immune system will вЂњchaseвЂќ the decoy, enabling the infection to progress. According to, some brain parasites, such as the amoeba that causes Naegleria infection, can shed portions of itself to act as a decoy against the immune system. This fever may or may not help fight parasitic infection. Both Naegleria and pork tapeworm infections cause confusion, as stated by the Mayo Clinic and .ДЇever develops as the bodyвЂ™s response to infection, activating the immune system.

Such confusion might be exhibited as memory difficulties, disorientation, inattention to people and surroundings and an inability to make decisions. This symptom is common in all types of parasitic brain infection.ДЄs the infection grows and begins to affect more brain tissue, the patient might experience general confusion, according to the Mayo Clinic. Such headaches can be accompanied by a sensitivity to light or blurred vision. The most common cause of brain parasites in the United States is the pork tapeworm.ДЄccording to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), headaches are one of the first symptoms a person infected with one of these organisms will experience. Taenia solium (the pork tapeworm that causes cysticercosis), Naegleria fowleri (freshwater amoeba that causes primary amoebic meningo-cephalitis) and Toxoplasma gondii (microscopic protozoa that causes toxoplasmosis) are all parasites that can infect the brain. Once inside, parasites find an oasisвЂ“the brain provides an ideal environment for parasites to live and grow. Sometimes, though, parasites bypass this barrier. The blood brain barrier is the brainвЂ™s traffic cop, usually preventing parasites from entering the brain and taking up residence.

Signs and symptoms of hookworms in humans