Toxocariasis: From 3 Different Sources
An infestation of humans, usually children, with the larvae of TOXOCARA CANIS: a small, threadlike worm that lives in the intestines of dogs. Children who play with an infested dog or soil contaminated with dog faeces, and who then put their fingers in their mouths, may swallow some of the worm eggs. The eggs hatch in the intestines, and the released larvae migrate to organs such as the liver, lungs, brain, and eyes. Usually, infestation causes mild fever and malaise, which soon clears up; but heavy infestation may lead to pneumonia and seizures. Loss of vision may occur if larvae enter the eye and die there.
A diagnosis is made from sputum analysis, and by a liver biopsy. Severe cases require treatment in hospital with tiabendazole and an anticonvulsant drug.
A disease acquired by swallowing the ova (eggs) of a roundworm which lives in the intestine of cats (Toxocara cati) or dogs (Toxocara canis). In humans, the small larval worms produced by these ova migrate to various parts of the body, including the retina of the EYE, where they then die, producing a small GRANULOMA which in turn may produce allergic reactions. In the eye it may cause choroidretinitis. It is said that 2 per cent of apparently healthy people in Britain have been infected in this way. A course of treatment with thiabendazole is recommended, though the drug has side-effects and should be used with caution in the elderly.
(visceral larva migrans) n. an infestation with the larvae of the dog and cat roundworms, Toxocara canis and T. cati. Humans, who are not the normal hosts, become infected on swallowing eggs of Toxocara present on hands or in food and drink contaminated with the faeces of infected domestic pets. The larvae, which migrate around the body, cause destruction of various tissues; the liver becomes enlarged and the lungs inflamed (see pneumonitis). Symptoms may include fever, joint and muscle pains, vomiting, an irritating rash, and convulsions. Larvae can also lodge in the retina of the eye where they cause inflammation and *granuloma. The disease, widely distributed throughout the world, primarily affects children. Treatment is with mebendazole.
Animal diseases which can be transmitted to humans. There are more than 150 infections of domestic and wild vertebrates which can be transmitted in this way, including BOVINE SPONGIFORM ENCEPHALOPATHY (BSE), bovine tuberculosis, BRUCELLOSIS, HYDATID cysts, RINGWORM, TOXOCARIASIS, TOXOPLASMOSIS, LEPTOSPIROSIS, LISTERIOSIS, and RABIES.... zoonoses
A method of diagnosing genetic abnormalities in a fetus using a small sample of tissue taken from the chorionic villi at edge of the placenta. Because the cells have the same chromosome makeup as those in the fetus, they can be used to detect genetic abnormalities. Chorionic villus sampling (CVS) is usually performed in the first 3 months of pregnancy in women who are at a higher-than-normal risk of having a child with a chromosomal disorder, such as Down’s syndrome, or a genetic disease, such as thalassaemia. Chromosome analysis of the villi cells takes place in the laboratory. CVS slightly increases the risk of miscarriage. choroid A layer of tissue at the back of the eye, behind the retina. The choroid contains many blood vessels that supply nutrients and oxygen to the retinal cells and to surrounding tissues in the eye. choroiditis Inflammation of the choroid. It is often caused by infections such as toxocariasis or toxoplasmosis, more rarely by sarcoidosis, syphilis, and histoplasmosis. It sometimes has no obvious cause. Treatment includes corticosteroid drugs for the inflammation, and antibiotic drugs for any causative infection.... chorionic villus sampling
Inflammation of the choroid. It is often caused by infections such as toxocariasis or toxoplasmosis, more rarely by sarcoidosis, syphilis, and histoplasmosis. It sometimes has no obvious cause. Treatment includes corticosteroid drugs for the inflammation, and antibiotic drugs for any causative infection.... choroiditis
Also known as nematodes, a class of elongated, cylindrical worms. Some are human parasites and usually inhabit the intestines. The only common roundworm disease in the is threadworm infestation; occasionally, ascariasis, whipworm infestation, atrichinoisis, and toxocariasis occur. Some people return from abroad with hookworm infestation. Most infestations are treated with anthelmintic drugs.... roundworms
n. a genus of large nematode worms that are intestinal parasites of vertebrates. T. canis and T. cati, the common roundworms of dogs and cats respectively, have life cycles similar to that of the human roundworm, *Ascaris lumbricoides. See toxocariasis.... toxocara
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