Strongiloidosis is an intestinal disease caused by the parasite Strongyloides stercoralis, which causes symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal pain and flatulence; however, there is a more severe and widespread variant of the disease, which affects the lungs and circulation, causing a fever greater than 38 degrees Celsius, vomiting, coughing and shortness of breath.
This worm infects humans through the skin, in the form of larvae, and spreads through the body until it reaches the intestine, where it grows and reproduces, to avoid this disease it is recommended to walk down the street and wash food well before eating and treatment is done with deworming tablets, such as Albendazole and Ivermectin.
- When the immune system is not compromised or when the number of parasites is very low.
- Symptoms do not usually appear.
- However.
- In some cases.
- Especially when the number of parasites is very high.
- Some symptoms may appear such as:.
People with weakened immune systems, such as people with AIDS or malnutrition, often develop the dispersed form of the disease, which manifests as fever greater than 38 degrees Celsius, severe stomach pain, persistent diarrhea, vomiting, shortness of breath, coughing with discharge.or even blood.
In addition, because this parasite can pierce the intestinal wall, intestinal bacteria are likely to be transported to other parts of the body, resulting, for example, in widespread infection.
Infectious larvae of the parasite, also called filarioid larvae, are present in the soil, especially in the soil with sand and mud, and can penetrate the body through the skin, even in the absence of injury.They then spread through the bloodstream.until it reaches the lungs; in this region, the larvae mix with mucus and respiratory secretions, and reach the stomach and intestine when these secretions are swallowed.
In the gut, parasites find suitable places to develop and reproduce, where they reach the size of up to 2.5 mm, and release eggs that give birth to new larvae.Strongiloidiasis is transmitted mainly by humans, but also by dogs and cats, which release larvae into the environment through faeces.
Other forms of infection include ingestion of water and food contaminated with larvae or faeces from infected people.The period between faecal contamination and larvae release and the onset of symptoms can vary between 14 and 28 days.
Strongiloidosis is diagnosed by examining the stool by identifying larvae, but for confirmation, it may often be necessary to repeat the test several times until the parasite is found.
Treatment is performed with antiparasitic drug in primary care physician-guided tablets, such as Tiabendazole, Albendazole or Nitazoxanide for 3 to 5 days or ivermectin in a single take.To improve the effect and eliminate all parasites, it is ideal to repeat the doses after 10 days, because the person can re-contract the disease with the larvae coming out of the stool.
Prevention of strongiloidosis can be done by simple measures, such as:
In addition, washing the genital area after defecation is a good way to prevent the larva from reinfecting the body or passing it on to others.