Once they're back in the intestines, the parasites grow into male or female worms. After maturing for about 10 to 14 days in your lungs, the larvae break into your airway and travel up the throat, where they're coughed up and swallowed. Larvae hatch from the eggs in your small intestine and then go through the intestinal wall to travel to the heart and lungs via the bloodstream or lymphatic system. People can accidentally ingest (swallow) contaminated soil through hand-to-mouth contact or by eating uncooked fruits or vegetables that have been grown in contaminated soil. The tiny (microscopic) ascariasis eggs can't become infective without coming into contact with soil.

Unwashed fruits or vegetables grown in contaminated soil also can transmit the ascariasis eggs. Small children often play in dirt, and infection can occur if they put their dirty fingers in their mouths. People can also get it from eating uncooked pig or chicken liver that is infected. In some developing countries, human feces are used for fertilizer, or poor sanitary facilities allow human waste to mix with soil in yards, ditches and fields. Instead, a person has to come into contact with soil mixed with human or pig feces that contain ascariasis eggs or infected water. Talk to your doctor if you have persistent abdominal pain, diarrhea or nausea.Īscariasis isn't spread directly from person to person. If you have a large number of worms in the intestine, you might have:

In mild or moderate ascariasis, the intestinal infestation can cause: The larvae mature into adult worms in the small intestine, and the adult worms typically live in the intestines until they die. At this stage, you may experience signs and symptoms similar to asthma or pneumonia, including:Īfter spending 10 to 14 days in the lungs, the larvae travel to the throat, where you cough them up and then swallow them.

In the lungsĪfter you swallow the tiny (microscopic) ascariasis eggs, they hatch in the small intestine and the larvae migrate through the bloodstream or lymphatic system into the lungs. Moderate to heavy infestations cause various signs or symptoms, depending on which part of your body is affected. Most people infected with ascariasis have no signs or symptoms.

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