Where to find roundworms

Many heartworm preventives also control roundworms. Ask your veterinarian about prevention and treatment choices that are appropriate for your dog. Roundworms do pose a significant risk to humans.

Contact with contaminated soil or dog feces can result in human ingestion and infection. Roundworm eggs may accumulate in significant numbers in the soil where pets deposit feces. Once infected, the worms can cause eye, lung, heart and neurologic signs in people. Children should not be allowed to play where animals have passed feces.

Individuals who have direct contact with soil that may have been contaminated by cat or dog feces should wear gloves or wash their hands immediately. It may not be obvious even if your puppy or dog has roundworms, and yet people can be infected by them.

For this reason, it is a good idea to have a regular program of preventative treatment starting with puppies at two weeks of age. Dogs should have fecal stool exams 2 to 4 times in their first year of life and once or twice a year thereafter. The best way to control roundworms is to be sure to use a parasite control product recommended by your veterinarian every month. Public Health Nutr.

National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases. Parasitic Roundworm Diseases. September, Wang HK. The therapeutic potential of flavonoids. Expert Opin Investig Drugs. Signs and Symptoms The signs and symptoms of roundworm infection include: Ascariasis Cough Shortness of breath Abdominal pain Nausea and diarrhea Blood in the stool Weight loss Fatigue Presence of the worm in vomit or stool Guinea worm disease Symptoms start about one year after infection.

Hookworm Often there are not any symptoms, if there are symptoms they may include: Itchy rash Cough Wheezing Trouble breathing Abdominal pain Weight loss Diarrhea Loss of appetite Loiasis Watery or itchy eyes Blurred vision Some people may see the worm move across the eyes Lymphatic filariasis Swelling and scarring, especially of the legs and groin Infections River blindness Itchy rash Sores on the skin Swollen lymph nodes Skin turns white loss of pigmentation Vision loss Threadworm Itch where the worm enters the skin similar to a bug bite Nausea and diarrhea Fever Blood in the stool Dry cough or coughing up blood Trouble breathing Trichinosis Diarrhea Abdominal pain High fever Muscle pain Sensitivity to light photosensitivity Headache Pink eye conjunctivitis Whipworm Abdominal pain Diarrhea sometimes bloody Anemia.

Causes Many roundworm parasitic diseases are caused by poor sanitation and hygiene. Roundworm infections include: Ascariasis: People become infected when they eat food or drink water that contains the eggs of the roundworm Ascaris lumbricoides. That can happen when people eat food grown in soil that has been mixed with human waste. Once in the body, the larvae go into the lungs and then the throat, where they are coughed up and swallowed. Once they swallowed, they go into the intestines and become adults.

They can produce eggs for a year or more. Guinea worm disease dracunculosis : People can become infected with Guinea worm disease when they drink contaminated water. Larvae grow into adults in the intestines, where they can be 3 feet long. Then the adult moves to another area of the body usually the legs and comes out through a painful blister.

The tip of the worm comes out through the skin to lay its eggs whenever the skin is immersed in water. This type of roundworm infects 10 to 40 million people annually worldwide, mostly in India, West and Central Africa, and some Middle Eastern countries. Hookworm ancylostomiasis : A hookworm infection happens when larvae come into contact with human skin, through contaminated soil or feces.

They go through the skin, making their way through the lungs to the small intestine. There they latch on and grow into adults, laying more eggs. They feed off the blood of the infected person, which can cause anemia.

Children are especially vulnerable to this kind of infection. Loiasis: Loiasis is an infection caused by the roundworm Loa loa. Like river blindness, loiasis is spread by day-biting flies. About 3 to 13 million people in equatorial Africa have been infected with Loa loa. Lymphatic filariasis: A lymphatic filariasis infection happens when a person is bitten by a mosquito containing the roundworms Wucheria bancrofti , Brugia malayi , or Brugia timori.

Over 6 to 12 months, adult worms mature and live in human lymph vessels and nodes. They release eggs that circulate through the blood. About 90 million people worldwide have been infected with these roundworms. Pinworm enterobiasis : A pinworm infection happens when a person consumes food or drink contaminated with feces. The eggs hatch in the small intestine, and adult worms live in the large intestine. The pregnant female worms move to the anus and deposit large numbers of eggs in the skin around that area.

River blindness onchocerciasis : River blindness is an eye infection caused by the roundworm Onchocerca volvulus. River blindness is spread by day-biting flies, and is the leading cause of blindness worldwide. It affects about 20 million people, mostly in Africa. Threadworm strongyloidiasis : Threadworm usually happens when someone walks barefoot on contaminated soil, and larvae get into the skin.

Inside the body, they move to the lymph nodes and then to the lungs and throat. When the person coughs, the larvae are swallowed and move to the intestines. There they grow into adults and produce eggs. About half of the population of some African countries have been infected with threadworm.

Trichinosis trichiniasis : Trichinosis is an infection caused by the roundworm Trichinella spiralis. These larvae live in pigs and other wild carnivores, such as bears. People can get infected when they eat meat particularly pork that is undercooked. The larvae mature in the small intestine and move to muscle cells where they can live for months or years. These parasites usually infect dogs, cats, and raccoons. People can get infected by eating soil contaminated by animal feces.

While the larvae do not grow to be adults in people, they go through the intestinal wall and move to various parts of the body, particularly the lungs and liver. Whipworm trichuriasis : A whipworm infection happens when a person eats food contaminated with soil that has the eggs of the worm.

After eggs are eaten, larvae hatch and attach themselves to the large intestine. Risk Factors The risk factors for roundworm infection include: Living in or visiting a warm, tropical climate Poor sanitation Poor personal hygiene Crowded conditions, such as day care or institutional settings Weakened immune system Malnutrition Eating undercooked meat Eating dirt or clay, children tend to become infected this way Contact with animal feces Multiple insect bites.

Your family doctor might refer you to a doctor trained in digestive disorders gastroenterologist. You may need to see a surgeon if the worms have blocked the intestines. During the physical exam, your doctor may press on certain areas of the abdomen to check for pain or tenderness. He or she may also want a sample of stool for testing.

Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. Diagnosis To diagnose ascariasis, your doctor may review your symptoms and order tests. Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. Share on: Facebook Twitter. Show references Leder K, et al. Accessed April 30, Parasites — ascariasis.