Editing Ascaris lumbricoides (section)

==Infections==
{{Main|Ascariasis}}
Infections with these parasites are more common where sanitation is poor,<ref name="titleDPDx - Ascariasis">{{cite web |url=http://www.dpd.cdc.gov/dpdx/html/Ascariasis.htm |title=DPDx - Ascariasis |access-date=2008-02-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080224051907/http://www.dpd.cdc.gov/DPDx/HTML/Ascariasis.htm |archive-date=24 February 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and raw human feces are used as [[nightsoil|fertilizer]].<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Dongjian|first1=Yang|last2=Ya|first2=Yang|last3=Yingjian|first3=Wang|last4=Yu|first4=Yang|last5=Shurong|first5=Dong|last6=Yue|first6=Chen|last7=Qingwu|first7=Jian|last8=Yibiao|first8=Zhou|title=Prevalence and Risk Factors of Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura and Cryptosporidium Infections in Elementary School Children in Southwestern China: A School-Based Cross-Sectional Study |journal=Int J Environ Res Public Health |date=22 August 2018|volume=15|issue=9|page=1809|doi=10.3390/ijerph15091809|pmid=30135364 |pmc=6165538 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

===Symptoms===
Often, no symptoms are presented with a minor ''A. lumbricoides'' infection, the inevitable consequence being the e.g. once a year passage of such clearly visible worm(s) on close inspection. In the case of bad infections symptoms commonly include bloody sputum, cough, fever, abdominal discomfort, intestinal ulcer(s), as well as a less commonly missed passing of the quite long worms.<ref>{{MedlinePlusEncyclopedia|000628|Ascariasis}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.stanford.edu/group/parasites/ParaSites2005/Ascaris/JLora_ParaSite.htm#Symptoms|title=INTRODUCTION — Ascaris lumbricoides, an intestinal roundworm, is one of the most common helminthic human infections worldwide|access-date=7 May 2012|archive-date=4 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104151720/http://www.stanford.edu/group/parasites/ParaSites2005/Ascaris/JLora_ParaSite.htm#Symptoms|url-status=dead}}</ref> Ascariasis is the most common cause of [[Löffler's syndrome]] worldwide. Accompanying pathological symptoms include pulmonary infiltration, eosinophilia (symptoms of the overabundance of [[eosinophil]]s in the blood such as asthma and allergic reactions), and a diagnostic symptom is, aside from standard microscopy of stools, radiographic opacities.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Löffler |first1=W |title=Transient Lung Infiltrations with Blood Eosinophilia|journal=International Archives of Allergy and Applied Immunology |volume=8 |issue=1–2|pages=54–9 |year=1956 |pmid=13331628 |doi=10.1159/000228268 }}</ref> One study has observed increases in fertility in infected women, in a similar vein to good diet and exercise, but with all of the pathological negatives and discomforts the disease carries with it, varying from host to host and again with diet.<ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1126/science.aac7902|title=Helminth infection, fecundity, and age of first pregnancy in women|journal=Science|volume=350|issue=6263|pages=970–2|year=2015|last1=Blackwell|first1=A. D.|last2=Tamayo|first2=M. A.|last3=Beheim|first3=B.|last4=Trumble|first4=B. C.|last5=Stieglitz|first5=J.|last6=Hooper|first6=P. L.|last7=Martin|first7=M.|last8=Kaplan|first8=H.|last9=Gurven|first9=M.|pmid=26586763|pmc=5953513}}</ref>

===Distribution===
''Ascaris lumbricoides'' is primarily distributed in tropical and subtropical regions around the world, particularly in areas with poor sanitation and hygiene practices. It is most prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia (including countries like India, Bangladesh, and Indonesia), and parts of Latin America, where inadequate sanitation infrastructure and the use of human faeces as fertilizer contribute to its spread.<ref>{{cite journal | url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10696405/ | pmid=10696405 | date=1999 | last1=Hall | first1=A. | last2=Anwar | first2=K. S. | last3=Tomkins | first3=A. | last4=Rahman | first4=L. | title=The distribution of Ascaris lumbricoides in human hosts: A study of 1765 people in Bangladesh | journal=Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene | volume=93 | issue=5 | pages=503–510 | doi=10.1016/s0035-9203(99)90351-6 }}</ref>

===Prevention===
Preventing any [[fecal-oral route|fecal-borne disease]] requires educated hygienic habits/culture and effective fecal treatment systems. This is particularly important with ''A. lumbricoides'' because its eggs are one of the most difficult pathogens to kill (second only to [[prion]]s), and the eggs commonly survive 1–3 years. ''A. lumbricoides'' lives in the [[intestine]] where it lays eggs. Infection occurs when the eggs, too small to be seen by the unaided eye, are eaten. The eggs may get onto vegetables when improperly processed [[human feces]] of infected people are used as fertilizer for food crops. Infection may occur when food is handled without removing or killing the eggs on the hands, clothes, hair, raw vegetables/fruit, or cooked food that is (re)infected by handlers, containers, etc. Bleach does not readily kill ''A. lumbricoides'' eggs, but it will remove their sticky film, to allow the eggs to be rinsed away. ''A. lumbricoides'' eggs can be reduced by hot composting methods, but to completely kill them may require [[rubbing alcohol]], [[iodine]], specialized chemicals, cooking heat, or "unusually" hot [[composting]] (for example, over {{Convert|50|C|F}} for 24 hours).<ref>{{Cite book|isbn=978-0-9644258-3-5|chapter-url=http://weblife.org/humanure/chapter7_18.html|year=1999|title=The Humanure Handbook - A Guide to Composting Human Manure|edition= 2nd |chapter=Worms and Disease; Roundworms|first=Joseph|last=Jenkins|publisher=Joseph Jenkins, Incorporated }}</ref>

===Treatment===
{{Further|Ascariasis#Treatment}}
Control of roundworm infections is based on treatment with medication, improved sanitation and health education.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://patient.info/digestive-health/roundworms-leaflet |title=Roundworms: Symptoms and Treatment | date=10 February 2023 }}</ref> This usually takes around three days.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/15240-roundworms | title=Roundworms: Parasitic Infection, Pinworm Symptoms, Treatment }}</ref>