Shellfish on the table not to blame for chronic cough in CÔte d'ivoire
Kristina Roesel, Delia Grace in Food Safety and Informal Markets, 2014
Lung flukes are one of the many types of worms that infect people. Humans can become infected with worms in numerous ways: schistosomiasis (bilharzia) is transmitted through contact with contaminated water, soil-transmitted helminthiasis (liver flukes) through infective soil and lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis) through mosquito bites. Transmission via food is yet another route which currently affects more than 40 million people worldwide, specifically, via food related to water such as fish, shellfish and water plants. More than 70 species of the class of worms called trematodes (flukes) are known to infect humans through food but they are widely unknown, partly due to their complex life cycles and geographic distributions. Lung fluke infection (paragonimiasis) is among the four most important of these neglected tropical diseases.2
Candida and parasitic infection: Helminths, trichomoniasis, lice, scabies, and malaria
Hung N. Winn, Frank A. Chervenak, Roberto Romero in Clinical Maternal-Fetal Medicine Online, 2021
Trematodes, or flukes, have a flattened, leaf-like body with one or more ventral muscular suckers to provide attachment. Flukes are monoecious (hermaphroditic), with separate male and female reproductive organs that connect at the common genital atrium. Trematodes have a more advanced alimentary canal, nervous system, and excretory system (Fig. 2). All trematodes require a period of external development in a snail host (31). Nematodes are unsegmented worms with an external cuticle, developed internal organ structures, and somatic musculature (Fig. 3). Most nematodes are dioecious (heterosexual), with male and female sexual differentiation, and mating required for reproduction. The alimentary, excretory, and nervous systems of nematodes are more differentiated than those of other helminths. Most nematodes undergo four molts, with shedding or resorption of the old external cuticle, and formation of a new cuticle (31).
Water and foodborne contamination *
Jamie Bartram, Rachel Baum, Peter A. Coclanis, David M. Gute, David Kay, Stéphanie McFadyen, Katherine Pond, William Robertson, Michael J. Rouse in Routledge Handbook of Water and Health, 2015
There are three groups of helminths that are parasitic to humans: tapeworms, roundworms, and flukes. Tapeworms (e.g., Taeniaspp., Hymenolepis spp., Echinococcusspp.) reside in the intestinal tract and can cause discomfort, diarrhea, and/or anemia. Flukes parasitize blood (i.e., blood flukes) and/or organ tissue (i.e., tissue flukes). Clonorchis sinesisand Paragonimus westermaniare two genera of foodborne tissue flukes that infect the liver and lungs, respectively. Clonorchis sinesisinfection can cause nausea, diarrhea, weight loss, jaundice, bacterial infections, inflammation, and cancer. Paragonimus westermani symptoms may include abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever, and/or hives. In severe cases, Paragonimus westermani infection causes headaches, vomiting, seizures, and death if left untreated. Roundworms are distinguished from both tapeworms and flukes by the presence of a tubular digestive system. Ascaris lumbricoides, a type of roundworm, compromises nutritional status and can cause anemia, stunting, and cognitive deficiencies. A second type of roundworm, Trichinellaspp., is one of the most common foodborne helminths. Symptoms of infection include nausea, vomiting, sweating, diarrhea, and/or fever. If left untreated, infections can lead to intense muscular pain, difficulty breathing, heart damage, kidney malfunction, and/or death as the parasite migrates from the site of first infection (typically the intestinal mucosa) to other host organs.
Helminthiases in North Korea: a neglected public health challenge
Published in Pathogens and Global Health, 2019
Helminth parasites infecting humans and other animals reside not only in the gastrointestinal tract of their hosts but also in other parts of the body such as the lymphatic system. Nematodes (roundworms) and platyhelminths (flatworms) are two major phyla of helminths: nematodes include the major intestinal worms (a.k.a. soil-transmitted helminths) and filarial worms (infecting lyphatic system and soft tissue); platyhelminths include the flukes and tapeworms [1]. Ascaris and Trichuris belong to soil-transmitted nematodes, and they are transmitted by eggs present in human feces which contaminate the soil in areas where sanitation is poor [2]. Platyhelminth flukes include food-borne trematodes such as Clonorchis sinensis and Paragonimus westermani, which infect the bile duct and the lungs in humans, respectively, following the ingestion of uncooked fish or shellfish. Taenia solium (pork tapeworm) and sparganum are platyhelminth tapeworms that cause cysticercosis and lung nodules, respectively [3].
Recent trends in praziquantel nanoformulations for helminthiasis treatment
Published in Expert Opinion on Drug Delivery, 2022
Ana C. Mengarda, Bruno Iles, João Paulo F. Longo, Josué de Moraes
Helminth infections are caused by different species of platyhelminths and nematodes. Platyhelminths (also known as flatworms) include flukes (also known as trematodes), such as schistosomes, and tapeworms (also known as cestodes), such as the pork tapeworm that causes cysticercosis. One of the most impactful is schistosomiasis, which is caused by infection with intravascular flatworms (blood flukes) of the genus Schistosoma [2,3]. These helminth infections are often a cause of serious animal mortality and morbidity, resulting in considerably reduced economic output among domestic animals, mainly cattle, goats, sheep, pigs, horses, and camels, with several species involved. For example, it has been estimated that 165 million cattle are infected with schistosomiasis worldwide [4]. In humans, schistosomiasis is clearly linked to poverty and despite affecting more than 240 million individuals, it continues to be neglected [3,5]. Food-borne trematodes, which are mainly caused by liver flukes (Fasciola spp., Opisthorchis spp., and Clonorchis sinensis), intestinal flukes (Heterophyes spp., Echinostoma spp., Metagonimus spp., and Fasciolopsis buski), and lung flukes (Paragonimus spp.) are also important human helminthiasis, affecting over 50 million people worldwide [6].
Fish-borne trematode infections in wild fishes in Bangladesh
Published in Pathogens and Global Health, 2020
Sharmin S. Labony, M. Abdul Alim, Muhammad Mehedi Hasan, Md. Shahadat Hossain, Ausraful Islam, Mohammad Zahangir Alam, Naotoshi Tsuji
FBT infections, particularly diseases caused by human liver flukes (C. sinensis and O. viverrini), are neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). FBTs have a negative impact on public health and are of great concern due to the associated complications [25]. We herein investigated the current status of FBT infections in wild, small, freshwater fishes in Bangladesh. The results obtained revealed that FBT infections in wild freshwater fishes were very high in Bangladesh, with 66% of the pool samples examined being infected. Although the MC of FBTs had not previously been identified in freshwater fishes in Bangladesh, adult flukes were detected in reservoir animals and birds [15,16], indicating that these parasites had existed for a long time. Since wild fishes are available throughout the country and are in high demand both in rural and urban areas in Bangladesh, the entire population is at high risk of FBT infections.
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