Parents often face the problem of the appearance of helminths, or more simply, worms in children, especially preschool and primary school age. The variety of parasites is impressive: today there are about 270 species. Among this number one of the parasites is toxocar - a round worm, the larvae of which cause the disease toxocarosis. About his symptoms and treatment, we'll talk further.
How is toxocarosis transmitted?
Toxocar is mainly found in dogs, less often in cats. It is in the body of these animals that the parasite passes a full life cycle. He gets to a person by swallowing eggs of a parasite. The source of their accumulation can be:
- wool of infected animals;
- poorly processed vegetables and berries;
- contaminated water;
- meat, suffering from toxocarosis of animals;
- unwashed hands.
Signs of toxocariasis
The larvae of the parasite, getting into the human body, are carried to the other organs by blood and settle in any of them. Once in the body, they can stay in it in an inactive state, but after a while they again migrate through the bloodstream. Over time, the larvae encapsulate and break down in these capsules. This process may be accompanied by local inflammation. Thus, in spite of the absence of a full cycle and the possibility to mature to a mature state, toxocares do serious harm to the body. Among the main symptoms of toxocarias in children can be noted:
- long-term recurrent fever;
- fits of dry cough;
- enlarged liver or spleen;
- bronchial and pulmonary diseases;
- problems with the gastrointestinal tract;
- eye diseases, up to strabismus or blindness;
- rash.
The peculiarity of toxocarosis when larvae enter the eye is that only one eye falls ill. Most often, the outcome of the disease is favorable, but, if larvae of toxocar enter specific centers of the nervous system or the myocardium, lethal outcomes are possible.
Analysis for toxocarosis and treatment
It is quite difficult to detect toxocariasis. An effective analysis is the immunological section. Not suitable for testing standard assays for the detection of helminths.
Treatment of toxocarias in children should be handled by a specialist. Preparations are selected based on the disease pattern. Surgical intervention is also possible, but most often this applies to cases of eye toxocariasis.
Perhaps with toxocarosis and therapeutic nutrition, but it should be remembered that it is by no means a medicine and only facilitates the condition of the sick child.
- A spoonful of honey is mixed with a tablespoon of wormwood seeds, and this mixture is used in breaks between the main meals.
- Flowers and leaves tansy poured hot water. One tablespoon of water takes three tablespoons of herbs. Infused mixture for an hour, then taken 3-4 times a day on a tablespoon.
Before referring to folk remedies, you should consult a specialist. Give broths should be neat, constantly paying attention to the condition of the child, since the herbs can cause allergies.
Prophylaxis of toxocariasis
In order to avoid the occurrence of toxocarias, first of all it is necessary to pay attention to pets, examining and, if necessary, treating them.
All fruits, vegetables and berries must be thoroughly washed and processed with boiling water. The correct heat treatment should be meat, because it can also contain eggs of the parasite.
The child should be trained carefully, wash his hands after walking on the street and after contact with animals.
Children's playgrounds and especially sandboxes should be protected so that they do not have access to stray dogs and cats.