All you need to know about roundworm infection, its symptoms, precautions, treatments, home remedies and more

What actually is roundworm? India, according to reports, has one of the highest numbers of cases related to worms. Recently, doctors at Delhi’s Fortis Hospital removed 14 live roundworms (measuring 15 – 20 cm each) from a 38-year-old patient’s bile duct without surgery.

What is roundworm?

Roundworms, constituting the phylum Nematoda are a diverse animal phylum and inhabit a broad range of environments. It is the most common of the parasitic worms found inside a dog. Although over 25,000 species have already been described, Nematode is said to be difficult to distinguish. Nematodes are classified along with insects and other moulting animals in the clade Ecdysozoa and have tubular digestive systems with openings at both ends. While it is estimated that 500,000 to 1 million species of roundworms exist across the globe, only 40,000 of them have evidence of their existence.

How does it infect a body?

Since, most of the dogs become infected with roundworms at some time in their lives, extreme intimacy with your puppies can result in human ingestion and infection. Contact with dog faeces has significant chances to lead you towards inflammation. Roundworms eggs increase in a rapid number in the soil where pets deposit faeces. In general, roundworms live in the affected dog's intestines. They can also attack human gut, which is a perfect place for these parasites to live, feed and reproduce

What are the symptoms of a person suffering from roundworms?

Roundworms do not often cause any symptoms. However, people with major roundworms infection may witness a cough, shortness of breath, abdominal pain, nausea and diarrhoea, blood in the stool, weight loss and Fatigue. The parasites can also be found in the vomit or stool of the diseased.

What are the medical treatments option available?

Roundworms infection, also known as ascariasis or ascaris is easy to treat. Anthelminthic medications such as mebendazole, piperazine and albendazole are the most useful drugs to treat Ascaris for 1 to 3 days. 

While mebendazole is used for adults and children over the age of one, piperazine is recommended for treating babies aged 3-11 months. Albendazole is commonly used in tropical countries but is currently unlicensed for use in the UK. 

However, Albendazole is proved to be safe and effective for the disease.

A three-day course of mebendazole is required to cure the infection. This involves taking one tablet twice a day.

Piperazine is available as a powder and should be dissolved in water. Most children only require a single dose of the drug.

The side effects of such medications include stomach pain, skin rash, diarrhoea, flatulence, colic, nausea and vomiting.

What are the natural remedies to treat roundworms?

Top 5 home remedies for roundworms include:

1. Eat one tablespoon of crushed coconut with breakfast. Drink one glass of warm milk with two tablespoons of castor oil after three hours. However, Castor oil is not good for people suffering from gastrointestinal disease and children below five years of age.

2. Eat three cloves of raw garlic on an empty stomach for one week.

3. Boil two crushed garlic cloves in one-half cup of milk and drink it on an empty stomach.

4. Drink one tablespoon fresh raw papaya juice and honey with three or four tablespoons of hot water in an empty stomach.

5. Add a two-inch piece of pomegranate tree bark to one cup of water. Boil it until half the amount of water evaporates. Let the mixture to cool and drink it three times a day.