| Disease and causative agent | Mode of transmission | Symptoms | Suggestive findings | Diagnosis | Treatment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diphyllobothriasis Tapeworm Disease (Diphyllobothrium latum, broad or fish tapeworm) | Raw freshwater fish (cod, perch, ruff, burbot) | Usually no symptoms, occasionally abdominal complaints, rarely pernicious anaemia | Megaloblastic anaemia, low blood vitamin B12 level | Stool ova and parasites (O&P) | Niclosamide or praziquantel1) |
| Taeniasis Tapeworm Disease (Taenia solium, pork tapeworm and T. saginata, beef tapeworm) | Faeces-intestine | Usually no symptoms, but T. solium infection may result in cysticercosis with accompanying symptoms (epilepsy, other CNS symptoms; see Extra-intestinal helminthiasis Introduction to Extra-Intestinal Helminthiasis) | Stool ova and parasites (O&P) | Niclosamide or praziquantel1) | |
| Dwarf tapeworm infection Tapeworm Disease (Hymenolepis nana, rat tapeworm) | Faeces-soil-intestine | Usually no symptoms, but may cause abdominal symptoms, particularly in autoinfection | Stool ova and parasites (O&P) | Praziquantel1) or niclosamide1) | |
| Ascariasis Ascariasis (Ascaris lumbricoides, human roundworm) | Faeces-soil-intestine | Usually no symptoms, but may cause abdominal pain and nausea as well as respiratory tract symptoms during the lung migration phase of the roundworm | Eosinophilia during the lung migration phase | Stool ova and parasites (O&P) | Mebendazole2) , albendazole1) or ivermectin |
| Enterobiasis Pinworm (Enterobiasis) (Enterobius vermicularis, pinworm, threadworm ) | Perianal skin-mouth | Perianal itch, disturbed sleep in children; the majority of infections are asymptomatic | Detection of live worms with the unaided eye; detection of eggs under a microscope; examining a sample taken from the perianal area | Pyrvinium or mebendazole2) , albendazole1) | |
| Strongyloidiasis Strongyloidiasis (Strongyloides stercoralis) | Soil-skin | Often no symptoms. In the lung phase, there may be cough, dyspnoea. In the intestinal phase, diarrhoea, constipation, vomiting. Occasionally, particularly in hyperinfection, upper abdominal pain, diarrhoea, weight loss | Eosinophilia common, rash (larva currens) | Stool ova and parasites (O&P), serology or Strongyloides culture. | Ivermectin or albendazole1) ; screening of close contacts |
| Hookworm disease Hookworm Disease (Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus) | Soil-skin | Usually no symptoms, but may cause burning upper abdominal pain, diarrhoea, anaemia | Anaemia | Stool ova and parasites (O&P) | Mebendazole2) or albendazole1) |
| Trichuriasis Trichuriasis (Trichuris trichiura, whipworm) | Faeces-soil-intestine | Usually no symptoms, but may cause abdominal complaints, weight loss, anaemia | Anaemia | Stool ova and parasites (O&P) | Mebendazole2) or albendazole1) or ivermectin |
| Toxocariasis (Toxocara canis and T. cati) | Dog/cat faeces- intestine | Abdominal pain | Eosinophilia | Antibody assays from blood | No well documented pharmacotherapy available |
1) In some countries only under special licence 2)Mebendazole (100 mg tablets) is available only under special licence in some countries |
Primary/Secondary Keywords