Knowra Helminthiasis Helminthiasis Helminthiasis is infection by parasitic worms, including nematodes, tapeworms, and flukes. It ranges from intestinal disease to infections that damage organs or tissues.
Nematoda : A phylum of mostly cylindrical, unsegmented worms that includes many free-living and parasitic species. Roundworms such as hookworms and pinworms cause several common helminth infections.
Soil-transmitted helminthiasis : Infection by intestinal worms whose eggs or larvae mature in soil contaminated with human feces. Ascaris, whipworm, and hookworm infections illustrate this common route of transmission.
Stool ova and parasite examination : Microscopic examination of stool to detect parasite eggs, larvae, cysts, or other forms. It can identify eggs or larvae shed by many intestinal helminths.
Anemia : A condition in which blood has reduced oxygen-carrying capacity, commonly due to low hemoglobin or too few red cells. Hookworms and blood-feeding flukes can contribute to anemia through blood loss.
Protozoan infection : An infection caused by a protozoan, a single-celled eukaryotic organism. Protozoa are parasites too, but they are not multicellular worms.
Cestoda : A class of flatworms whose adult members are segmented tapeworms that absorb nutrients through their body surface. Tapeworms are a major group of helminths, with disease shaped by their larval and adult stages.
Schistosomiasis : A disease caused by blood flukes whose larval stages penetrate human skin in freshwater. It shows how a helminth can infect through skin contact rather than ingestion.
Kato–Katz technique : A quantitative thick-smear microscopy method used to detect and estimate the intensity of intestinal worm infections. It is used in surveys of soil-transmitted helminths and intestinal schistosomiasis.
Intestinal obstruction : A blockage that prevents the normal passage of contents through the intestine. Heavy Ascaris infections can form worm masses that obstruct the bowel.
Ectoparasite : A parasite that lives on the outside of its host, such as a louse or tick. Helminths generally live inside hosts, unlike these externally residing parasites.
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