Visceral Larva Migrans (Toxicariasis)

Visceral Larva Migrans (Toxicariasis) – General Information

The Visceral Larva Migrans (Toxicariasis) are infections which are caused by the larvae of the parasitic worms known as Toxocara canis and Toxacara cati. These larvae of the parasitic worms live in the intestine of dogs and cats. The eggs of these parasitic worms are passed intro the stools of the cats and dogs and can infect the pet areas, the home garden. The children can swallow these eggs especially the children who are under the age of four, those who are accustomed to put things in their mouth and who do not wash their hands regularly. Once the eggs of these parasitic worms enter a child’s body, they hatch into larvae and then they penetrate the walls of the digestive tract from which they can migrate anywhere, especially: in the liver, lungs and eyes. The children who have pica (meaning that they eat everything they have in their hands) are at a higher risk of getting infected. The adults may also get infected by eating fruit and vegetables which have not been properly washed or by eating raw liver.
The Visceral Larva Migrans (Toxicariasis) usually affect the children and as they can not reproduce into the human body, the larvae just migrate in the whole body and invade the central nervous system leading to psychosis, ataxia, vertigo, nystagmus, seizures, the heart producing myocarditis, or the eyes causing Ocular Larva Migrans. The severity of the disease depends on the number of larvae or eggs swollen and on the grade of the allergic reaction caused by this medical condition. This medical condition affects women as well as men.

Visceral Larva Migrans (Toxicariasis)  – Symptoms

It is well known the fact that any medical disorder (including Visceral Larva Migrans (Toxicariasis)) can trigger a variety of symptoms. Therefore, some of this medical condition's most uncommon symptoms have not been listed (mentioned) here. This is why we strongly recommend you to contact your personal health care provider whenever you develop any unusual, bothersome or unpleasant symptoms. Your personal physician will be able to tell you if you are suffering from Visceral Larva Migrans (Toxicariasis) or from any other medical disorder. Here is a list of the most common symptoms that a person who suffers from this disease, may experience although each person experiences them differently and there are also persons who are asymptomatic, especially those with mild infection. The symptoms of this medical condition include fever, wheezing, enlarged liver, enlarged spleen, abdominal pain, rash, poor appetite, weakness, pruritus, eosinophilia, difficulty breathing, and enlarged lymph nodes (which are also called “swollen glands”). This medical condition can also affect the eyes causing swelling around the eyes, decreased vision or cross-eyed appearance (also known as strabismus). The untreated cases in which the eyes are affected lead to retinal damage. In the severe infections the patients may also experience nausea, vomiting, lethargy, behavior disorders, headaches, pneumonia, cervical adenitis, limb pain, and high fever.

Visceral Larva Migrans (Toxicariasis)  – Treatment

In order to prevent the children from getting infected with the eggs of the larvae which produce Visceral Larva Migrans (Toxicariasis) the parents should keep away the children from the areas where there are dogs and cats, they should teach their children to wash their hands regularly and especially after playing with a cat or dog, they should not let their children to put different things in their mouth. The parents who have a sand box for their children should keep away the pets from the sand box and should cover it when the child is not used and should also take their pets to a veterinarian in order to be dewormed. The doctor or personal health care provider can establish the diagnostic of Visceral Larva Migrans (Toxicariasis) by performing several blood tests (which usually reveal a high level of white blood cells, swollen liver, lungs and eye problems) and by the physical examination of the patient. Usually the doctors and the health care providers do not recommend any treatment in the persons who have mild infections with mild symptoms of Visceral Larva Migrans (Toxicariasis) because the mild infections usually pass on their own, but in the severe cases of this medical condition which involve the kidneys, lungs, eyes and other internal organs the doctors usually recommend anti-parasitic drugs which help to kill the larvae and eggs of the parasite. In the cases of the patients who are suffering from a severe lung Toxicariasis the doctors recommend besides the anti-parasitic drugs, anti-inflammatory drugs too. The severe infections which also affect the brain or the heart may lead to death, but this only in very rare cases.

In the cases in which the Visceral Larva Migrans (Toxicariasis) is not treated, it may lead to complications which involve the followings: heart arrhythmias, respiratory problems, decreased visual activity and blindness and encephalitis (this is the infection of the brain). The patients should see their doctor or their personal health care provider in the case they experience the following symptoms: fever, eye problems, rash, cough or difficulty in breathing.
The drugs which can be recommended to the patients who are suffering from Visceral Larva Migrans (Toxicariasis) by their doctor or personal health care provider are the followings:

• Mintezol is an anthelmintic drug which is used to treat the worm infections because it blocks the eggs and larvae production. These drugs can also block a certain enzyme which the parasites need in order to survive. The patients are not recommended to take these drugs if they are allergic to one or more of its components and should tell their doctor if they are pregnant, breast feeding or planning to become pregnant, if they are under treatment with other drugs (because Mintezol may interact with other drugs).
• Vermox is an anthelmintic drug which is used to treat the worm infections because it prevents the worms from developing and also from multiplying in the host’s body.
• Mebendazole is an anthelmintic drug used in the treatment of certain worm infections. These drugs kill the sensitive worms and help the host to expel them out of the body.