Fasciolopsis Buski (Intestinal Fluke)

Fasciolopsis Buski (Intestinal Fluke) General Information

The medical condition known as Fasciolopsis Buski (Intestinal Fluke) is caused by the largest fluke found in the intestines of humans (mainly in the small intestine), the trematode F. buski that belongs to the family of Fasciolidae. The parasite that determines the appearance of this infection (Fasciolopsis Buski (Intestinal Fluke)) has a length of almost eight centimeters (although it can sometimes measure only 2cm). This medical disorder is more common in parts of the Indian subcontinent and Asia because in these locations the population consumes raw aquatic, freshwater plants and lives near pigs that represent the main source of infection. It can be found in: Taiwan, Borneo, Southern and Central China, Thailand, Vietnam and some other parts of South-East Asia. So, the affected people are mainly those who live in developing countries from all around the world. More than 10 million people from these places (especially persons living in the rural areas) are infected with the fluke causing Fasciolopsis Buski (Intestinal Fluke) because they have serious difficulties in taking care of what they are eating; the appearance of this medical condition is obviously due to the lack in education about basic health. This worm usually gets in the human body after it is ingested. People have the bad habit of peeling off edible freshwater plants with their teeth without washing them; the likely source of infection is considered to be the water chestnut or the water caltrop. Some specialist say that this flatworm is present in every case of HIV infection, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease or Kaposi’s that occur in these areas of the globe.

Fasciolopsis Buski (Intestinal Fluke) Symptoms

Usually, all signs or symptoms of this medical disorder appear at the end of the incubation period, in the moment when the flatworm (fluke) reaches its mature stage. At the site where the eggs are attached and then develop, ulcerations or inflammations may be observed. These will always lead to severe ulcerations or intense hemorrhage. Many patients who suffer from Fasciolopsis Buski (Intestinal Fluke) are asymptomatic (they do not present any specific manifestation of this medical condition). The symptoms are allergic or toxic. For example, the patient might experience edemas that appear on the abdominal walls and/or on the face. The skin will eventually present a dry aspect and will become harsh. If the infection is not very serious and it has been discovered in time, the prognosis is great. However, when this disease evolves to severe stages, the infections are heavier and the main sings and symptoms can include: obstruction of the intestines, ascites (also called hydroperitoneum or peritoneal fluid excess and consists in the accumulation of liquids in the peritoneal cavity), intense pain felt in the abdominal region (the so called hunger pains), toxic diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, fever and anasarca (also known as extreme generalized edema, represents the swelling of the skin caused by the fluid that effusions into extracellular spaces). Although exact numbers of how many people have been infected remain unknown, it is estimated that only in South-East Asia 6 million persons are victims of this disease called Fasciolopsis Buski (Intestinal Fluke). If the intoxication is more profound, it may end with the patient’s death.

Fasciolopsis Buski (Intestinal Fluke) Treatment

The international prevalence of Fasciolopsis Buski (Intestinal Fluke) (or intestinal flukes) has increased in the past decades mainly because it was spread by the immigrant workers that came from the endemic areas. But you should not panic if you discover you suffer from this medical condition because is not a deadly one. When death occurs, it is easily observed that only persons who also suffer from severe prostration and cachexia or have a heavy worm burden, die. Death can also occur after some intercurrent infections. This is why a patient who experiences the symptoms that we have listed in the previous chapter ought to seek medical guidance as soon as possible. Fasciolopsis Buski (Intestinal Fluke) affects all age groups but children are more prone to get infected with the tapeworm causing the disease. If you live in the endemic areas or if you have been in contact with possibly infected persons, you should immediately talk with your health care provider. He or she may order a series of laboratory testing in order to determine the exact diagnosis. After a physical examination and an analysis of the signs and symptoms of a patient, the medical professional may need a sample of the patient’s vomit and/or stool because these represent the basis of a specific diagnosis. The samples will be analyzed under a microscope to identify the presence of eggs or, in rarer cases, the adult flukes. If eggs are present they must be exactly distinguished from those belonging to other types of worms.

Once the diagnosis is known for sure, the health care provider can proceed with the adequate treatment. The main drug of choice use to treat Fasciolopsis Buski (Intestinal Fluke) will be Praziquantel prescribed as Biltricide or Bayer (as tablets and only for humans). This drug is an anthelmintic one that gives extraordinary effects against any type of flatworms. Praziquantel was made in a city from Germany, Elberfeld, in the 1970s. The sufficient dosage consists in a single dose by day or the one-day treatment that contains divided doses (30 mg/Kg q6h for 1 day). Other brand names of this drug are only prescribed by the veterinaries. Some examples that we can offer are: PraziPro™, D-Worm™, Profender®, Cesol®, Tape Worm Tabs™, Cestoved®, Droncit®, or Cysticide®. Symptoms can sometimes be kept under control without a treatment, as well as the infection itself. In the most severe cases, when intercurrent infections with bacteria are experienced by the patient, they must be treated with the best therapy (one that includes the intake of antibiotics). The self diet is also very important when a person is on a treatment against Fasciolopsis Buski (Intestinal Fluke). The raw vegetables must be very well cleaned and cooked. Most professionals recommend boiling them for a couple of minutes, and then peeling and washing them with clean water. This process is extremely important in endemic areas in order to stop Fasciolopsis Buski (Intestinal Fluke) from continually spreading.