Ascaris in Alaska

Clean water is a priority to avoid many illnesses especially parasitic among humans and animals. In Alaska, the villages suffer from the lack of running water within their homes and their campsites. This can lead to a potentially lethal parasite infestation called Ascaris Lumbricoides. The course objective covered for this topic is: describe the various WBC and their function. Eosinophils are in the forefront to fight such a parasite after infection which starts with infected food and water.
Ascaris and Effects
Ascaris lumbricoides is a parasitic nematode also known as a round worm. They are long worms that can measure from 6 to 14 inches depending on gender. Infection is in the small intestine and usually asymptomatic but can lead to abdominal symptoms and lethal obstructions of the small intestine. It desires to reside in the small intestine to absorb all the nutrients stored there that we’re supposed to absorb. Some of those symptoms include bloating, nausea, anorexia, abdominal discomfort, recurrent abdominal pain, abdominal distension, and intermittent diarrhea (Leung & Hon, 2020). Among young children, infection can lead to malnutrition, growth retardation and inhibition of cognitive development (Davis & Wang, 2018, p. 1). How to treat and how body fights it.
Contraction in Alaska
Ascaris Lumbricoidis is contracted by ingestion of contaminated water or food that has been in contact with human feces. The ascaris eggs which in feces will contain the infective larvae when ingested will reach the small intestine where they will reproduce. Then they are defecated and when re-ingested will begin cellular development. The larvae will now hatch in the small intestine, invade the intestinal mucosa, and then enter the vasculature. The larvae will move through the portal circulation to the liver and then carried by the vascular system to the lungs to mature for about 10-14 days. Through the capillaries of the lungs, the larvae will penetrate the alveolar walls and then migrate up the bronchial tree to the throat where they will then be swallowed. This is how they reach the small intestine again and possibly other parts of the body (Davis & Wang, 2018, p. 1).
Ascaris is more predominant in areas of poor hygiene, lack of running water, and unhygienic food sources with lack of proper food storage. In the Aleutian islands of Alaska, there was a child that was found with traces of Ascaris L. in its intestinal area. This was one of the first recorded prehistoric cases of parasitic infection among the Aleuts. This was due to their way of life with sedentism in one region for many years. They had fecal matter being disposed of but not well enough to remain hygienic. Children would make them more susceptible to infection due to their curious nature. Inadequate hygiene practices, combined with high survival rates of Ascaris eggs in refuse areas adjacent to living quarters would have promoted high infection rates. However, seasonal movements, limited band size, and overall small population size may have curtailed spread of the parasites among the Aleuts (Bouchet, West, Lefèvre, & Corbett, 2001). “Present parasitological data indicate that tapeworm infestation is “widespread today in circumpolar regions” [6], and occurs in populations living in the vicinity of the Great Lakes of North America [31] This parasite was also identified in an Eskimo population of western Alaska with a prevalence varying from 15 to 30 %, depending on the season [20]. (Bouchet, West, Lefèvre, & Corbett, 2001).” In today’s villages of rural Alaska, those hygiene practices still exists. I recently visited Kivalina where they ran into periods of no running water and honey pots are used instead of indoor plumbing. The disposal of this fecal matter can be difficult in such a small village and can easily lead to cases of Ascaris L. Especially in regions like the northwest borough where there have been many cases of run off sewage water that could enter our water sources and lead to infection.
Treatment and Eosinophils
Our bodies attempt to kill parasites on their own. This is done by one of our white blood cell types being eosinophils. Eosinophils will recognize and attack parasites and other foreign bodies. The way eosinophils attack ascariasis is by first multiplying themselves once it detects the ascaris. Once the eosinophil count rises it will attack the parasite. “While eosinophils are capable of phagocytosis, it is well known that in order for them to kill large parasites such as Strongyloides sp., they must use alternative mechanisms. Eosinophils rely on secreted mediators—cytotoxic granules—to attack and kill parasites [27–30]” (Linch & Gold, 2011). Usually, these larger parasites are too much for eosinophils to attack on their own and need help from prescribed medications.
In order to treat Ascariasis medically, treatments of albendazole, mebendazole, and ivermectin are all proven effective, “yielding high parasitological cure and large reductions in eggs excreted, with no differences detected between them. The drugs appear to be safe to treat children and adults with confirmed Ascaris infection” (Conterno & Tuchi, 2020). Albendazole and mebendazole works by stopping the worms from absorbing glucose and causing them to starve and die. Ivermectin works by affecting the nervous and muscle system of the worm to paralyze the worm and cause death of the parasite.

Conclusion

 Ascaris L. is a potentially dangerous parasite mostly residing within the small intestine. Ascariasis can be minor, but in regions like rural Alaska, it can turn lethal with it being reoccurring and prevalent to young children. Both chemical and biochemical methods can help eradicate this parasite from our bodies. Eosinophils are white blood cells that will aid in the eradication. Ultimately, hygiene is important to avoid these parasites.

Intestines made of clay, Parasites made of spaghetti.

References

Bouchet, F., West, D., Lefèvre, C., & Corbett, D. (2001). Identification of parasitoses in a child burial from Adak Island (Central Aleutian Islands, Alaska). Comptes rendus de l’Academie des sciences. Serie III, Sciences de la vie, 324(2), 123–127.

Conterno, L. O., & Turchi, M. D. (2020, April 14). Anthelmintic drugs for treating ascariasis. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7156140/

Davis, R. E., & Wang, J. (2020, May 18). Ascaris: Current biology. Current Biology. https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(20)30271-2

Jenkins, E. J., & Castrodale, L. J. (2013, August 3). Tradition and transition: Parasitic zoonoses of             people and animals in Alaska, northern Canada, and Greenland – Sciencedirect. Science Direct.          https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B9780124077065000022

Linch, S. N., & Gold, J. A. (2011, June 13). The role of eosinophils in non-parasitic infections. Endocrine, metabolic & immune disorders drug targets. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5962354/#:~:text=While%20eosinophils%20are%20capable%20of,parasites%20%5B27%E2%80%9330%5D.

URL.Leung, A. K. & Hon, K. L. (2020, October 1). Human ascariasis: An updated review. Recent Patents on Inflammation & Allergy Drug Discovery. https://www.benthamdirect.com/content/journals/iad/10.2174/1872213X14666200705235757