Hanoi man suffers roundworm attacks passed from dog

The man, 55, said he had taken three rounds of medicine prescribed by a dermatologist, but his condition did not improve.

In fact, a subsequent full medical examination revealed that things were a lot worse than they seemed.

An ultrasound scan and magnetic resonance imaging at Melatec General Hospital recently revealed several injuries around the man’s liver. His blood test results also revealed that he tested positive for a dog roundworm infection, and he was eventually diagnosed with toxocariasis.

The man said his family had been raising dogs for years and thus he often played with them and also slept together with them.

However, the family did not deworm their pets regularly, and often did gardening work without protective gloves.

Doctor Nguyen Thi Ngoai of the hospital’s diagnosis department, said once an animal is infected with roundworm, the parasite’s eggs will be released into the environment through fecal matter. The eggs may also be present inside the anus of pets. When pets groom themselves, the eggs may latch onto humans or objects, causing them to propagate.

Toxocariasis is an illness caused by either the dog roundworm (Toxocara canis) or the cat roundworm (Toxocara cati). Once the eggs of the roundworm manage to enter the body, they will move to the intestines, where they will hatch into larvae. The larvae will enter the bloodstream and reach other sites in the body, the most dangerous ones being the lungs, eyes, liver and brain.

Signs of infection include itchiness, rashes, headaches, coughing, stomachache, sleep disorders and behavioral changes. People should go to the hospital if such symptoms show up, doctors recommend.