"Roundworm eggs" refers to the eggs laid by a specific type of parasite called a roundworm. These eggs are extremely small and can be found in soil, feces, or contaminated areas. They can cause infections in humans and animals if ingested or come into contact with the mouth.
Full definition
Infected dogs will pass
roundworm eggs in their feces and the eggs can then go on to re-infect other dogs that are exposed to the infected feces.
Once inside a dog's body,
ingested roundworm eggs hatch and the larvae then migrate to the intestine and become adults.
Most often, these are young children who eat dirt or sand that
contain roundworm eggs because of dog stool left on the soil.
Roundworm eggs hatch in the intestine, and the larva are then carried to the lungs via the bloodstream to mature.
Various varmints (rats, mice etc.) that come in contact
with roundworm eggs end up with these parasites encysted in their bodies and can transmit them to adult cats if they are themselves consumed.
Children are most likely to
eat roundworm eggs because they may ingest dirt and eat food with dirty hands.
Baylisascaris procyonis, the raccoon roundworm, rarely infects humans, but again, the resistance of children to handwashing puts them at risk for ingesting
raccoon roundworm eggs when playing outdoors.
While this will not
kill roundworm eggs, it can help to loosen them up from environmental surfaces, especially in kennels or other high - traffic areas.
When people accidentally eat
dog roundworm eggs, the migrating larva that hatch from those eggs usually do not find their way to the intestine.
As roundworm eggs hatch, they dig their way through the heart and lungs, so Richard may have spit blood and suffered abdominal pain.
These two species of worms are transmitted to humans through the ingestion of
roundworm eggs which contain infective larvae.
Raccoons carry a roundworm in their intestine (Baylisascaris procyonis) and
shed roundworm eggs in their feces.
For instance, whipworm and
roundworm eggs dropped to the soil in your pet's feces can remain infectious for years, while hook worm larvae can accumulate in the earth.
Right: In the process of grooming, a cat can
consume roundworm eggs from soil (Photocredit: Carolyn Wil via wikimedia commons)
I saw an Animal Planet program last year about a toddler who ingested raccoon
roundworm eggs at a playground and almost died as the larva went into his brain, ate through his -LSB-...]
A fully - grown dog or cat can pick up the parasites by eating infected food or water, or feces found in soil, thereby ingesting
roundworm eggs too small to be noticeable.
Litter - boxes can be cleaned with a 1 % bleach solution to
remove roundworm eggs; rinse well to remove all bleach.
Older dogs sometimes develop an immunity that
prevents roundworm eggs from maturing into adults, however, if these are not taken care of they can affect the next generation of puppies that come from that dog because the eggs will remain dormant in the dog's body.
The life cycle starts again when the host has a bowel movement with its first batch of
roundworm eggs within.
Humans may accidentally consume
infective roundworm eggs, which can lead to the development of a zoonotic disease affecting the eye, brain and / or other organs.
The biggest problem revolves
around roundworm eggs that are inadvertently eaten and then hatch producing larvae that can migrate throughout the body.
Sand boxes are a prime culprit for children becoming infected by Toxocara cati because they are attractive places for cats to defecate,
leaving roundworm eggs behind.
Surfaces that may be contaminated
with roundworm eggs can also be treated with this bleach solution.
Both kittens and adult cats may become infected by
swallowing roundworm eggs (eggs picked up on the fur or feet from contact with infected cats» bowel movements) which contain infective larvae.
To avoid accidentally
eating roundworm eggs, wash your hands before eating, thoroughly wash fruits and vegetables and keep sandboxes covered to prevent stray cats from using them as litter boxes.
Various varmints (rats, mice etc.) that come in contact with
dog roundworm eggs, end up with these parasites encysted in their bodies and can transmit them to dogs if they are themselves consumed.
It's also important to tell your children to avoid playing in areas where dogs defecate,
as roundworm eggs can survive in the soil for up to two years.
According to the Companion Animal Parasite Council, a survey conducted in 1996 using samples collected from across the United States found that more than 30 % of dogs younger than 6 months of age were
shedding roundworm eggs and other studies have shown that virtually all pups are born infected.
For instance, whipworm and
roundworm eggs dropped to the soil in your dog's feces can remain infectious for years, while hook worm larvae can accumulate in the earth of a dog run.
Raccoon roundworm eggs are very hardy and remain infective in the soil for years after being shed in the stool.
Roundworm eggs hatch in the human intestinal tract, and from there, travel to other parts of the body, including the eyes and brain.
Roundworms are transmitted when pets ingest
roundworm eggs from an infected rodent or infected soil.
In a study of dog fur, only half the dogs were found to have
roundworm eggs in their fur (no more than one egg per dog was found) and only 4 percent of the eggs found were infectious.
When a human
ingests roundworm eggs, the eggs hatch in the intestines and start to burrow through the body, stopping somewhere throughout to form a cyst.
Roundworms Cats can become infected with roundworms by mainly three ways: ingesting
roundworm eggs from the environment such as soil, nursing from a mother cat who was already infected before she gave birth and eating prey animals usually rodents; infected lizards, mice, birds and bugs.
Roundworm eggs are usually plentiful but, in some cases, it may take more than one fecal examination to find them.
Cleaning and sanitizing any areas where your puppy eliminates can also be helpful, but
roundworm eggs are notoriously difficult to destroy.
Roundworm eggs and larvae can also be picked up on the hands from soil, grass, plants especially in areas where your puppy is eliminating.