All about Acanthocheilonemiasis: Causes, Symptoms, Complications, And Treatment

 

Dipetalonema or Acanthocheilonemiasis disease is typically a rare infection which is usually transmitted through the bites of tropical flies called A. Culicoides via parasites which are usually called Acanthocheilonema perstans. These parasites are usually found in Africa.

Acanthocheilonema perstans comes under a group of parasitic diseases commonly called filarial diseases and also known as nematodes that can be considered as one of the most abundant multicellular animals on earth.These parasites are usually found in free-living species grounds where the parasites eat bacteria, fungi and other nematodes, and flies like A. coliroides will take their feed on open contaminated foods with parasites which typically transfers infection to the human body through their bite.

Causes of Acanthocheilonemiasis

Acanthocheilonemiasis or dipetalonema diseases comes under the group of infectious diseases which are typically caused by the third stage or adult “thread-like” worms usually known as Acanthocheilonema perstans or dipetalonema perstans. This Acanthocheilonema perstans or dipetalonema perstans disease belong to the group of parasitics that can be described as filarial diseases or nematodes. This will become a life-threatening disease because parasites typically feed on protein of muscles and skin. This type of parasitic disease is most commonly transmitted by small black insects which are usually found in Africa that can be described as a midge or A. Culicoides.

 

Signs & symptoms of Acanthocheilonemiasis

Like any other insect bites, the effects of infections will take some time to grow on the skin of the infected area. This period of insect biting time is called the incubation period of disease spreading. At the start, people who are infected by Acanthocheilonemiasis may not show any symptoms but gradual period of time after the insect bite, symptoms will appear which might be escalate with time if you not treated it on time:

• Itchy skin (pruritus)

• Abdominal pain

• Chest pain

• Headache

• Localised swelling (edema)

• Muscle pains (myalgias)

• Swelling under the skin (subcutaneous)

Some further complications will be seen through medical examination are:

• Abnormal reactions of immune system

• Sudden Inflammation on the lining of the lungs (pleuritis)

• Enlarged liver and spleen (hepatosplenomegaly)

• High levels of granular white blood cells (eosinophilia)

• Muscle inflammation of muscles surrounding the heart (pericarditis)

• nematode invasion causes inflammation in areas of abdomen and chest 

Affected Populations & Groups:

Clinical Research shows that people who work or visit the places regularly with the presence of infected insects have a higher chance of getting parasites than the people who visited the place once.

Further, since the presence of parasites in central africa is abundant and also in other parts of South America, locals and natives are more likely to get infected rather than visitors or tourists.

The parasites can infect both people like males and females at any age of life.

Diagnosis

There are no specific diagnosis methods to diagnose Acanthocheilonemiasis, but there are some groups of tests recommended by researchers to detect any type of parasites.

A fecal (stool) exam or ova and parasite test (O&P): This test is typically used for identifying the cause of illness which is associated with digestive tracts like diarrhea, often loose or watery stools, sudden cramping, flatulence (gas), fatigue and severe abdominal pain, etc.  If you test for parasite identification, they will focus on the presence of ova eggs or parasites in the stool.

Endoscopy/Colonoscopy:

This test is used if the stool test does not show any accurate results. This endoscopy test will be conducted with a tube like structure called colonoscopy that can be inserted into the rectum. This colonoscopy has a tiny video camera which is attached to its head which allows your examiner to view the inside of the entire colon.

Typically, this test will be performed to look for parasites which cause abdominal illness such as loose or watery stools, cramping, flatulence (gas), etc.

Blood tests: Not all types of parasites travel through the blood but in the rare case of Acanthocheilonemiasis, the most perfect test for identifying parasites in your skin through your bloodstream is blood test.

Imagine testing: Imaging tests like MRI -Magnetic Resonance Imaging scan, X-ray, or CAT- Computerized Axial Tomography scan help you to detect the presence of parasites into different organs and also help to identify the root cause of the illness like chest pain and inflammation in the heart muscles.

Treatment

There is no single drug that is proven effective against all types of parasite infections but there is no treatment for this disease but in case of Acanthocheilonemiasis antiparasitic drugs and surgeries are very effective for Acanthocheilonemiasis infected people. Cases like if there is only presence of eggs and larvae,  antiparasitic drugs like Ivermectin or diethyl-carbamazine (DEC) are particularly used to flush out and help to reduce the number of worms and their corresponding symptoms.

Cases like where the size and the number of worms become life-threatening which cannot be controlled with antiparasitic drugs, but surgeries will be recommended to flush out the parasite from the body which will be followed by drugs that will be helpful to eliminate the presence of parasite in the body.

Prevention

Below are some preventive tips to avoid any further infection:

• You must sleep under an insect repellent net.

• You should Wear long sleeves and trousers throughout the day and night.

• You must maintain both personal and environmental hygiene.

• Always clear dry leaves and other rubbish from the roof and also from around the house.

• You don’t leave any empty buckets, tins, bottles, or drums around your presence, you should always turn empty cans upside down to prevent stagnant water from forming.

• Avoid collecting old tires.

• Avoid opening of stored water drums.

• You should cut long grasses and bushes.

• You should avoid coconut shells and husks because they store water for mosquitoes to breed in.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What is the life cycle of Acanthocheilonemiasis?

Ans: They have a five-stage life cycle that includes birth to thousands of live microfilariae within the host (i.e. human body), and then translocation via blood meal to the dermis layer of the skin.

Q2. How do you know if you have skin parasites?

Ans: Symptoms include itching at night, a pimply rash, sores, and crusty patches.

Q3. What is the biggest parasite found?

Ans: Dioctophyme renale, the giant kidney worm, is the largest known parasitic nematode infecting humans and adult females can reach over one metre in length.

Q4. Which worm affects lungs?

Ans: Paragonimus is a lung fluke (flatworm) that infects the lungs of humans after eating an infected raw or undercooked crab or crayfish.

Q5. What parasite is in 50% of humans?

Ans: Toxoplasma gondii is the most prevalent parasite of humans, infecting 30% to 50% of the world population.