Recently, Xiaoyu’s mother discovered a strange thing.
When she looked at Xiaoyu’s recent photos, she found that in the photos, the reflection in the pupil of the baby’s right eye was not common red, but yellow and white, like a cat’s eye. Xiaoyu’s mother felt something was wrong more and more, so she hurriedly took Xiaoyu to the hospital. A check of eyesight, only to find that Xiaoyu’s right eye’s eyesight was so poor that she could only see the fingers in front of her.
Mother heard the news like a bolt from the blue. Is this what? What the hell is going on?
Ophthalmologists carefully examined and tested Xiaoyu and determined that the [culprit] of Xiaoyu’s illness was Toxocara canis. This is a parasitic disease, and the source of the worm turned out to be Xiaoyu’s best little partner, puppy Bobby.
Bobby was Xiaoyu’s third birthday when her mother brought it back to Xiaoyu to keep her company. In an instant for two years, Xiaoyu and Bobby played together every day and became more and more intimate.
Unexpectedly, this closest friend actually caused Xiaoyu’s disease.
Is this what?
Toxocara canis mentioned earlier is a common parasite parasitic in the intestinal tract of dogs or cats. When it infects people, it is called Toxocara canis disease. It is most common in children under the age of 10, especially children who have cats and dogs at home or have close contact with cats and dogs.
In developed countries such as Europe and the United States, Pet cats and dogs have strict rules on deworming and immunization, But even so, In the United States, 20% of dog feces are still detected with Toxocara lumbricoides eggs, and 24% of park soil samples in Britain can be detected with Toxocara lumbricoides eggs contamination. A study in China found that the infection rate of Toxocara lumbricoides in free dog feces is as high as 41% ~ 50%. Therefore, parents of pets such as cats and dogs at home must pay attention to this problem.
How did the child get infected with this disease?
Eggs are excreted through the feces of infected cats and dogs, which may contaminate the areas where children play-the ground, bunkers, shoes, toys, etc. After the eggs are eaten by the child by mistake, they have the opportunity to hatch into larvae, which pass through the gastrointestinal wall and migrate to the child’s liver, lungs, eyes and other places.
Those children who do not wash their hands frequently and often put their hands in their mouths, especially those under 4 years old, are more likely to be infected.
Adults are also infected with Toxocariasis canis due to raw contaminated meat or soil addiction, but clinically, most patients are still children under 16 years old.
In addition, there is no transmission of Toxocariasis canis from person to person.
How do I know if the child has this disease?
After being infected, the child will have fever, cough, lung wheezing, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, swelling of liver, spleen and lymph nodes, and urticaria (wind mass)-like pimples.
Larvae of Toxocara canis often crawl to the eyes, and because the eye manifestations are relatively obvious and characteristic, the disease is often diagnosed first by ophthalmologists.
The earliest manifestation of the eye should be vision decline, but due to the limited expression ability of the child or the normal vision of the other eye, it is usually manifested as eye deviation, abnormal reflection of pupil or swelling around the eye when coming to see a doctor.
Most cases can be confirmed through ophthalmic examination and examination of serum antibodies and blood cell components.
What should I do after the diagnosis?
Compared with infection in other parts, the treatment of toxocentric ascariasis in ocular dogs is relatively complicated.
Children’s eyes are extremely fine and fragile. The crawling of Toxocara canis in the eyes will directly cause damage to the eye structure and disorder of vision development.
If the symptoms are mild, certain eyesight can be preserved after timely and effective treatment. Children with severe or delayed illness may lose eyesight forever, and even the appearance of eyeballs may change.
Mild and stable ocular dog Toxocariasis can be closely observed without treatment, but if the lesion endangers vision and the progress of activities, it should be treated in time.
The whole body of canine toxocariasis is usually treated with albendazole in combination with anti-inflammatory treatment with corticosteroids. If necessary, ophthalmic surgery is also required to save the eyeball.
Prevention is of paramount importance
This disease should be paid enough attention by parents and relevant departments to give priority to prevention.
- Educate children to wash their hands frequently, Trim your nails in time, Don’t put anything on the ground or dirty hands in your mouth. Remember to regularly go to regular institutions to deworm and immunize pets. Puppies under 6 months old are more infectious, Therefore, the immunity to puppies cannot be relaxed. Good pet training, It is best to let dogs form the habit of defecating in a fixed place. Dispose of pet excrement in time, Avoid polluting the home environment. Clean the home environment regularly, Especially in areas where pets often move, In order to avoid the residual and spread of eggs as much as possible. Kindergartens and schools should also attach importance to the popularization of relevant knowledge. In addition, government health departments should formulate pest control measures, especially for public bunkers and amusement parks. Some places in Japan and Europe and the United States have already started to build protective nets or covers around bunkers in parks to prevent cats and dogs from entering bunkers for excretion.
Thanks to the doctor’s efforts, Xiaoyu saved his right eye, but his right eye could no longer see the world as clear as his left eye.
[Pets are man’s best friends], However, if you don’t pay attention to some details, these friends will also inadvertently cause unnecessary harm to us. In order not to let more children suffer from such regrets as light rain, I hope parents will pay enough attention to [Toxocara canis], educate children to form good hygiene habits, and learn to scientifically raise pets and take care of children.
I hope pets bring happiness and companionship, not harm to health.