Baylisascaris infection history and symptoms
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Overview
History
Symptoms
The incubation period (time from exposure to symptoms) of a Baylisascaris infection is usually 1 to 4 weeks. If present, signs and symptoms can include:
- Nausea
- Tiredness
- Liver enlargement
- Loss of coordination
- Lack of attention to people and surroundings
- Loss of muscle control
- Blindness
- Coma
Diagnosis of Baylisascaris infection is difficult because symptoms depend on the number of infecting larvae and location in the body.
- Ocular larva migrans, when the larvae migrate to the eye, can cause sensitivity to light, inflammation of the eye, and blindness.
- Symptoms of visceral larva migrans, when the larvae travel to organs, depend on which organs are affected.
- For example, an invasion of the liver may cause hepatomegaly (inflammation and enlargement of the liver),
- While an invasion of the lung may cause pulmonary symptoms such as cough or chest pain
- Larvae rarely end up in the nervous system but the most severe cases are neural larva migrans, when the larvae migrate into the brain and cause it to swell (encephalitis)