Fasciolopsis Buski (Giant intestinal fluke)

Fasciolopsis Buski – the intestinal fluke, is the largest fluke (7-10 cm long and 2-3 cm wide) found in humans. It infects mainly the small intestine of humans and occurs primarily in Asia. Contraction occur through ingestion of uncooked aquatic plants used in Asian cooking or insufficiently purified/contaminated water. 

Life cycle

As with other flukes it´s eggs passed in the stool hatch only after the infected feces reach fresh water. Inside of intermediate hosts (snails) several different developmental stages develop which attach to aquatic plants. Once inside the human body after consumption of the water plants usen in asian cooking, the intestinal fluke attaches itself to theintestinal wall and reproduces asexually to several hundreds within only a couple of months. Flukes live for up to 1 year but the infection continues due to direct reproduction without treatment. 

Symptoms

The infected may have symptoms such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation, fever and nausea. In some cases, anorexia and vomiting also occur. Flukes can sometime be passed in the feces. More severe and untreated infections cause serious consequences, especially in children.