The 1970 ascariasis poisoning incident was a poisoning incident that took place in Quebec in February, 1970. At least seven people claimed to have been infected with parasitic worm eggs by Eric Kranz, a former postgraduate student from Hempstead, New York. [1] [2] [3] The victims were Canadians Richard Davis, William Butler, David Fisk, and Keith Fern, with three other friends and acquaintances reported to be mildly infested. Doctors said that one of the men may have been affected by as many as 400,000 larvae.[ citation needed ]
Eric Kranz was a 23-year-old postdoctoral student in parasitology at Macdonald College in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec. He shared a house with four roommates: Davis, Butler, Fisk, and Fern. The roommates were at odds with Kranz, who had not paid rent totalling CA$ 16.66 (1970) (equivalent to CA$128.93or US$ 95.51 in 2023) [4] , and asked him to move out. Kranz became agitated and allegedly told the roommates, "I'll put parasites in your food and you'll wake up dead". Kranz did pay the full rent balance on January 31, but the roommates evicted him anyway. Some time around February 1, Kranz prepared a festive Winter Carnival dinner for his roommates, and allegedly tainted the food with eggs stolen from the university laboratory where he studied. [5] The roommates were hospitalized around February 12, and Kranz left Quebec a couple of days later. As the medical investigation continued, doctors suspected poisoning and authorities were notified. On February 25 Kranz was charged with attempted murder and a warrant was sought for his arrest. [6] He returned voluntarily to Quebec, surrendered to authorities on 9 March, pleaded not guilty, and was remanded on bail.
Kranz went on trial in June, 1971, charged with intentionally endangering the lives of his four roommates. There was expert evidence before the court consistent with the presence of Ascaris larvae in the bodies of two of the complainants: however, opinions from three other laboratory sources were not available. The defence further claimed that the infection could have occurred by way of a recurring sewage backup into the kitchen sink of the house: a version of events which was denied by at least one of the complainants. Kranz also pointed out in the course of his testimony that his roommates could have come into contact with Ascaris eggs simply by handling his clothing. Following consideration of the evidence, Judge Gerard Laganiere held that there was insufficient evidence to demonstrate the defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, and Kranz was acquitted. [7]
About a week after the dinner, the roommates began to develop cough, dyspnea, weight loss, and fever. The symptoms did not improve, and on February 12 they sought treatment at Queen Elizabeth Hospital's emergency room with symptoms of acute respiratory distress. In addition to these symptoms physicians noted wheezing and the appearance of hives. [8] The roommates were treated for pneumonia, but the infection did not respond to antibiotics. Davis and Butler were in critical condition. After about four days, the staff was able to confirm the ascariasis diagnosis upon isolating live larvae, about 4 mm long, in the sputum and gastric washings. This confirmed exposure to ascariasis ova which were in the microscopic larval stage, migrating via the blood from intestine to lung. As these larvae ascended the trachea and were swallowed again they began developing into mature worms. Four weeks after infection, the victims passed numerous immature worms in bowel movements. Physicians cleared the developing adults with a course of piperazine, effectively ending the infestation. The victims were released from the hospital March 5, but the attending physician said that one of the men would probably have permanent lung damage.[ citation needed ]
This infection established a baseline case or index case for Ascaris suum infection in humans. Doctors had originally consulted Walter Reed Army Medical Center but found no precedent for human infection. [8]
Ascaris lumbricoides is a large parasitic roundworm of the genus Ascaris. It is the most common parasitic worm in humans. An estimated 807 million–1.2 billion people are infected with A. lumbricoides worldwide. People living in tropical and subtropical countries are at greater risk of infection. Infection by Ascaris lumbricoides is known as ascariasis.
Trichuriasis, also known as whipworm infection, is an infection by the parasitic worm Trichuris trichiura (whipworm). If infection is only with a few worms, there are often no symptoms. In those who are infected with many worms, there may be abdominal pain, fatigue and diarrhea. The diarrhea sometimes contains blood. Infections in children may cause poor intellectual and physical development. Low red blood cell levels may occur due to loss of blood.
Trichinosis, also known as trichinellosis, is a parasitic disease caused by roundworms of the Trichinella genus. During the initial infection, invasion of the intestines can result in diarrhea, abdominal pain, and vomiting. Migration of larvae to muscle, which occurs about a week after being infected, can cause swelling of the face, inflammation of the whites of the eyes, fever, muscle pains, and a rash. Minor infection may be without symptoms. Complications may include inflammation of heart muscle, central nervous system involvement, and inflammation of the lungs.
Ascariasis is a disease caused by the parasitic roundworm Ascaris lumbricoides. Infections have no symptoms in more than 85% of cases, especially if the number of worms is small. Symptoms increase with the number of worms present and may include shortness of breath and fever in the beginning of the disease. These may be followed by symptoms of abdominal swelling, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Children are most commonly affected, and in this age group the infection may also cause poor weight gain, malnutrition, and learning problems.
Helminthiasis, also known as worm infection, is any macroparasitic disease of humans and other animals in which a part of the body is infected with parasitic worms, known as helminths. There are numerous species of these parasites, which are broadly classified into tapeworms, flukes, and roundworms. They often live in the gastrointestinal tract of their hosts, but they may also burrow into other organs, where they induce physiological damage.
Hymenolepiasis is infestation by one of two species of tapeworm: Hymenolepis nana or H. diminuta. Alternative names are dwarf tapeworm infection and rat tapeworm infection. The disease is a type of helminthiasis which is classified as a neglected tropical disease.
Necator americanus is a species of hookworm commonly known as the New World hookworm. Like other hookworms, it is a member of the phylum Nematoda. It is an obligatory parasitic nematode that lives in the small intestine of human hosts. Necatoriasis—a type of helminthiasis—is the term for the condition of being host to an infestation of a species of Necator. Since N. americanus and Ancylostoma duodenale are the two species of hookworms that most commonly infest humans, they are usually dealt with under the collective heading of "hookworm infection". They differ most obviously in geographical distribution, structure of mouthparts, and relative size.
Anisakis is a genus of parasitic nematodes that have life cycles involving fish and marine mammals. They are infective to humans and cause anisakiasis. People who produce immunoglobulin E in response to this parasite may subsequently have an allergic reaction, including anaphylaxis, after eating fish infected with Anisakis species.
Ascaris suum, also known as the large roundworm of pig, is a parasitic nematode that causes ascariasis in pigs. While roundworms in pigs and humans are today considered as two species with different hosts, cross-infection between humans and pigs is possible; some researchers have thus argued they are the same species. Ascariasis is associated with contact to pigs and pig manure in Denmark.
Ascaris is a nematode genus of parasitic worms known as the "small intestinal roundworms", which is a type of parasitic worm. One species, Ascaris lumbricoides, affects humans and causes the disease ascariasis. Another species, Ascaris suum, typically infects pigs. Other ascarid genera infect other animals, such as Parascaris equorum, the equine roundworm, and Toxocara and Toxascaris, which infect dogs and cats.
Parasitic worms, also known as helminths, are large macroparasites; adults can generally be seen with the naked eye. Many are intestinal worms that are soil-transmitted and infect the gastrointestinal tract. Other parasitic worms such as schistosomes reside in blood vessels.
Mammomonogamus is a genus of parasitic nematodes of the family Syngamidae that parasitise the respiratory tracts of cattle, sheep, goats, deer, cats, orangutans, and elephants. The nematodes can also infect humans and cause the disease called mammomonogamiasis. Several known species fall under the genus Mammomonogamus, but the most common species found to infest humans is M. laryngeus. Infection in humans is very rare, with only about 100 reported cases worldwide, and is assumed to be largely accidental. Cases have been reported from the Caribbean, China, Korea, Thailand, and Philippines.
Ancylostomiasis is a hookworm disease caused by infection with Ancylostoma hookworms. The name is derived from Greek ancylos αγκύλος "crooked, bent" and stoma στόμα "mouth".
Toxocara cati, also known as the feline roundworm, is a parasite of cats and other felids. It is one of the most common nematodes of cats, infecting both wild and domestic felids worldwide. Adult worms are localised in the gut of the host. In adult cats, the infection – which is called toxocariasis – is usually asymptomatic. However, massive infection in juvenile cats can be fatal.
Human parasites include various protozoa and worms.
Ascaricides are drugs to treat ascariasis that is caused by infections with parasitic nematodes (roundworms) of the genus Ascaris. The large roundworm of pigs typically infects pigs while Ascaris lumbricoides affects human populations, typically in sub-tropical and tropical areas with poor sanitation. Ascaricides belong to the group of drugs collectively called anthelmintics which expel parasitic worms (helminths) and other internal parasites from the body by either stunning or killing them and without causing significant damage to the host.
Baylisascaris procyonis, also known by the common name raccoon roundworm, is a roundworm nematode, found ubiquitously in raccoons, the definitive hosts. It is named after H. A. Baylis, who studied them in the 1920s–30s, and Greek askaris. Baylisascaris larvae in paratenic hosts can migrate, causing larva migrans. Baylisascariasis as the zoonotic infection of humans is rare, though extremely dangerous due to the ability of the parasite's larvae to migrate into brain tissue and cause damage. Concern for human infection has been increasing over the years due to the urbanization of rural areas, resulting in the increase in proximity and potential human interaction with raccoons.
Boris Sielicki-Korczak is a Polish national and United States citizen, who worked as a CIA field operative between 1973 and 1979.
Soil-transmitted helminthiasis is a type of worm infection (helminthiasis) caused by different species of roundworms. It is caused specifically by those worms which are transmitted through soil contaminated with faecal matter and are therefore called soil-transmitted helminths. Three types of soil-transmitted helminthiasis can be distinguished: ascariasis, hookworm infection and whipworm infection. These three types of infection are therefore caused by the large roundworm A. lumbricoides, the hookworms Necator americanus or Ancylostoma duodenale and by the whipworm Trichuris trichiura.