is a genus of parasitic nematode worms known as the "small intestinal roundworms", which is a type of helminth.[1] One species, Ascaris lumbricoides, affects humans and causes the disease ascariasis. Another species, Ascaris suum, typically infects pigs. Parascaris equorum, the equine roundworm, is also commonly called an "Ascarid".[2]
Their eggs are deposited in feces and soil. Plants with the eggs on them infect any organism that consumes them.[3] A. lumbricoides is the largest intestinal roundworm and is the most common helminth infection of humans worldwide. Infestation can cause morbidity by compromising nutritional status,[4] affecting cognitive processes,[citation needed] inducing tissue reactions such as granuloma to larval stages, and by causing intestinal obstruction, which can be fatal