Question

When children play bare-footed in pools of dirty water and floor water, they may suffer from
A. Leptospirosis and bilharzia
B. Malaria, amoebic dysentery and leptospirosis
C. Bilharzia, infective hepatitis and diarrhoea
D. Guinea Worm infection, elephantiasis and amoebic dysentery.

Answer 1

Some parasitic organisms and Leptospira species can survive in ponds, rivers, lakes, surface water, and moist soil when the environmental temperature is warm and are generally transferred via primary or secondary exposure with the urine of infected animals.

Complete answer:
To answer this question, first, we need to know about organisms present in dirty and floor water. Leptospira is a genus of Spirochaete. It usually spreads from rodents to man. They are excreted in urine. Transmission to man may follow direct contact with urine, blood from a contaminated animal or contact to a contaminated environment. The spirochaete may get in via skin rubbing or even via entire mucus membranes of the mouth, oesophagus or oropharynx on food consumption.

Bilharziasis is the older name of Schistosomiasis. Portal of entry into man is through the skin when wading or swimming in water infested with cercariae larvae.

Now, let us find the solution from the option.

When children play bare-footed in pools of dirty water and flood water, they may be infected by Leptospirosis and bilharzia.
Leptospirosis causes due to a bacteria of the genus Leptospira and can happens via direct exposure with urine from contaminated animals or via water bodies, soil or food infected with their urine, this can happen on swimming in fresh water contaminated with animal urine or via coming into exposure with plant or wet soil contaminated with animal urine.
Bilharzia is caused by parasitic flatworms and is transferred by snails that bear the parasite. It happens when streams, pond water bodies contain bilharziasis transmitting snails, where the parasites may go through the human skin to enter the bloodstream and move to the liver, intestines and other organs.

Thus, the correct option is A. i.e. Leptospirosis and bilharziasis.

Note: Most infections are mild and do not require treatment. Leptospira invades the body through mucous membranes or through broken skin. Infections develop in the kidneys, liver and central nervous system but are most persistent in the kidney tubercules. Bilharzia disease can affect different parts of the body, including the lungs, the nervous system, and the brain.