Geophagia is the consumption of dirt. Like Coprophagia, it is dangerous because parasite eggs can be passed in animal feces. Coprophagia is the consumption of feces, from the Greek copro (feces) and phagy (eat). ... A parasite is an organism that lives in or on the living tissue of a host organism at the expense of that host. ... Rabbit feces are usually 0. ...

Baylisascaris eggs, for instance, are dropped millions at a time by raccoons and other wildlife. They can stay dormant for years, through extreme temperatures and drought. Some of these roundworm eggs may remain in the soil long after the feces have decomposed, and become active in the digestive tract upon being consumed. Children's predilection to engage in geophagia makes them more susceptible to worm infestations. Baylisascaris is a genus of roundworms that infest more than fifty animal species. ... Type species Ursus lotor Linnaeus, 1758 Species Procyon cancrivorus Procyon insularis Procyon lotor Raccoons are mammals native to the Americas in the genus Procyon of the Procyonidae family. ... Classes Adenophorea    Subclass Enoplia    Subclass Chromadoria Secernentea    Subclass Rhabditia    Subclass Spiruria    Subclass Diplogasteria The roundworms (Phylum Nematoda) are one of the most common phyla of animals, with over 20,000 different described species. ...

Other dangers associated with geophagia include damage to enamel, the ingestion of a variety of bacteria, lead poisoning and intestinal obstruction. Phyla/Divisions Actinobacteria Aquificae Bacteroidetes/Chlorobi Chlamydiae/Verrucomicrobia Chloroflexi Chrysiogenetes Cyanobacteria Deferribacteres Deinococcus-Thermus Dictyoglomi Fibrobacteres/Acidobacteria Firmicutes Fusobacteria Gemmatimonadetes Nitrospirae Omnibacteria Planctomycetes Proteobacteria Spirochaetes Thermodesulfobacteria Thermomicrobia Thermotogae Bacteria (singular, bacterium) are a major group of living organisms. ... Lead poisoning is a condition, also known as plumbism or painters colic, caused by increased blood serum lead levels. ...

In some parts of the world, geophagia is a culturally sanctioned practice. In Uganda, for instance, earth intended for consumption is available for purchase.

Classification and Diagnosis

The International Classification of Diseases includes geophagia among eating disorders (F50) as a variety of pica, the ingestion of non-foods. However, dirt can constitute a source of iron, although the bioavailability of such mineral is quite variable. For example, red clays often have iron in ferrous form, poorly absorbed by humans. The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (commonly known by the abbreviation ICD) is a detailed description of known diseases and injuries. ... PICA may refer to either: Portland Institute for Contemporary Art Posterior inferior cerebellar artery: a major blood supply to the Cerebellum ... In pharmacology, bioavailability is used to describe the fraction of an administered dose of medication that reaches the systemic circulation, one of the principal pharmacokinetic properties of drugs. ...

Geophagia can be diagnosed, in absence of other evidence, by measuring the concentration of silica in feces.

References

• Reid R (1992): Cultural and medical perspectives on geophagia. Med Anthropol 13(4):337-51

• Harvey P, Dexter P and I Darnton-Hill (2000): The impact of consuming iron from non-food sources on iron status in developing countries. Public Health Nutrition 3(4):375-383

• Ziegler J (1997): Geophagia: a vestige of paleonutrition. Trop Med Int Health 2(7):609-11

• Walker A, Walker B (1997): Pica. J Soc Health 117(5):280-4

• Vermeer D (1966): Geophagy among the Tiv of Nigeria. Ann Assoc Am Geographers 56(2):197

• Hamilton G (1998): Let them eat dirt. New Scientist 159(2143):26-31

• Wong M, Simeon D (1993): The silica content of faeces as an index of geophagia: its association with age in two Jamaican children's homes. J Trop Pediatr 39(5):318-9

External links

• http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/bsc/tmih/1997/00000002/00000007/art00067