Any person, regardless of age, gender and status, can become a host and habitat for parasitic microorganisms. Although the word "host" is a strong word, they are worms that live in the human body, absorb its food and energy, poison and harm the body, and create a number of negative symptoms.
According to statistics from the World Health Organization, the vast majority of people live with at least one type of parasite. And in general, there are more than 70 species that can choose the human body as a home.
Some people think that parasites live only in the intestines, everyone remembers pinworms - small and white worms. But in reality, worms can penetrate any internal organ or system, as a result, they disrupt their functioning, which is dangerous not only for human health, but also for life.
What types of helminths should be considered and what are the most common? At the same time, find out what symptoms indicate their presence and what treatment will help to cope with the disease with the least harm to health?
Types of helminths, their classification
In the world, there are more than 300 types of parasites belonging to different classes and groups of microorganisms. There are only 70 species in our country, and from this number we can distinguish 10 that are found in the vast majority of cases.
Parasitic worms can be divided into two groups - intestinal and tissue - according to the characteristics of parasitism.
The first group chooses the human intestine as their home and may include pinworms, roundworms, giardia, hookworms, whipworms, roundworms, pork tapeworms and flatworms.
The tissue group includes trematodes, trichinella, liver flukes, echinococcus and alveococcus. They can settle in any internal organ of a person and live there for years.
Depending on the life cycle of parasites (as well as the source of infection), they can be divided into the following types:
- Biohelminths - eggs and larvae of this group of parasites grow in animal organisms (cows, dogs, cats) or insects (mosquitoes, flies). That is, human infection occurs directly from them. And it cannot be transmitted from one person to another.
- Geohelminths - the eggs and larvae of this group of parasites grow only in the soil, that is, outside the human body.
- Contact parasites - infection is transmitted directly from a sick person to a healthy person (through a handshake, household items, bedding, etc. ).
Depending on the class, the types of worms are divided into the following types:
- Roundworms (nematodes) come in a variety of sizes and shapes and are always of a different sex. These include pinworms and roundworms (as pictured).
- Cestodes or flat (tape) helminths are long worms that feed on their own skin. These include beef and pork tapeworms (very common) and echinococcus (as in the picture).
- Trematodes or flukes - opisthorchosis, schistosomiasis and some other types of parasitic microorganisms.
Tapeworms and flukes are always parasites, but there are more than 10, 000 species in the roundworm group, and only some of them can live in the human body.
Brief characteristics of common parasites
Pinworms that penetrate the human body cause a disease called enterobiasis. They look like small and round worms, white or yellowish in color, the maximum size is one centimeter.
Penetrating the human body, they are located in the intestines. Helminths are a contact type of parasites, which means they can be transmitted from a sick person to a healthy person. At night, the female crawls through the intestine and lays eggs. As a result, the main symptom of this disease is unbearable itching in the anal area.
The life cycle of pinworms varies from 4 to 6 months. It is possible to get rid of them only when the last larva dies. Parasite eggs have amazing vitality and can adapt to any adverse conditions.
The most common parasites in the human body include the following types:
- Roundworms (ascariasis).
- Toxocara (toxocarosis disease).
- Whipworm (trichocephalosis).
- Trichinella (trichinosis disease).
- Tapeworm or cattle worm (taeniarhynchosis).
- Pig tapeworm (diseases - taeniasis, cysticercosis).
Medical statistics say that the broad tapeworm is quite common, which causes a disease such as diphyllobothriasis, as well as echinococcus (echinococcosis), cat fluke (opisthorchosis) and lamblia - giardiasis.
All parasites have a negative effect on the human body during their life activity, and the symptoms of each disease differ significantly.
It should be noted that treatment also depends on the type of parasitic microorganisms, the intensity of helminth infestation and the number of helminths that have penetrated the human body.
Ascaris, Toxocara
A human roundworm is a large, round worm with a curved tip (like a hook). Sizes vary from 50 cm to one meter in length and about 6 centimeters in diameter.
Males are always much shorter than females. As a rule, the size of the male parasite does not exceed 25 centimeters. Ascaris larvae are relatively small in size. With the intensity of helminthic infection, roundworms are able to reproduce as quickly as possible, as a result of which parasite balls are formed in the intestines.
Ascaris (as in the photo) belongs to geohelminths. Eggs can enter the small intestine from the ground, where they turn into larvae over time, they can penetrate the circulatory system in a favorable environment and from there through the blood to all internal organs - lungs, heart, kidneys, cerebral hemispheres, skin, eyes.
If the larvae settle in the lungs, they destroy the alveoli and enter the bronchi, then enter the oral cavity together with the bronchial secretions and fall back into the intestines. Thus, secondary infection occurs. Adults can lay several thousand eggs per day and live in the human body for several years. Symptoms of ascariasis:
- General disorder, weakness.
- Increased irritability.
- Increase in body temperature.
- Shortness of breath, non-productive cough.
- Pain in the sternum.
Treatment of ascariasis involves preliminary cleansing of the body, the doctor recommends taking laxatives and sorbents that help remove waste products of parasites; Then antihelminthic drugs are prescribed taking into account the age and weight of the patient and the intensity of helminthic infection.
Treatment of roundworms is recommended with drugs aimed at destroying them.
Toxocara is a round parasite (as in the picture), yellow in color and up to 10 centimeters long. Infection occurs through contact with animals, in most cases you can get infected from cats and dogs.
The female parasite can lay up to 250, 000 eggs per day. The eggs of helminths enter the human body through the oral cavity and then fall into the intestines. Their life cycle can be compared to roundworms, they can enter the circulatory system and then various internal organs.
In the human body, a helminth larva cannot turn into an adult; Larvae can live up to 10 years in the human body. Symptoms of toxocariasis vary significantly, it all depends on the organ where the larva is located. Common symptoms of the disease include:
- Allergic reaction in the form of rash, itching, redness of the skin.
- Shortness of breath, difficulty breathing.
- Non-productive coughing fits.
- Dry wheezing when breathing.
The acute form of the disease has more "traditional" symptoms, which include weakness and apathy, fever, increased body temperature, joint and muscle pain, headaches and dizziness.
Treatment of toxocariasis begins with etiotropic therapy, which directly affects the causes of the disease, that is, the parasite larvae. Then, drugs that restore the functionality of the affected organs and systems are recommended.
Whipworm, Trichinella
In appearance, the whipworm is a thin worm, approximately 3 to 5 centimeters in length, with a diameter similar to a human hair. It has a sharp tip, through which it is fixed in the intestinal mucosa.
The helminth can penetrate the human body from the soil, and then move to the intestines, where the larvae are formed. As a rule, this type of parasite is located in the cecum and appendix. It can live in the human body from 3 to 4 years.
The peculiarity of infection with this parasite is that the disease can be asymptomatic. However, there are "classic" symptoms that are most often confused with respiratory diseases - cough, fever, nausea.
Whipworm reduces the body's defenses, as a result of which secondary infections can occur against the background of its infection, which significantly worsens the patient's condition. The following clinical symptoms are distinguished:
- Pallor of the skin.
- Weakness, nausea.
- Disorders of the digestive system.
- Abdominal pain syndrome.
- There is a mixture of blood in the feces.
- Increased irritability, convulsive states.
- Headache and dizziness.
As a rule, it is extremely rare to detect a parasite in the early stages of infection. However, treatment should be comprehensive. This includes narrow-spectrum anthelmintic drugs that only affect whipworms, pain relievers and antispasmodics.
Trichinella is a small worm no more than 5 millimeters long. It refers to biohelminths that circulate between prey and domestic animals. The parasite can enter the human body together with animal meat.
The female Trichinella ends up in the human small intestine, where the reproduction process takes place and new larvae appear. These larvae enter the circulatory system and can spread throughout the human body through the bloodstream. The "favorite" local area of \u200b\u200bTrichinella is skeletal muscles, where it can live up to 5 years. The first symptoms in the patient are observed on the 8-10th day of infection:
- Painful sensations in the abdomen.
- Constant nausea.
- Vomiting, disturbance of the digestive system.
- Loss of appetite.
After the larvae have traveled throughout the body, the symptoms described above become more pronounced, with additional joint and muscle pain and an allergic reaction (heartburn, itching, rash). If treatment is not started on time, the disease causes complications in the cardiovascular system, central nervous system and respiratory system.
Treatment includes anthelmintic drugs, as well as symptomatic therapy to combat allergic manifestations. Antipyretic drugs are recommended for high temperature. As a rule, therapy is carried out in a hospital setting.
Beef and pork tape
The bull tapeworm can reach a size of thirty meters, has a small head and thousands of segments in its body. The parasite has 6 hooks on its head. Helminth larvae develop in cattle. It can enter the human body through poorly thermally processed raw meat.
It remains in the small intestine throughout its life cycle, where it forms new segments. Then they are formed and eggs are taken from them. Each segment contains up to 100, 000 eggs.
The parasite feeds on the entire surface of the body and can live in the human body for up to 10 years. Common symptoms of the disease include:
- Systematic abdominal pain.
- nausea
- Loss of appetite, vomiting.
- Loss of body weight.
- Increased gas formation.
- Urge to defecate up to 5 times a day.
Treatment includes a health-improving diet that creates an unfavorable environment for the life of the parasitic microorganism, as well as anthelmintic drugs. Tablets are taken according to the regimen recommended by the doctor. After taking the medicine, the parasite dies and comes out naturally with the feces.
Pig tapeworm looks similar to cattle, but differs in length - it cannot exceed 5 meters. Infection can occur both by consuming raw meat and by a sick person. The life cycle of tapeworms is 20-30 years. The parasite can cause two diseases:
- Cysticercosis, when larvae enter the body.
- Taeniasis - an adult "lives" in the body.
Cysticercosis occurs against the background of acute headache, epileptic seizures, various rashes on the skin, and pathological changes in the eyeball are observed. Symptoms caused by an adult parasite:
- Allergic reactions, shortness of breath.
- Abdominal pain, stool disturbance.
- Loss of appetite, disturbance of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Sleep disturbance, nervousness, agitation.
Treatment of larvae is a long process. Single larvae are removed surgically, then anthelmintic drugs are prescribed.
To remove an adult from the human body, a narrow-spectrum antiparasitic drug that has a harmful effect on a certain type of parasite is prescribed. After the tapeworm leaves the body, it is examined to rule out the possibility that its body parts are in the intestines.
As medical experience shows, it is easier to treat parasitic diseases than to diagnose them at an early stage. Considering this situation, it is recommended to pay attention to the smallest pathological changes in your body and immediately consult a doctor for adequate therapy. The video in this article will tell you about the types of parasites that live in humans.