Anyone, regardless of their age, gender and status, can become a host and habitat for parasitic microorganisms. Although the word "host" is a strong word, because it is the worms that live in the human body, absorb its nutrients and energy, poison the body and harm the body, causing a series 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 their home.
Some people think that parasites live exclusively in the intestines, while everyone remembers pinworms - small, white worms. But in reality, worms are able to penetrate any internal organ or system, disrupting its functioning, which is dangerous not only for human health, but also for his life.
It is necessary to consider what types of helminths there are and which are the most common? At the same time, find out what symptoms indicate its presence and what treatment will help you cope with the disease with minimal harm to your health?
Types of helminths, their classification
There are more than 300 species of parasites in the world, which belong to different classes and groups of microorganisms. In our country, only 70 species are found, and from this number we can highlight 10, which are found in the vast majority of cases.
Parasitic worms, depending on their parasitism characteristics, can be divided into two groups - intestinal and tissue.
The first group chooses the human intestine as its home and can include pinworms, roundworms, lamblia, hookworm, whipworm, bovine tapeworm, swine tapeworm, and broad tapeworm.
The tissue group includes trematodes, trichinellae, liver flukes, echinococci, and alveococci. They can settle in any internal human organ and live there for years.
Depending on the life cycle of the 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 mature in animal organisms (cow, dog, cat) or insects (mosquito, fly). That is, human infection occurs directly from them. And transmission from one person to another is not possible.
- Geohelminths - eggs and larvae of this group of parasites mature exclusively in the soil, that is, outside the human body.
- Contact parasites - infection occurs directly from a sick person to a healthy person (through a handshake, household items, bedding, etc. ).
The types of worms, depending on the class, are divided into the following varieties:
- Round parasites (nematodes) come in different sizes and appearances and are always of different sexes. This includes pinworms and roundworms (as pictured).
- Cestodes or flat (ribbon) helminths are long worms that feed through their own integument. These include bovine and pork tapeworms (found quite frequently) and echinococcus (as in the photo).
- Trematodes or worms - opisthorchiasis, schistosomiasis and some other types of parasitic microorganisms.
Tapeworms and worms are always parasites, but the roundworm group has more than 10, 000 species, and only some of them can live in the human body.
Brief characteristics of common parasites
Pinworms, penetrating the human body, provoke a disease called enterobiasis. They resemble small, round worms, white or yellowish in color, with a maximum size of one centimeter.
Penetrating into the human body, they settle in the intestines. Helminths are a type of contact parasite, meaning they can be transmitted from a sick person to a healthy person. At night, the female crawls out of 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. You can only get rid of them when the last larva dies. Parasite eggs have incredible vitality and can adapt to any unfavorable conditions.
The most common parasites in the human body include the following types:
- Roundworms (ascariasis disease).
- Toxocara (toxocariasis disease).
- Trichophalosis (trichocephalosis disease).
- Trichinella (trichinosis disease).
- Tapeworm or bovine tapeworm (taeniarinhoz).
- Pork tapeworm (diseases – taeniasis, cysticercosis).
Medical statistics say that broad tapeworm is quite common, causing a disease such as diphyllobothriasis, as well as echinococcus (echinococcosis), cat worm (opisthorchiasis) and lamblia - giardiasis.
All parasites, in the course of their vital activity, negatively affect the human body, and the symptoms of each disease are significantly differentiated.
It is worth noting that treatment also depends on the type of parasitic microorganism, the intensity of the helminthic infestation and the number of helminths that have penetrated the human body.
Ascaris, Toxocara
The human roundworm is a large, round earthworm that has a curved end (like a hook). Sizes range from 50 cm to one meter in length and around 6 centimeters in diameter.
The length of males is always much smaller than the length of 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 the helminth infestation, the roundworms are able to multiply as quickly as possible, resulting in the formation of balls of parasites in the intestine.
Ascaris (as in the photo) belongs to geohelminths. Eggs can get out of the soil into the small intestine, where over time they turn into larvae, which, in a favorable environment, are able to penetrate the circulatory system and, from there, through the blood, pass to all internal organs - the lungs, heart, kidneys, cerebral hemispheres, skin, eyes.
If the larvae settle in the lungs, they destroy the alveoli and enter the bronchi, and then, together with bronchial secretions, into the oral cavity and again end up in the intestines. Thus, secondary infection occurs. Adults can lay a few thousand eggs a day and live in the human body for several years. Symptoms of ascariasis:
- General malaise, weakness.
- Increased nervousness.
- Increased body temperature.
- Shortness of breath, unproductive cough.
- Pain in the sternum region.
Treatment of ascariasis involves preliminary cleansing of the body; the doctor recommends taking laxatives and sorbents that help remove parasite residues. Then, anthelmintic medications are prescribed, taking into account the patient's age and weight and the intensity of the helminth infestation.
Treatment of roundworms is advisable with medications that aim to destroy them.
Toxocara is a round parasite (as in the photo), yellow in color and reaching a length of up to 10 centimeters. Infection occurs through contact with animals; in the vast majority of cases, you can get infected from cats and dogs.
The female parasite is capable of releasing up to 250, 000 eggs per day. Helminth eggs enter the human body through the oral cavity and end up in the intestine. Its life cycle can be compared to that of roundworms; they are also able to enter the circulatory system and then various internal organs;
In the human body, the helminth larva is not able to develop into adulthood; its maturation occurs exclusively in the intestine of animals. In the human body, larvae can live up to 10 years. The symptoms of toxocariasis vary significantly, it all depends on which organ the larva has settled in. Common symptoms of the disease include:
- An allergic reaction in the form of a rash, itching and redness of the skin.
- Shortness of breath, difficulty breathing.
- Unproductive coughing fits.
- Dry wheezing when breathing.
The acute form of the disease presents more "traditional" symptoms, which include weakness and apathy, fever, increased body temperature, joint and muscle pain, headaches and dizziness.
The treatment of toxocariasis begins with etiotropic therapy, which directly targets the causes of the disease, that is, the parasite larvae. Then, medications are recommended that restore the functionality of the affected organs and systems.
Whipworm, Trichinella
In appearance, the whipworm is a thin worm, whose approximate length is 3 to 5 centimeters and the diameter is similar to that of a human hair. It has a pointed tip, through which it is attached to the intestinal mucosa.
The helminth can enter the human body from the soil and then travel to the intestine, where larvae form. As a rule, this type of parasite settles in the cecum and appendix region. Able to live in the human body for 3 to 4 years.
The peculiarity of infection with this parasite is that the disease can be asymptomatic. However, there are "classic" signs that are most often confused with respiratory illnesses – cough, fever, nausea.
Whipworm reduces the body's defenses, as a result of which, against the background of its infection, secondary infections may occur, which significantly worsen the patient's condition. The following clinical symptoms are distinguished:
- Paleness of the skin.
- Weakness, nausea.
- Digestive tract disorders.
- Pain syndrome in the abdominal region.
- There is an admixture of blood in the stool.
- Increased irritability, convulsive states.
- Headaches and dizziness.
As a rule, it is very rare to detect a parasite at an early stage of infection. However, treatment must be comprehensive. It includes narrow-spectrum anthelmintic drugs that act exclusively on whipworms, analgesics and antispasmodics.
Trichinella is a small worm no more than 5 millimeters long. Refers to biohelminths that circulate among predators and domestic animals. The parasite can enter the human body along with animal meat.
The female Trichinella ends up in the human small intestine, where the reproduction process takes place and new larvae emerge. These larvae enter the circulatory system and can spread throughout the human body through the bloodstream. Trichinella's "favorite" local area is skeletal muscles, where it can live for up to 5 years. The first symptoms are observed in the patient on the 8th to 10th day of infection:
- Painful sensations in the abdominal region.
- Regular nausea.
- Vomiting, digestive tract disturbance.
- Loss of appetite.
Once the larvae have traveled throughout the body, the symptoms described above become more pronounced, with additional joint and muscle pain and an allergic reaction (hives, 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 medications, as well as symptomatic therapy that combats allergic manifestations. At high temperatures, antipyretic medications are recommended. As a rule, therapy is carried out in a hospital setting.
Bovine and pork tapeworm
The bull tapeworm can reach thirty meters in size, has a small head and thousands of segments on the body. There are 6 hooks on the parasite's head. Helminth larvae develop in cattle. It can enter the human body through poorly thermally processed raw meat.
Throughout its life cycle it remains in the small intestine, where it forms new segments. Then they are formed and eggs are obtained from them. Each segment contains up to 100 thousand 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 pain in the abdomen.
- Nausea.
- Loss of appetite, vomiting.
- Loss of body weight.
- Increased gas formation.
- Urge to defecate up to 5 times a day.
Treatment involves a diet that improves health and creates an unfavorable environment for the life of the parasitic microorganism, in addition to anthelmintic medications. The tablets are taken according to the regimen recommended by the doctor. After taking the medicine, the parasite dies and comes out naturally along with the feces.
The pork tapeworm is similar in appearance to the beef tapeworm, but differs in length - it cannot be longer than 5 meters. Infection can occur through consumption of raw meat, as well as from a sick person. The life cycle of the tapeworm is 20 to 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 a severe 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.
- Pain in the abdomen, disturbed stool.
- Loss of appetite, disruption of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Sleep disturbances, nervousness, excitability.
Treating larvae is a long process. Single larvae are eliminated through surgery and then anthelmintic medications are prescribed.
To remove an adult from the human body, a narrow-spectrum antiparasitic drug is prescribed, which has a detrimental effect on a specific type of parasite. After the tapeworm leaves the body, it is examined to rule out the possibility that parts of its body are found in the intestines.
As medical practice shows, curing parasitic diseases is much easier than diagnosing them early. Given this circumstance, it is recommended to pay attention to the slightest pathological changes in your body and immediately consult a doctor for appropriate therapy. The video in this article will talk about the types of parasites that live in humans.