According to the World Health Organization, approximately 90% of the world's population is infected with one type or another of the parasite. About 250 species of worms (helminthiasis) can live in the human body, but in addition to them there are also protozoa (amoebas, lamblia and others), arthropods, insect larvae and many other parasites.
Very often, residents of large cities become infected with banal worms, roundworms and tapeworms, dangerous to health and very unpleasant parasites, but only residents of tropical countries and tourists who go on vacation to the South often encounter creatures. truly terrible that parasitize the human body. . America, Africa or Australia.
Every day, each person faces a large number of parasites; One can become infected with worms by eating food or drinking water with parasite eggs or larvae, by close contact with a parasite carrier (animal or human), less commonly, infection occurs through household items or insect bites. .
The most common parasitosis.
- Intestinal worms– Representatives of this type of worms are diagnosed every year in 100 million people in the world. An adult roundworm is a worm up to 40 cm long that can exist in the human intestine for years, feeding on its red blood cells and poisoning the human body with waste products. Female roundworms can lay up to 200 thousand eggs a day, which are released along with feces and infect the soil. Ascaris larvae can migrate throughout the body, affecting internal organs, blood vessels and even the human brain.
- pinworms- small round worms that live in the large intestine. Pinworm infection is common in childhood; parasites enter the human body when the rules of personal hygiene are not followed (not washing hands after going to the toilet, walking and before eating, not changing underwear on time, sucking fingers and so on). These roundworms do not cause as severe poisoning as other worms, but can provoke the development of diseases such as enterocolitis, vulvovaginitis, salpingitis, cystitis and others. During the breeding season, adult worms leave the lower parts of the large intestine and lay eggs in the perianal folds, causing severe itching in the child, which is the main symptom of worm infection.
- Bovine and porcine tapewormThey are large tapeworms, whose length can reach 10 m. Despite their impressive size, tapeworms are not considered the largest or longest parasites. The longest worm in the world, the broad tapeworm, can reach a length of 25 m. Parasite infection occurs by eating undercooked meat or through contact and household contact. Tapeworms not only cause intoxication and exhaustion of the host's body, but can also cause obstruction of the bile ducts or intestinal obstruction. No less dangerous are the larvae of worms, which penetrate the internal organs, the brain and even the eyeballs.
- giardiana- protozoa or protozoan parasites that live in the small intestine of humans. Protozoal infection is possible by ingesting food or water contaminated with cysts. Diagnosing Giardia infection is quite difficult, since there are no specific symptoms of the disease. A sick person constantly feels unwell, often falls ill or is diagnosed with symptoms of various diseases of internal organs.
What parasites are considered the most dangerous?
The most terrible and dangerous parasites in the world are representatives of the following species: filaria, schistosoma, guinea worm, cysticercus, toxoplasma, loa loa and some other less common parasites.
filaria
Filariae are long round worms, their length is about 45 cm; filaria larvae can be infected by the bite of blood-sucking insects; Mosquitoes usually carry larvae and, less frequently, other insects. The filariae penetrate the lymphatic vessels and block them. As a result of the infection, a person's lower extremities swell so much that they lose the ability to move independently.
"Elephant disease" is widespread in hot countries and affects both local residents and tourists, and the latter more seriously. This disease is considered especially dangerous due to the difficulties of diagnosis and treatment: the disease becomes evident only when it becomes chronic, which is almost impossible to cure.
schistosomes
Schistosomes are a special type of worms that live in human blood vessels. Small flatworms, up to 2 mm long, enter the human body by swimming or drinking water contaminated with cercariae of the parasite.
Schistosomiasis is predominantly a tropical disease, contracted by swimming in open water. Once in the human body, schistosomes can cause serious damage to the liver, bladder or intestines.
guinea worm
Guinea worm or dracunculiasis is another serious parasitic disease that can be contracted by drinking dirty water in tropical countries. Roundworms, entering the human intestine, literally gnaw it, and then penetrate into the lymphatic vessels and subcutaneous fat, where they can grow up to 80 cm in length.
Where the parasites live, deep abscesses appear, inside which one or several large worms can be found. This parasitosis can only be cured surgically.
Loa Loa
Loa Loa or "eyeworm" is a round helminth that parasitizes subcutaneous fat. A person becomes infected through the bite of a blood-sucking insect, which is the parasite's intermediate host.
Once in the human body, Loa Loa begins to migrate throughout the body, even penetrating the eyeballs, brain or nervous tissue.
Mustachioed Vandellia
Unlike other parasites, it belongs to freshwater fish and lives in the rivers of the Amazon. A fairly large fish, up to 15 cm long, due to its transparency and eel-like shape, it is almost invisible in the water and silently swims towards its victims. The mustachioed vandellia can swim to the human urethra, attach itself to the wall of a blood vessel and suck the blood, literally eating its owner from the inside. It is only possible to get rid of this parasite through severe surgery.
Anyone can become infected with parasites; hundreds of thousands of dangerous parasites lie in wait for each of us: in water, in soil, on tree leaves, in public transport, in seafood, in fresh vegetables and fruits. Therefore, it is very important to follow all sanitary and hygienic rules and teach children the rules of personal hygiene as early as possible.
The entry of most parasites into the human body occurs completely imperceptibly; The first symptoms of the disease appear only a few weeks or months after infection. Symptoms of parasitosis can be different: from mild malaise and headaches to a sharp deterioration in condition, fever and hemoptysis.
Only constant monitoring of your health, regular medical examinations and extreme caution when visiting tropical countries will help you avoid infection with the most terrible parasites or, at least, diagnose such an infection in time.