Parasites can inhabit the human body, in any of its organs and systems. These creatures enter the body from the environment and are carried throughout the body with the bloodstream. There are a large number of varieties of parasites that can inhabit the human body. All of them pose a threat to human health and cause negative changes in the work of organs. So, today we will talk about the varieties of human parasites. In the next article, you will learn what parasites can settle in the human body.
How can you get infected with worms?
To protect yourself, you need to know 4 ways to spread and infect worm eggs with eggs:
- Through soil and water - soil-transmitted helminths. They develop in sand, soil, and water, then enter the human body and begin to lay eggs there. Also, the worm's eggs enter the external environment along with the droppings and wait on the wings to infect a new person. Eating poorly washed vegetables and fruits, dirty hands, dust on food can lead to human infection with soil-transmitted helminths. Some parasite eggs enter the human body through the skin of the feet and ankles.
- Through direct contact. Worms in pets and humans are spread through hand contact, play, and joint activities.
- Through the use of contaminated food of animal origin - biohelminthiasis. Eating raw and poorly processed meat (skewers, bacon, preserves, home game) and fish (sushi, dried fish, canned fish) is potentially dangerous. There is the possibility of contracting intestinal infections and biohelminths.
- With insect bites. This type of infection is quite rare. These include intestinal myiasis, cantariasis, and escoleciasis. Do not confuse parasite eggs and insect larvae, which also settle under the skin of animals and the skin of people (eg horsefly larvae).
The main mechanisms of the spread of worms.
- Soil, sand, and other types of soil are the most fertile habitat for worm eggs. The fruitful plants are in continuous contact with the ground. During the harvest, vegetables, fruits and vegetables come into contact with the hands of workers, with dusty shelves in vegetable stores and trucks. Under such conditions, food is very likely to become contaminated with parasite eggs. Therefore, it is necessary to thoroughly wash products of plant origin under running water, and then pour them with boiling water. You should be especially vigilant in the field, where pets walk through the yard and then enter the house. It is not difficult to imagine what kind of sewage a cat or dog can put in the house after an evening walk. Flies and cockroaches also carry helminth eggs. By sitting on food, insects can infect your food. Any contact with the ground and sand can cause parasites to enter the human body. Therefore, it is necessary to wash your hands well, especially under the nails. This applies in particular to children.
- From person to person. This infection mechanism is highly efficient. For example, pinworms lay eggs at night in the area around the anus. A child, in a state of sleep, scratches the place where the eggs are laid, since the itching begins there. Thousands of eggs fall on the clothes, on the bed, and in the morning on the doorknobs and on everything that a restless little one touches in the morning even before washing their hands and washing their face. As a result, the whole family is at risk of infection.
- By contact with water. Open bodies of water contain a large number of types of worms. Accidental bathing and swallowing water is a serious risk of infection.
Children are much more likely than adults to be susceptible to helminth invasion. This is due to the fact that the child's body is poorly protected (defense mechanisms are just being formed) and the child is in active contact with the external environment. It takes an incredible effort for parents to teach you the basic rules of personal hygiene. Children are much more likely than adults to be susceptible to helminth invasion.
A baby younger than 6 years old is at high risk of infection. According to statistics, about 95% of children under the age of 4 to 5 are infected with worms. Therefore, it is necessary to pay special attention to prevention. Most types of worms are inside the body, only they lay eggs there and after a certain period of time they die. For example, pinworms live 6 to 8 weeks, roundworms up to 1 year. The number of parasites in the body increases only with the entry of new eggs from the outside.
Treatment allows you to get rid of the worms much faster and stop the laying of eggs in the intestines. It is almost impossible for children with helminth infestation to recover without medication. New eggs will constantly enter the oral cavity, replenishing the rows of adults in the child's body.
What are the signs to recognize a helminthic invasion?
The signs of the appearance of worms in humans are obvious and hidden. The most obvious include "unreasonable" weight loss, pale appearance (anemia of the skin), chronic fatigue, night itching in the anal canal. These manifestations are well known and are indicative of contamination.
Helminthic invasion cases are not uncommon, in which diseases of the internal organs are aggravated, diseases that have not previously manifested themselves occur. These are considered hidden signs. A person is brought into treatment for many diseases and the cause is unknown. At the same time, therapy does not work. Here are examples of such cases:
Infectious diseases as a result of decreased immunity.
Parasites, being in the human body, consume many nutrients and release toxic substances. Such circumstances significantly reduce the immunity of the patient. An exacerbation of chronic diseases, various inflammatory processes can begin in the nasopharynx. Treatment of sinusitis or stomatitis in the standard way does not make sense. It is important to rule out the cause. In girls and women, inflammation of the uterine appendages, vulvovaginitis, vaginosis of various origins can often begin.
General malaise as a result of intoxication of the body.
The more severe the helminthic invasion of the patient, the more harmful substances the parasites release. This has a detrimental effect on the well-being and nervous system of adults and children. An example of this is migraine, dizziness, joint pain. Overcoming nausea, the person takes painkillers, but the pain returns in a short time: the cause of the ailment is unknown. The more severe the helminthic invasion of the patient, the more harmful substances the parasites release
In children, nervous system disorders are accompanied by irritability, listlessness, and aggressiveness. If your child starts sleeping poorly, talking in dreams, having nightmares, or has sneaked into school, then it's time to start preventing helminthiasis.
Allergic reactions, skin pathologies.
The waste products of worms are perceived as allergen triggers. Skin reactions (rash, itching, rashes, peeling of the skin) are the minimum of symptoms that can occur when an allergy starts. There is a possibility of general reactions of the body: exacerbation of asthma, rhinitis, cough. Sometimes helminthic invasion is accompanied by brittleness and loss of hair, cracking of the skin on the heels, and peeling of the nails.
Gastrointestinal disorders
Depending on the severity of the infection, symptoms can range from mild to severe forms of the disorder. From mild nausea and diarrhea, to chronic flatulence, constipation, vomiting, pain in the navel and hypochondrium. Worms in tissues do not affect the gastrointestinal tract as much as intestinal parasites.
In what organs can parasites live?
Parasitic worms are divided into two categories, which correspond to the site of activity in the donor's body.
- Cavity: worms that live in various parts of the gastrointestinal tract. There are about 100 varieties of intestinal parasites, and there are a couple of dozen species for each section of the intestine. The small intestine is ready to accept roundworms, antilostomies, broad tapeworms, and other less common "siblings. "The small intestine will "share living space" with pinworms, dwarf tapeworms, and others. Medical literature describes cases in which a person was simultaneously infected with several types of parasites.
- Tissue: worms located in organs, tissues and even in the blood. Modern medicine successfully copes with paragonimiasis (lungs), cysticercosis (brain), echinococcosis (liver) and filariasis (lymphatic vessels). Some maggot larvae move through the body through the circulatory system and randomly attach to any organ. If too many eggs are introduced, the whole body can become infected.
Symptoms of worms according to the type of parasite.
Symptoms will differ for different types of worms in humans. It is also worth considering the duration and strength of infection with parasites, the general condition of the patient before infection. The following table summarizes the main symptoms of the presence of worms in humans by type.
| Type of parasite (disease) | Infection method | Symptoms | Symptom onset time |
| Roundworms (enterobiasis) | With foods of plant origin. | Nocturnal itching around the anus, presence of parasites in the stool, acute pain of short duration in the navel. | 2-3 days after infection |
| Vlasoglav (whipworm) | With contaminated food prepared in unsanitary conditions. | Symptoms are expressed only with severe invasion: diarrhea, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, inflammation of the appendix. In children, the growth of the body can be delayed and a rectal prolapse can even occur. | Few weeks |
| Broad tapeworm (diphyllobothriasis) | By eating infected river fish. | This parasite can live up to 25 years inside the patient. Mechanical damage to the intestines, vitamin deficiency, intestinal obstruction, intoxication of the body, allergies. | Few weeks |
| Roundworm (hookworm) | When walking barefoot on loaded ground. | Itching, swelling of the feet and legs where the parasite enters. Cough, phlegm, damage to the bronchi and lungs. Weakness, dizzinessThe menstrual cycle in women is disturbed. Men have impotence. | Several days |
| Ascaris (ascariasis) | With foods of plant origin. | Pain in the intestines, peritonitis, bronchitis, pneumonia, liver disease, pancreas. It can cause suffocation by crawling from the gastrointestinal tract into the esophagus or respiratory tract. | about 3 months |
| Trichinella (Trichinosis) | Poorly processed meat, lard. | Nausea and attacks of heartburn, diarrhea. | 2 days |
| Hepatic and giant flukes (fascioliasis) | Food and water for plants. | Fever, dry cough, loss of appetite, abdominal pain. | 2-4 weeks |
The symptoms of helminthiasis are as diverse as the pathogens of parasitosis, their life cycle, entry routes, migration and preferred location are different from each other.
The general symptoms of parasitic diseases are explained by the fact that with helminthic invasions, parasites suppress a person's immunity and contribute to the development of inflammatory and autoimmune processes. The general symptoms are associated with intoxication, the death of parasites, their vital activity and reproduction, they manifest as weakness, lability and mood changes, decreased performance and academic performance, memory and learning capacity in children.
Pain in the right hypochondrium, bitterness, the appearance of jaundice may indicate that the parasitic disease is mainly localized in the hepatoduodenal zone (the area of the liver and ducts). At the same time, the patient may notice nausea, episodes of regurgitation (vomiting).
Symptoms associated with damage to the liver and ducts related to the hepatobiliary system are observed, for example, when infected with the flatworm - opisthorchis. This helminth enters the body of the final host, a human, by eating poorly processed fish of certain breeds (carp). Symptoms associated with damage to the liver and ducts related to the hepatobiliary system are seen, for example, when infected with a flatworm. - opisthorchis
The disease is endemic and has special areas of distribution. For the transmission of the pathogen, the larvae of the parasite must go through a complex cycle with a change of host (a mollusk of a certain species, a fish of the carp family).
Often with many parasitic diseases, there are certain manifestations of the skin in the form of itchy skin, various rashes, scratching, atopic dermatitis, eczema and other skin diseases. Skin processes are not always associated with helminthic invasion and are unsuccessfully treated by dermatologists.
It is important that with helminthiasis any organ and tissue can be affected, patients are often worried about headache, arthralgia (joint syndrome), complaints of the upper and lower respiratory tract appear. Often a persistent cough, frequent ARVI, pharyngitis, laryngitis, shortness of breath are associated with inflammation, a key place in the pathogenesis of which is infection by parasites (helminths).
Giardiasis and its characteristics.
Giardiasis is a protozoal disease in which the pathogen exists in vegetative form and in the form of cysts. Giardia infection occurs when cysts are ingested, which are very persistent in the environment and can persist for a long time in the environment (soil, food, water, various objects).
1 ml of stool can contain millions of lamblia cysts which, when placed in a favorable environment, can transform into vegetative forms. In the human intestine, a vegetative and mobile form is formed from cysts for several hours with flagella attached between the cells of the intestinal epithelium, where the pathogen finds a favorable environment for itself with a sufficient amount of carbohydrate foods, which is a favorite substrate. for Lamblia. Giardia in a favorable environment are divided into binary (into two parts), and soon their number increases many times. In addition to the intestines, vegetative forms of lamblia affect the hepatobiliary system (bile ducts, gallbladder).
The symptoms of giardiasis are associated with asthenia, poor academic performance, weakness, in combination with signs of intestinal and hepatobiliary tract damage. The course of giardiasis and other parasitic diseases is largely associated with the characteristics of the immune response. Intestinal form, gastroenterocolytic - a common form of giardiasis. The endotoxins of the pathogen can affect the nervous system, which explains the presence of many common extraintestinal symptoms.
ascariasis
Another common and ubiquitous parasitic disease is ascariasis. This helminthiasis occurs most often in children, but in adult patients it often causes numerous complaints and symptoms. Many chronic inflammatory diseases, as well as somatic pathologies, can be initiated by parasitic invasion and intensify in the presence of various parasites (including roundworms).
Often, children and adults who are carriers of ascaris develop chronic colitis, enteritis, bronchitis, even a disease as serious as bronchial asthma can develop other allergic processes (atopic dermatitis, eczema, rhinitis, psoriasis) can be compatible.
Ascaris enters the stomach when the eggs are swallowed. After entering the upper parts of the digestive tract (stomach), the larvae, breaking free from the capsule, migrate to the blood vessels, with the blood flow they enter the alveoli of the pulmonary system, which causes the patient to cough, cough and other bronchitis phenomena.
This condition is often considered a viral infection, an exacerbation of a chronic bronchopulmonary disease, and is generally associated, in this case, with the movement of the parasite's larvae.
After expelling the ascaris larvae and getting phlegmatic pathogens in the pharynx, they are swallowed with saliva and re-enter the stomach, then pass into the intestines, where there are favorable conditions for further growth and development of the parasite. After expelling the roundworm larvae and obtaining phlegm pathogens in the pharynx, they are swallowed with saliva and re-enter the stomach, then pass into the intestines, where there are favorable conditions for further growth and development of the parasite.
In the human intestine, roundworms, which feed on its contents, develop into sexually mature individuals (50 cm female, 20 cm male). In the process of growth and vital activity, as well as as a result of the migration of larvae, the parasite has a negative mechanical and toxic effect on the human body.
In the process of growth, vital activity, egg laying and maturation, the pathogen has a suppressive effect on the body's immunity, it can cause diseases of the lungs, intestines and other parts of the digestive tract, anemia. Ascaris can live in the human intestine for up to a year.
Medicines for helminths
Medical treatment of a person with pills is possible with the help of a large number of modern means.
Since some funds do not work on the larvae and eggs of worms, and there is also a high risk of reinfection (autoinfection with pinworms), the course of treatment is repeated after 2-3 weeks. Among the popular methods, the most effective are the time-tested methods - the use of pumpkin seeds and tansy. Medical treatment of a person with pills is possible with the help of a large number of modern means.
The fact that pumpkin seed is a good anthelmintic agent has been known for a long time, it is better to buy seeds unpeeled, peel them yourself, keep and eat a thin film between the seed and the shell, and consume 300 g per the morning. . within an hour, previously chopped and mixed with honey or jam. Then do not eat for 3-4 hours and do an enema, you can repeat this treatment after 2 weeks.
Interesting Facts About Human Parasites.
- According to the WHO, around 3 billion people are infected annually with helminthic infestations. 1. 200 million suffer from enterobiasis, 0. 900 million from hookworm, 0. 700 million from whipworm. And these are just official statistics !;
- In European countries, every third inhabitant carries intestinal parasites in the body;
- With severe invasions, a person loses up to 500 ml of blood per day. This is where ailments and chronic fatigue originate;
- Some parasites are located in the brain, the eyeball, the bone marrow and can live there for up to 30 years. For example, citisterk. ;
- Ascaris females lay 240, 000 eggs per day. Constant reinfection will not allow a person to heal the first time. Repeated courses of treatment are required;
- The waste products of parasites - poisons and toxins - undermine human health 24 hours a day;
- Some types of tapeworms reach lengths of up to 12 meters. Sometimes it threatens with obstruction of the human intestine;
- Pumpkin seeds contain cucurbitins, which help cure worm infestations without resorting to medication. Pumpkin seeds are often given to children for prevention;
- It is optimal to treat pets every 3 months. In this way you will save yourself and your children from parasites;
- Worm eggs can wait on door handle wings for up to 6 months;
- An infected dog spreads parasite eggs by breathing within a 5 meter radius;
- In order not to be digested in the stomach and intestines, the worms and their eggs release protective antienzymes;
- Trichinella does not lay eggs, but produces ready-to-use worms. Therefore, under laboratory conditions, it is impossible to detect the presence of this parasite;
- The most effective assay to detect invasion is considered to be the enzyme immunoassay. Swabs and stool tests may not provide reliable information.
In short, it must be said that regular prevention of helminth infections, even with cheap drugs (they are also considered the mildest), helps to protect the whole family. Be responsible for hand and body hygiene and prepare food well for use. Children and pets need constant parasite control.