Any person, regardless of their age, sex 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 damage the body, causing a variety 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 fact, worms are able to penetrate any internal organ or system, as a result of which they disrupt their functioning, which is dangerous not only for human health, but also for his life.
Is it necessary to consider what types of helminths exist and which 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
There are more than 300 species of parasites in the world, which belong to different classes and groups of microorganisms. Only 70 species are found in our country and from this figure we can identify 10, present in the vast majority of cases.
Parasitic worms, depending on their characteristics of parasitism, can be divided into two groups: intestinal and tissue.
The first group chooses the human intestine as its site and can include pinworms, roundworms, lamblia, hookworms, whipworms, bovine tapeworms, pork tapeworms and broad tapeworms.
The tissue group includes flukes, trichinella, liver flukes, echinococcus and alveococcus. 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 the infection), they can be divided into the following types:
- Biohelminths: Eggs and larvae of this group of parasites mature into animal organisms (cow, dog, cat) or insects (mosquitoes, flies). That is, human infection occurs directly from them. And transmission from one person to another is not possible.
- Geohelminths: the 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. ).
Types of worms, depending on the class, are divided into the following varieties:
- Round parasites (nematodes) are of different sizes and appearance and are always of different sex. These include pinworms and roundworms (as pictured).
- Tapeworms or flat (tape) helminths are long worms that feed through their own integument. These include bovine and porcine tapeworms (found quite often) and echinococcus (as pictured).
- Trematodes or trematodes: opisthorchiasis, schistosomiasis and some other types of parasitic microorganisms.
Tapeworms and flukes are still parasites, but the roundworm group includes 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, cause a disease called enterobiasis. They appear as small, round worms, white or yellowish in color, with a maximum size of one centimeter.
Penetrating the human body, they are deposited in the intestine. Helminths are a type of contact parasite, that is, they can be transmitted from a sick person to a healthy person. At night, the female emerges from 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 it only when the last larva dies. Parasite eggs have amazing 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).
- Trichocephaly (whipworm disease).
- Trichinella (trichinosis disease).
- Tapeworm or bovine tapeworm (taeniarinhoz).
- Pork tapeworm (diseases – taeniasis, cysticercosis).
Medical statistics say that large tapeworm is quite common, which causes such a disease as diphyllobothriasis, as well as echinococcus (echinococcosis), cat fluke (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 helminth infestation and the number of helminths that have penetrated the human body.
Ascaris, Toxocara
The human roundworm is a large round worm that has a curved end (like a hook). The dimensions vary from 50 cm to one meter in length and approximately 6 centimeters in diameter.
The length of males is always much less 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 helminth infestation, roundworms are able to multiply as quickly as possible, as a result of which balls of parasites are formed in the intestine.
Ascaris (as in the photo) belongs to the geohelminths. The eggs can penetrate from the ground into the small intestine, where over time they transform into larvae which, in a favorable environment, are able to penetrate the circulatory system and from there, through the blood, move to all the 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, together with the bronchial secretions, into the oral cavity, and then end up in the intestine. Therefore, a secondary infection occurs. Adults can lay a couple of 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, non-productive cough.
- Pain in the sternum area.
Treatment of ascariasis involves preliminary cleansing of the body; the doctor recommends taking laxatives and sorbents that help remove waste products of parasites. Subsequently, anthelminthic drugs are prescribed, taking into account the age and weight of the patient, as well as the intensity of the helminth infestation.
Treatment of nematodes is advisable with drugs aimed at destroying them.
Toxocara is a round parasite (as in the photo), yellow in color and reaching a length of up to 10 centimetres. Contagion occurs through contact with animals; in the vast majority of cases you can contract the infection from dogs and cats.
The female parasite is capable of releasing up to 250 thousand eggs per day. Helminth eggs enter the human body through the oral cavity and then end up in the intestine. Their life cycle can be compared to nematodes; they are also able to enter the circulatory system and therefore various internal organs.
In the human body, the helminth larva is not capable of developing into an adult, its maturation occurs exclusively in the intestines of animals; In the human body, larvae can live up to 10 years. The symptoms of toxocariasis vary significantly, it all depends on the organ in which the larva was lodged. Common symptoms of the disease include:
- An allergic reaction in the form of rash, itching, redness of the skin.
- Shortness of breath, difficulty breathing.
- Attacks of unproductive cough.
- 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, headache and dizziness.
Treatment of toxocariasis begins with etiotropic therapy, which directly affects the causes of the disease, that is, the larvae of the parasite. Subsequently, drugs that restore the functionality of the affected organs and systems are recommended.
Whipworms, Trichinella
In appearance, whipworm is a thin worm, the approximate length of which is from 3 to 5 centimeters, the diameter is like a human hair. It has a sharp end, through which it is fixed in the intestinal mucosa.
Helminth can enter the human body from the soil and then move into the intestine, where larvae are formed. As a rule, this type of parasite settles in the area of the cecum and appendix. 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 often confused with respiratory diseases: cough, fever, nausea.
Whipworm reduces the body's defenses, as a result of which, against the background of its infection, secondary infections can occur that significantly worsen the patient's condition. The following clinical symptoms are distinguished:
- Pallor of the skin.
- Weakness, nausea.
- Digestive tract disorders.
- Pain syndrome in the abdominal area.
- There is a mixture of blood in the stool.
- Increased irritability, convulsive states.
- Headache and dizziness.
As a rule, it is quite rare to detect a parasite in the initial stage of infection. However, treatment must be comprehensive. It includes narrow-spectrum anthelmintic drugs that act exclusively on whipworms, painkillers and antispasmodics.
Trichinella is a small worm no more than 5 millimeters long. Refers to biohelminths that circulate among predatory and domestic animals. The parasite can enter the human body along with animal meat.
Female Trichinella ends up in the human small intestine, where the reproduction process occurs and new larvae appear. These larvae enter the circulatory system and can spread throughout the human body through the bloodstream. Trichinella's "favorite" area is the skeletal muscles, where it can live for up to 5 years. The first symptoms are observed in the patient on the 8-10th day of infection:
- Painful sensations in the abdominal area.
- Regular nausea.
- Vomiting, disruption of the digestive tract.
- Loss of appetite.
After the larvae have spread throughout the body, the symptoms described above become more pronounced, with further joint and muscle pain and an allergic reaction (hives, itching, skin rashes). 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 and symptomatic therapy that combats allergic manifestations. At high temperatures, antipyretic drugs are recommended. As a rule, therapy is carried out in a hospital setting.
Bovine and porcine tapeworm
The bull tapeworm can reach a size of thirty meters, has a small head, and there are 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 heat-treated raw meat.
Throughout its life cycle it remains in the small intestine, where it forms new segments. Subsequently 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 its 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.
- Body weight loss.
- Increased gas formation.
- Urgency to defecate up to 5 times a day.
Treatment involves a healthy diet that creates an unfavorable environment for the life of the parasitic microorganism, as well as anthelmintic drugs. The tablets are taken according to the regimen recommended by the doctor. After taking the drug, the parasite dies and comes out naturally along with the feces.
The pork tapeworm is similar in appearance to the bovine tapeworm, but differs in length: it cannot exceed 5 meters. Infection can occur through the consumption of raw meat, as well as from a sick person. The life cycle of the tapeworm is 20-30 years. The parasite can cause two diseases:
- Cysticercosis, when the larvae enter the body.
- Taeniasis – an adult "lives" in the body.
Cysticercosis occurs against the background of a severe headache, epileptic seizures, various skin rashes and pathological changes in the eyeball are observed. Symptoms caused by an adult parasite:
- Allergic reactions, shortness of breath.
- Abdominal pain, upset stools.
- Loss of appetite, disruption of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Sleep disorders, nervousness, excitability.
Treatment of larvae is a long process. Individual larvae are eliminated surgically, then anthelmintic drugs are prescribed.
To remove an adult from the human body, a narrow-spectrum antiparasitic drug is prescribed, which has a harmful 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 intestine.
As medical practice shows, treating parasitic diseases is much easier than diagnosing them at an early stage. In view of this circumstance, it is recommended to pay attention to the smallest pathological changes in your body and timely consult a doctor for adequate therapy. The video in this article will tell you about the types of parasites that live in humans.