Any person, regardless of his age, gender and status, can become a host and habitat for parasitic microorganisms. Although the word "host" is a strong word, because it is worms that live in the human body, absorb its nutrients and energy, poison the body and harm the body, causing 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 exclusively in the intestines, while everyone remembers pinworms - small and white worms. But in reality, 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.
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 their presence, and what treatment will help 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. In our country, only 70 species are found, and from this figure we can single out 10, which are found 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 home, and may include pinworms, roundworms, lamblia, hookworm, whipworm, bovine tapeworm, pork tapeworm, and broad tapeworm.
The tissue group includes trematodes, 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 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. ).
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. These include pinworms and roundworms (as in the photo).
- Cestodes or flat (tape) helminths are long worms that feed through their own integument. These include bovine and pork tapeworms (found quite often), and echinococcus (as in the photo).
- Trematodes or flukes - opisthorchiasis, schistosomiasis and some other types of parasitic microorganisms.
Tapeworms and flukes are always parasites, but the group of roundworms 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 look like small and round worms, white or yellowish in color, with a maximum size of one centimeter.
Penetrating the human body, they settle in the intestines. Helminths are a contact type of parasite, that is, 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. It is possible to get rid of them 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).
- Whipworm (trichocephalosis disease).
- Trichinella (trichinosis disease).
- Tapeworm or bovine tapeworm (taeniarinhoz).
- Pork tapeworm (diseases – taeniasis, cysticercosis).
Medical statistics say that the wide tapeworm is quite common, which causes a disease such as diphyllobothriasis, as well as echinococcus (echinococcosis), cat fluke (opisthorchiasis), and lamblia - giardiasis.
All parasites, in the course of their life 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 helminthic 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). Sizes vary from 50 cm to one meter in length, and about 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 helminthic infestation, roundworms are able to multiply as quickly as possible, as a result of which balls of parasites form in the intestines.
Ascaris (as in the photo) belongs to geohelminths. Eggs can get from the ground into the small intestine, where they transform over time into larvae, which, in a favorable environment, are able to penetrate the circulatory system, and from there, through the blood, move 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, 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 couple of thousand eggs per day and live in the human body for several years. Symptoms of ascariasis:
- General malaise, weakness.
- Increased nervousness.
- Increase in body temperature.
- Shortness of breath, nonproductive 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. Then anthelmintic drugs are prescribed, taking into account the patient’s age and weight, and the intensity of helminthic infestation.
Treatment of roundworms is advisable with medications that are aimed at destroying 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 become infected from cats and dogs.
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 intestines. Their life cycle can be compared with roundworms; they are also able to enter the circulatory system, and then into various internal organs.
In the human body, a helminth larva is not capable of developing into an adult; its maturation occurs exclusively in the intestines of animals. In the human body, the larvae can live up to 10 years. 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, redness of the skin.
- Shortness of breath, difficulty breathing.
- Unproductive 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. Next, drugs are recommended that restore the functionality of the affected organs and systems.
Whipworm, Trichinella
In appearance, the 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.
The helminth can penetrate the human body from the soil, and then moves to the intestines, where larvae form. 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 most 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, which significantly worsen the patient's condition. The following clinical symptoms are distinguished:
- Paleness of the skin.
- Weakness, nausea.
- Disorders of the digestive tract.
- Pain syndrome in the abdominal area.
- There is an admixture of blood in the stool.
- Increased irritability, convulsive states.
- Headaches and dizziness.
As a rule, it is quite 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, 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.
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 be spread throughout the human body through the bloodstream. Trichinella’s "favorite" local area is skeletal muscles, where it can live 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 travel 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 drugs, 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 a size of thirty meters, it has a small head, and there are thousands of segments on the body. There are 6 hooks on the head of the parasite. 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. Afterwards 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.
- Loss of body weight.
- Increased gas formation.
- Urge to defecate up to 5 times a day.
Treatment involves a health-improving diet that creates an unfavorable environment for the life of the parasitic microorganism, as well as anthelmintic medications. The tablets are taken according to the regimen recommended by the doctor. After taking the medication, the parasite dies and comes out naturally along with the feces.
Pork tapeworm is similar in appearance to bovine tapeworm, but differs in length - it can be no more than 5 meters. Infection can occur through consumption of raw meat, as well as from a sick person. The life cycle of tapeworm 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 a sharp 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, upset stool.
- Loss of appetite, disruption of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Sleep disturbance, nervousness, excitability.
Treatment of larvae is a long process. Single larvae are eliminated through surgery, 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 of its body parts being found in the intestines.
As medical practice shows, curing 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 slightest pathological changes in your body and promptly consult a doctor for adequate therapy. The video in this article will tell you about the types of parasites that live in humans.