What do you know about human parasitic diseases? The variety of human parasites is not limited to internal helminths.
There are certain types of parasites that enter and live under a person's skin, causing the same unpleasant symptoms as internal parasites.
In addition, the diversity is not limited to only helminthiasis - there are ticks, insects and protozoa.
Each of them has certain symptoms and manifestations that you should be aware of.
It is also just as important to know how to get rid of subcutaneous parasites.
Varieties of parasitic skin diseases
What types of parasites can live under human skin? The most diverse, among which are insects, helminths, ticks and protozoa unicellular organisms. Lesions of the human skin caused by various types of parasites are classified into a separate category of parasitic diseases.
Each group of diseases is united by characteristic pathogens:
- The simplest organisms cause protozoan skin diseases.
- Ticks cause acariosis lesions on the skin.
- Insects can cause entomotic skin lesions.
- Helminthiasis develop as a result of infection with helminths.
All of these pathogens of parasitic diseases of human skin are also unpleasant and require diagnosis and treatment. Long-term neglected forms can lead to irreparable consequences ranging from blindness to death. Fortunately, it can be added that most of the list of parasites living under human skin is typical mainly for countries with hot and humid climates.
Diseases caused by protozoa
Leishmaniasis
Leishmaniasis is caused by the simplest single-celled pathogens carried by mosquitoes. A person infected with leishmaniasis becomes a reservoir for the spread of infection. After being bitten by a mosquito, which is the main host of Leishmania, a person develops cutaneous or visceral leishmaniasis. Cutaneous leishmaniasis manifests as deep ulcers or pustules and extensive skin lesions. The mucocutaneous form of the disease causes significant deformation of the appearance, especially of the face. Edema of the airways in leishmaniasis can be fatal.
Leishmaniasis is found in 90 countries around the world and is a very common disease in Syria, Iran, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Brazil and Peru.
Diseases caused by ticks
Demodecosis
A disease caused by a parasite that lives under the skin in the sebaceous glands and follicles of living human hair. This is a microscopic mite - demodex. It is mainly localized on the eyelids, facial skin and ear canals. Rarely - on the chest and back.
Damage from Demodex causes complicated acne, dermatitis, which is exacerbated in spring and autumn. The skin is red, hyperemic, bumpy, inflamed. The ciliated edge of the eyelid is usually swollen, red, the eyelashes are stuck together, along the edge of the eyelid, there is discharge in the form of crusts, and loss of eyelashes is characteristic. Sometimes the disease progresses without obvious manifestations, which is why the tick is considered conditionally pathogenic. Usually, demodicosis is exacerbated in people with impaired immunity, with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, lungs and metabolic disorders.
Scabies
Another ubiquitous disease caused by mites called itching. These mites eat passages in human skin, in which they lay eggs. The development of an adult tick is accompanied by a complex cycle. Usually this process occurs at night, so at this time the itchy skin becomes more severe. The main diagnostic symptom of the presence of parasites under a person's skin looks like double small red dots located nearby. These are double passages eaten away by a tick.
The disease is complicated by various infections that the patient brings when trying to relieve the itching: streptoderma, lumpy seals, crusts of blood around the scratches, rashes in the form of bloody blisters and other skin lesions. Complicated scabies can resemble hives, pyoderma, dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis.
Infection usually occurs through prolonged contact with sick people (scabies have been shown to require skin-to-skin contact, which can last up to 30 minutes; you should not rule out the rather low likelihood of infection whenuse of common household items).
Diseases caused by insects
All skin diseases caused by Diptera are collectively called myiasis.
Wolfarthiose
The disease is caused by an insect called the wolfarth fly, which lays the larvae in the mucous membranes or wounds of the human body. The larvae destroy the tissue, releasing a special enzyme, causing severe pain, necrosis, edema, pus and gangrene of the affected tissues. They generally parasitize the eyes, nose, ears. The wolffish fly is widespread in countries with warm and temperate climates.
Diseases caused by helminths
Heartworm
Disease caused by round helminths. The source of infection is domestic animals - cats and dogs. The carrier is a mosquito. After its bite, individuals of sexually mature nematodes begin to develop in the human body, which, as a rule, parasitize under the human skin. The insect bite becomes more dense, inflamed, and itchy. A characteristic feature of the pathogen is its ability to move under the skin. Therefore, the disease is accompanied by a feeling of crawling movement inside the inflamed seal. Sometimes a nematode can be seen under the skin; cases of an individual emerging from the mucous membrane of the eye are described.
Allergic reactions, fever, nausea, and weakness may accompany symptoms.
Strongylosis
A disease caused by parasite larvae that invade a person's skin when they walk barefoot on the ground. Outbreaks of strongyliasis are found in Georgia, Ukraine, Krasnodar and Stavropol Territory. The roundworm larvae invade the skin and migrate underneath, causing redness, itching of the skin and the development of red blisters.
Treatment recommendations
General recommendations have been developed for the treatment of diseases caused by either of the human subcutaneous parasites. The most relevant for our region is the treatment of strongyloidiasis, scabies and demodicosis. Treatment is prescribed after diagnosis of the disease and only by a specialist. Some complications and manifestations of the disease require an individual approach to treatment.
- It is recommended to treat helminthiasis with antiparasitic drugs.
- For the treatment of itching, ointments, creams and other effective remedies are used. In the fight against scabies, a treatment regimen and a system of preventive measures for contact persons have been developed.
- Demodex treatment is carried out with complex measures to strengthen the immune system, treat gastrointestinal diseases and other procedures. Ointments for the treatment of scabies are used directly for the skin, as well as various cosmetic procedures.
Subcutaneous parasitic diseases require effort to be treated, so it is best to prevent infection by applying basic rules of personal hygiene. It is not superfluous to know the common symptoms that accompany these diseases, so as not to come into close contact with sick people.