Any person, regardless of age, gender and status, can become the host and habitat of parasitic microorganisms. Although the word "host" is a strong word, because these are worms that live in the human body, absorb its nutrients and energy, poison the body and harm it, 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 their 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 organ or internal system, disrupting their functioning, which is dangerous not only for human health, but also for his life.
It is 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 as little harm to health as possible?
Types of helminths, their classification
There are more than 300 species of parasites worldwide, which belong to different classes and groups of microorganisms. In our country, there are only 70 species, and of this number we can distinguish 10, which are found in the vast majority of cases.
Parasitic worms, based on their parasitic characteristics, can be divided into two groups: intestinal and tissue.
The first group chooses the human intestine as its habitat and may include pinworms, roundworms, lamblia, hookworm, whipworm, bovine tapeworm, pork tapeworm, and broad tapeworm.
The tissue group includes trematodes, trichinella, liver flukes, echinococci and alveococci. They can take up residence in any human internal organ and live there for years.
Depending on the life cycle of the 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 comes 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 pictured).
- Cestodes or flat (ribbon) 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 flukes - opisthorchiasis, schistosomiasis and some other types of parasitic microorganisms.
Tapeworms and flukes are still parasites, but the roundworm group has more than 10, 000 species, and only some of them can live in the human body.
Brief characteristics of common parasites
Pinworms, entering the human body, cause a disease called enterobiosis. They look like small, round worms, white or yellowish in color, up to one centimeter in size.
Penetrating the human body, they settle in the intestines. Helminths are a type of contact parasite, meaning they can be transmitted from a sick person to a healthy person. At night, the female exits 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 adverse conditions.
The most common parasites in the human body include the following types:
- Roundworms (ascariasis disease).
- Toxocara (toxocariasis disease).
- Whipworm (whipworm disease).
- Trichinella (trichinosis disease).
- Tapeworm or bovine tapeworm (taeniarinhoz).
- Pork tapeworm (diseases – taeniasis, cysticercosis).
Medical statistics indicate that the broad tapeworm is quite common, which causes diseases such as diphyllobothriasis, as well as echinococcus (echinococcosis), cat fluke (opisthorchiasis) and lamblia - giardiasis.
All parasites, during their vital activity, negatively affect the human body, and the symptoms of each disease are significantly differentiated.
It should be noted that treatment also depends on the type of parasitic microorganism, the intensity of the helminth infestation and the number of helminths that have entered the human body.
Roundworm, Toxocara
The human roundworm is a large roundworm with a curved (like a hook) end. Sizes vary from 50 cm to one meter in length and approximately 6 centimeters in diameter.
The length of males is always much less than that 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, which leads to the formation of parasite balls in the intestines.
Ascaris (as in the photo) belongs to geohelminths. Eggs can pass from the ground to the small intestine, where over time they transform into larvae, which, in a favorable environment, are able to enter the circulatory system and from there, through the blood, move to allinternal organs - lungs, heart, kidneys, cerebral hemispheres, skin, eyes.
If the larvae settle in the lungs, they destroy the alveoli and penetrate into the bronchi, then, together with bronchial secretions, into the oral cavity and again end up in the intestines. Thus, a secondary infection occurs. Adults can lay a few thousand eggs per day and live in the human body for several years. Symptoms of ascariasis:
- General malaise, weakness.
- Increased nervousness.
- Increased 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 eliminate stray waste. Then, anthelmintic drugs are prescribed, taking into account the age and weight of the patient as well as the intensity of the helminthic infestation.
Treatment of roundworms is recommended with medications intended to destroy 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, 000 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 to that of roundworms; they are also able to enter the circulatory system and then various internal organs.
In the human body, a helminth larva is not capable of transforming 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 greatly, it all depends on the organ in which the larva has settled. 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, including weakness and listlessness, 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. Then, medications are recommended to restore the functionality of the affected organs and systems.
Whipworm, Trichinella
In appearance, the whipworm is a thin worm with an approximate length of 3 to 5 centimeters and a diameter similar to that of a human hair. It has a pointed end through which it is fixed in the intestinal mucosa.
Helminths can enter the human body from the ground and then move to the intestines, 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 which are most often confused with respiratory illnesses: cough, fever, nausea.
The whipworm reduces the body's defenses, which can lead to secondary infections against the background of its infection, which significantly worsens the patient's condition. The following clinical symptoms are distinguished:
- Paleness of the skin.
- Weakness, nausea.
- Digestive tract disorders.
- Pain syndrome in the abdominal region.
- There is a mixture of blood in the stools.
- Increased irritability, convulsive states.
- Headaches and dizziness.
Generally, it is quite rare to detect a parasite at an early stage of infection. However, the treatment must be comprehensive. It includes narrow-spectrum anthelmintic drugs that act exclusively on whipworms, analgesics and antispasmodics.
Trichinella is a small worm measuring no more than 5 millimeters long. Refers to biohelminths which circulate among predatory and domestic animals. The parasite can enter the human body with animal meat.
The female Trichinella ends up in the human small intestine, where the reproductive process takes place and new larvae appear. These larvae enter the circulatory system and can spread throughout the human body through the bloodstream. Trichinella's local "favorite" area is skeletal muscle, 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, disturbance of the digestive tract.
- Loss of appetite.
After the larvae move 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 leads to 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 drugs are recommended. Typically, therapy is carried out in a hospital setting.
Bovine and porcine tapeworm
The bull tapeworm can reach a size of thirty meters, it has a small head and its body has thousands of segments. There are 6 hooks on the head of the parasite. 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. Then they form and eggs are obtained from them. Each segment contains up to 100, 000 eggs.
The parasite feeds on the entire surface of its body and can live up to 10 years in the human body. Common symptoms of the disease include:
- Systematic pains in the abdomen.
- Nausea.
- Loss of appetite, vomiting.
- Body weight loss.
- 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 parasitic microorganism to live, as well as anthelmintic drugs. Tablets are taken according to the treatment regimen recommended by the doctor. After taking the medicine, the parasite dies and comes out naturally with the stool.
The pork tapeworm resembles the bovine tapeworm in appearance, but differs in length - it cannot exceed 5 meters. Infection can occur through eating raw meat, as well as from a sick person. The life cycle of the tapeworm is 20 to 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 acute headache, epileptic seizures, various skin rashes and pathological changes in the eyeball. Symptoms caused by an adult parasite:
- Allergic reactions, shortness of breath.
- Pain in abdomen, upset stools.
- Loss of appetite, disruption of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Sleep disturbances, nervousness, excitability.
Treating larvae is a long process. Individual larvae are surgically removed, then anthelmintic drugs 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. Once the tapeworm has left the body, it is examined to rule out the possibility that parts of its body are in the intestines.
As medical practice shows, curing parasitic diseases is much easier than diagnosing them at an early stage. Given this circumstance, it is recommended to pay attention to the slightest pathological changes in your body and promptly consult a doctor for adequate treatment. The video in this article will tell you about the types of parasites that live in humans.