Parasites can inhabit the human body, in any of its organs and systems. These creatures enter the body from the environment and are transported 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 are going to talk about the varieties of human parasites. In the next article, you will learn about which 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 eggs from egg worms:
- Through soil and water - geohelminthiases. They develop in sand, soil and water, then enter the human body and begin to lay eggs. In addition, the worm eggs enter the external environment along with the droppings and wait in the wings to infect a new person. Eating poorly washed vegetables and fruits, dirty hands, dust in food can lead to human infection by geohelminths. 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, games and joint activities.
- Through the use of contaminated food of animal origin - biohelminthiasis. Eating raw and poorly processed meat (kebabs, bacon, preserves, homemade game) and fish (sushi, dried fish, canned fish) is potentially dangerous. There is a possibility of contracting intestinal infections and biohelminths.
- With insect bites. This type of infection is quite rare. These include intestinal myiasis, canthiasis and scoleciasis. Do not confuse parasite eggs and insect larvae, which are also laid under the skin of animals and the skin of people (eg, gadfly larvae).
The main mechanisms of propagation of worms
- Soil, sand and other types of soil are the most fertile habitat for worm eggs. Fruit plants are in continuous contact with the soil. At harvest, vegetables, fruits and vegetables come into contact with the workers' hands, with the dusty shelves of vegetables and trucks. Under such conditions, contamination of food with parasite eggs is highly likely. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully wash products of plant origin under running water, and then pour with boiling water. You must be especially vigilant in the countryside, where pets roam around the yard and then enter the house. It's not hard to imagine what kind of sewage a cat or dog might put in the house after an overnight walk. Flies and cockroaches are also carriers of helminth eggs. When sitting on food, insects can infect your food. Any contact with soil and sand can lead to the entry of parasites into 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 sleep state, scratches the place where the eggs are laid, as the itching starts there. Thousands of eggs fall on clothes, on the bed and in the morning on doorknobs and on everything that a little restlessness touches in the morning before you even wash your hands and wash your face. As a result, the entire family is at risk of infection.
- By contact with water. Open bodies of water contain a large number of types of worms. Taking a shower and accidentally swallowing water is a serious risk of infection.
Children are much more likely than adults to be susceptible to helminthic 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 actively in contact with the external environment. It takes incredible effort for parents to teach him the basic rules of personal hygiene. Children are much more likely than adults to be susceptible to helminthic invasion.
A baby under 6 is at high risk of infection. According to statistics, about 95% of children under 4-5 years old are infected with worms. Therefore, special attention must be paid to prevention. Most types of worms are inside the body, only there they lay eggs and, after a certain period of time, die. For example, pinworms live 6-8 weeks, roundworms - up to 1 year. The number of parasites in the body increases only with the entry of new eggs from the outside.
The treatment allows you to get rid of the worms much faster and stop eggs from laying in the intestines. It is nearly impossible for children with helminth infestations 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 helminthic invasion
The signs of the appearance of worms in humans are both obvious and hidden. The obvious ones include "unreasonable" weight loss, pale appearance (skin anemia), chronic fatigue, nighttime itching in the anal canal. These manifestations are well known and are indicative of contamination.
Cases of helminthic invasion are not uncommon, in which diseases of Organs internal organs are aggravated, diseases that have not previously manifested themselves occur. These are considered hidden signals. A person is taken to the treatment of many diseases, and the cause is ignored. At the same time, therapy does not bring results. Examples of such cases follow:
Infectious diseases as a result of decreased immunity
Parasites, being in the human body, consume a lot of nutrients and release toxic substances. Such circumstances significantly reduce the patient's immunity. An exacerbation of chronic diseases, various inflammatory processes in the nasopharynx may begin. Treating sinusitis or stomatitis in the standard way is useless. It is important to rule out the cause. In girls and women, inflammation of the appendages of the uterus, 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. Once the nausea is overcome, the person takes painkillers, but the pain returns in a short time: the cause of the disease was ignored. The more severe the helminthic invasion of the patient, the more harmful substances the parasites release
In children, disorders of the nervous system are accompanied by irritability, apathy and aggression. If your child starts sleeping poorly, talking in dreams, having nightmares, or starting school, it's time to start preventing helminthiasis.
Allergic reactions, skin pathologies
Waste products from worms are perceived as triggers for allergens. Skin reactions (rash, itching, rashes, peeling skin) are the minimal symptoms that can occur when an allergy starts. There is a likelihood of general reactions of the body: exacerbation of asthma, rhinitis, cough. Sometimes, helminthic invasion is accompanied by fragility and hair loss, cracking of the skin of the heels, and peeling of the nails.
gastrointestinal problems
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, belly button and hypochondrium pain. Tissue worms do not affect the gastrointestinal tract as much as intestinal parasites.
In which organs can parasites live?
Worm parasites 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 a few dozen species for each section of the intestine. The small intestine is ready to accept roundworms, antilostomies, large tapeworms, and other less common "siblings. "The small intestine will "share living space" with pinworms, dwarf tapeworm, and others. Medical literature describes cases where a person was simultaneously infected with several types of parasites.
- Tissue - worms located in organs, tissues and even in the blood. Modern medicine successfully deals with paragonimiasis (lungs), cysticercosis (brain), echinococcosis (liver) and filariasis (lymphatic vessels). Some worm larvae move through the body through the circulatory system and randomly attach themselves to any organ. If too many eggs are introduced, the whole body can be infected.
Symptoms of worms, depending on the type of parasite
Symptoms will be different for different types of worms in humans. It is also worth considering the duration and strength of the parasite infection, the general condition of the patient before infection. The table below summarizes the main symptoms of the presence of worms in humans by type.
| Type of parasite (disease) | method of infection | Symptoms | Time of onset of symptoms |
| Pinworms (enterobiasis) | With plant-based foods. | Nocturnal itching around the anus, presence of parasites in the stool, short-term sharp pain in the navel. | 2-3 days after infection |
| Vlasoglav (trichocephalosis) | 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 retarded and even rectal prolapse can 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, body intoxication, allergies. | few weeks |
| Roundworm (Hookworm) | When walking barefoot on heavy ground. | Itching, swelling of the feet and legs where the parasite enters. Cough, phlegm, damage to the bronchi and lungs. Weakness, dizziness. The menstrual cycle in women is disturbed. Men are powerless. | Many days |
| Ascariasis (ascariasis) | With plant-based foods. | Intestinal pain, peritonitis, bronchitis, pneumonia, liver disease, pancreas. It can cause asphyxia by creeping from the gastrointestinal tract into the esophagus or respiratory tract. | about 3 months |
| Trichinella (trichinosis) | Poorly processed meat, lard. | Nausea and bouts of heartburn, diarrhea. | 2 days |
| Liver and giant fluke (fascioliasis) | Plant food and water. | Fever, dry cough, loss of appetite, abdominal pain. | 2-4 weeks |
The symptomatology of helminthiasis is as diverse as the pathogens of the parasitosis, their life cycle, routes of entry, migration and favorite 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 own immunity, contribute to the development of inflammatory and autoimmune processes. General symptoms are associated with intoxication, death of parasites, their vital activity and reproduction, manifesting as weakness, lability and mood swings, decreased academic performance and performance, memory and ability to learn in children.
Pain in the right upper quadrant, bitterness, the appearance of jaundice may indicate that the parasitic disease is located mainly 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 distribution areas. For the transmission of the pathogen, the larva of the parasite must go through a complex cycle with change of host (a mollusc of a certain species, a fish of the carp family).
Often, with many parasitic diseases, there are certain skin manifestations in the form of itchy skin, various rashes, scratching, atopic dermatitis, eczema and other skin diseases. Cutaneous processes are not always associated with helminthic invasion and are unsuccessfully treated by dermatologists.
It is important that with helminthiasis all organs and tissues can be affected, patients often worry about headache, arthralgia (joint syndrome), upper and lower respiratory tract complaints appear. Often persistent cough, frequent ARVI, pharyngitis, laryngitis, difficulty breathing are associated with inflammation, a key place in the pathogenesis of parasite (helminth) infection.
Giardiasis and its features
Giardiasis is a protozoan disease in which the pathogen exists in a 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 feces can contain millions of lamblia cysts, which, when placed in a favorable environment, can turn into vegetative forms. In the human intestine, a vegetative and mobile form is formed from cysts for several hours with flagella trapped between the cells of the intestinal epithelium, where the pathogen finds a favorable environment for itself with a sufficient amount of carbohydrate food, which is a favorite substrate for lamblia. Giardia in a favorable environment are binary divided (into two parts), and soon their number increases many times. In addition to the intestines, the 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 injury. The course of giardiasis and other parasitic diseases is largely associated with the characteristics of the immune response. Intestinal, gastroenterocolitic form - a common form of giardiasis. The pathogen's endotoxins 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 more frequently in children, but in adult patients it usually causes numerous complaints and symptoms. Many chronic inflammatory diseases, as well as somatic pathology, can be initiated by parasitic invasion and intensified in the presence of various parasites (including ascaris).
Often children and adults with Ascaris develop chronic colitis, enteritis, bronchitis, even such a serious disease as bronchial asthma can develop, other allergic processes (atopic dermatitis, eczema, rhinitis, psoriasis) can be borne.
Ascaris enters the stomach when eggs are swallowed. After entering the upper parts of the digestive tract (stomach), the larvae, freeing themselves from the capsule, migrate into the blood vessels, with the blood flow they enter the alveoli of the pulmonary system, causing the patient to cough, cough and other phenomena of bronchitis.
This condition is often considered as a viral infection, exacerbation of chronic bronchopulmonary disease and is usually associated, in this case, with the movement of parasite larvae.
After coughing up ascaris larvae and getting pathogens with phlegm in the pharynx, they are swallowed with saliva and reenter the stomach, then pass into the intestines, where favorable conditions exist for the growth and development of the parasite. After coughing up ascaris larvae and getting pathogens with phlegm in the pharynx, they are swallowed with saliva and reenter the stomach, then pass into the intestines, where favorable conditions exist for the growth and development of the parasite.
In the human intestine, roundworms, feeding on its contents, turn into sexually mature individuals (female 50 cm, male 20 cm). In the process of growth and vital activity, as well as as a result of the migration of larvae, the parasite has a negative toxic and mechanical 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, 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 the worms, and there is also a high risk of reinfection (self-infection with worms), the course of treatment is repeated after 2-3 weeks. Among the popular methods, the most effective are the old time-tested methods - the use of pumpkin seeds and tansy grass. 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 with the husk, peel them, preserve and eat a thin film between the seed and the husk and consume 300 g in the morning. within an hour, previously chopped and mixed with honey or jam. So don't 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, about 3 billion people are infected with helminth infestations annually. 1. 2 billion suffer from enterobiasis, 0. 9 billion from hookworm, 0. 7 billion from trichocephalosis. And that's just an official statistic!;
- 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 illness and chronic fatigue originate;
- Some parasites are located in the brain, eyeball, bone marrow and can live there for up to 30 years. For example, cytisterk . ;
- Ascaris females lay 240, 000 eggs a day. Constant reinfection will not allow a person to be cured for the first time. Repeated courses of treatment are needed;
- The waste products of parasites - poisons and toxins - harm human health 24 hours a day;
- Some types of tapeworm 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 ideal for treating pets every 3 months. So you will save yourself and your children from the parasites;
- Worm eggs can wait in the wings on door handles for up to 6 months;
- An infected dog spreads the eggs of the parasites by breathing within a radius of 5 meters;
- In order not to be digested in the stomach and intestines, the worms and their eggs release protective anti-enzymes;
- Trichinella does not lay eggs, but produces ready-made 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, stool analysis may not provide reliable information.
Summing up, it must be said that regular prevention of helminth infections, even with cheap medicines (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 monitoring for parasites.