The types of worms that infect a person's internal organs are called helminths (worms). According to statistics, today about 30% of the total population is susceptible to helminth invasion. Worms that poison the body can infect any part of the body. This is dangerous not only for diseases that can provoke helminths. Their presence in the body can be fatal.
To date, helminthiasis can be completely cured not only with drugs, but also with folk remedies. Each type has its own methods of treatment. Therefore, it is worth knowing and understanding what types of worms are, as well as the symptoms of a parasitic infection, in order to take timely measures.
Classification of helminthiasis
Parasitic worms are divided into two large groups: intestinal and tissue.
The first species lives directly in the intestine. This group includes:
- nematodes and pinworms;
- hookworms and lamblia;
- whipworms and dwarf tapeworms;
- bovine tapeworm and broad tapeworm;
- pork tapeworm.
Tissue worms can inhabit any organ in the human body and parasitize for many years. These include:
- cysticercus and trematodes;
- trichinella and hepatic fluke;
- echinococcus and alveococcus.
Nematodes
They are the most common and complicated types of worms that live in the small intestine of an adult or child. Infection with this type of helminth is called ascariasis.
In the first days of the invasion, a person begins to feel malaise, nervousness, fever, shortness of breath, cough, and pain in the chest area. Such symptoms are justified by the fact that helminths initially affect the respiratory system.
Infection can occur by drinking raw water from unverified sources, poorly processed fresh fruits and vegetables. In summer, the risk of ascariasis increases.
Pinworms
The small helminths that lodge in the intestine cause a disease called enterobiasis. The worms lay their eggs in the anal area. The laid eggs turn into larvae and can only re-enter the body through the oral cavity.
Reinfection occurs due to the contact of the dirty hands of a person suffering from enterobiasis with the food they eat. Symptoms of the infection may include itching around the anus and increased irritability.
Important! The disease is man-made.
Hookworm
Hookworm infection occurs through damaged skin in contact with the ground, where the larvae of these types of worms live.
Hookworms, before entering the intestine, follow the same path as nematodes.
Symptoms include cough, lower abdominal pain, nausea, and stool disturbances. This type of helminthiasis can cause anemia.
Giardia
Giardiasis progresses in people who have a habit of biting their nails and other objects (pencils, pens). Infection can also occur in case of consumption of poor quality water, unwashed products, contact with dirty laundry, where the larvae can be, and a carrier of the disease.
Symptoms of the infection can include loose stools and lower abdominal pain.
Vlasoglava
Trichocephalosis occurs during infection with whipworm larvae. They come with unprocessed fruits and vegetables. Dirty hands and water are also carriers.
The invasion is accompanied by acute abdominal pain, diarrhea and decreased appetite. The signs of infection are often similar to those of appendicitis.
Dwarf tapeworm
Infection with the worm occurs not only through dirty hands and unwashed food, but insects can also be a carrier.
The dwarf tapeworm affects the intestines and liver, causing inflammation and poisoning.
Hymenolepiasis can be accompanied by the appearance of dysbiosis, reduced appetite, increased thirst, increased fatigue and nervousness.
Bovine tapeworm
One of the most dangerous types of worms that parasitize the large intestine.
An adult worm reaches several meters in length. The individual takes away all nutrients from the human body and produces severe intoxication.
Symptoms of the invasion are:
- diarrhea and abdominal pain;
- vomiting and nausea;
- restless sleep;
- dizziness and fainting.
The risk of tapeworm disease arises when eating insufficiently processed beef contaminated with bovine tapeworm larvae.
Wide ribbon
The cause of diphyllobothriasis is the consumption of poorly processed fish and caviar products.
The worm that causes the disease is one of the largest and can reach ten meters.
Symptoms of the infection are severe pain in the lower abdomen and anemia.
Pork tapeworm
Infection with this type of helminth is extremely dangerous for humans. Eating pork that hasn't been cooked enough can cause Finns to enter the body and become adults.
From the body of the pig tapeworm, so-called segments are periodically separated, which are able to leave the body alone through the anus or with feces, entering the environment. The signs of tapeworm are similar to those of a bovine tapeworm infection.
Cysticerki
It is a type of tissue worm that is the product of a pork tapeworm segment. Segments containing tapeworm eggs enter the external environment and can re-enter the body through external environmental objects and provoke the development of cysticercosis.
Parasites settle in the muscles, myocardium and even the brain.
Important! They have an overwhelming effect on the organs and cause inflammation.
Hepatic fluke
Opisthorchiasis occurs as a result of ingesting liver fluke larvae along with infected fish in the human body.
Signs of the presence of opisthorchiasis:
- nausea;
- diarrhea;
- pains all over the body;
- the occurrence of allergies.
The most severe symptoms are chronic. This type of parasite is dangerous for the development of liver cancer.
Echinococcus
The worm settles in the body, most often in the liver or lungs. Echinococcus can cause a cyst to form in the affected organ and tumors to appear. The infection can be fatal.
The larvae are transmitted to humans through contact with sick animals.
Trichinella
Trichinosis primarily affects people who eat poorly processed bushmeat. Pigs can also be carriers of Trichinella.
Habitats of adults in the human body are various types of muscles (respiratory, facial, etc. ).
At an early stage, nausea and loose stools occur. The subsequent symptoms of the invasion are fever, edema, rash, muscle aches. Infection with this type of parasite without prompt treatment can be fatal.
Ways of human helminth infection
- Biohelminthiasis (animal infection).
- Contagious helminthiasis (transmitted from person to person).
- Geohelminthiasis (diseases caused by parasites that carry out one of their life cycles in the earth).
Factors affecting the manifestations of helminthiasis
The way the parasite enters the body;
- The degree of adaptation of the helminth to the human body;
- Population density (number) of parasitic individuals;
- The habitat of the worm (tissue parasites live in the thickness of soft tissues, and luminal ones live in the empty spaces of hollow organs). Some helminths in different stages have both luminal and tissue forms. The larval and developmental stages of worms, as a rule, cause more pronounced pathological changes.
In the absence of reinfection, the number of adult parasites in the human body does not increase. This feature significantly distinguishes helminth invasions from diseases caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi and protozoa.
Worms in humans: symptoms
Helminthiasis is a disease characterized by 2 stages of the course (acute, from two weeks to two months) and chronic (from several months to several years).
Symptoms of the acute phase of helminthiasis
The first signs of the disease can appear at different times (most often after 2-3 weeks, with ascariasis - after 2-3 days, and with filariasis, the incubation period can last 6-18 months).
In the acute phase of parasitic invasion, the most characteristic symptom is an allergic reaction (antibodies are produced against the antigens of the larvae of the migrating parasite). Often in people infected with worms, itchy rashes appear on the skin, subject to a recurrent course, increased regional lymph nodes, generalized or local edema, muscle and joint pain. In addition, the migration of parasite larvae can cause chest pain, coughing, suffocation attacks, stool disturbances, nausea and vomiting.
Signs of chronic helminthiasis
The symptoms of the chronic phase directly depend on which organ the parasites "inhabit", and their size and number also play an important role.
Thus, when parasitizing in the intestines of individuals, the disease can be asymptomatic (except in cases of infection with very large parasites). The characteristic signs of the chronic phase of intestinal helminthiasis are dyspeptic disorders. In children, asthenonurotic and pain syndrome is more pronounced. With a massive invasion of roundworms, the development of intestinal obstruction, obstructive jaundice and pancreatitis is possible.
In people suffering from helminthiasis, due to a weakened immune system and an enhanced cell division process (a consequence of the constant restoration of tissues damaged by parasites), the risk of malignant tumors increases significantly.
Types of helminths that parasitize in the human body
The causative agents of human helminthiasis are 2 types of worms: round (roundworms) and flat (ribbon and flukes).
Round worms
Pinworm
The parasites that cause enterobiasis are small, thin-cavity worms (up to 10 mm) with a grayish-white color. Infection occurs alimentary (through the mouth). The reason for this is dirty hands. Parasite eggs can be found in the soil, on the wool of infected animals, unwashed fruits and vegetables, etc. At the same time, with enterobiasis, cases of self-infection are frequent (especially in children), resulting from scratching the itchy areas and subsequent swallowing of the eggs. The pinworm larva develops within two weeks in the digestive tract. Having transformed into an adult, the parasitic worm in the lower sections of the small and upper sections of the colon.
Ascaris
Ascaris is a large spindle-shaped parasite of red-yellow color, reaching 40 cm (females) and 15-25 cm (males) in adulthood. Without suction cups or other fasteners, the nematode is able to autonomously move towards the food masses. The eggs laid by the female of the parasite are excreted along with the feces.
Vlasoglav
Vlasoglav, the causative agent of trichocephalosis, is a white helminth that parasites in the initial section of the large intestine and reaches a size of 4-5 cm. The parasite feeds on blood and tissues of the rectal mucosa.
With a small number of worms, whipworm is asymptomatic. In a severe stage (with massive invasion), the patient develops abdominal pain, severe diarrhea develops, sometimes accompanied by rectal prolapse. This condition is most often seen in debilitated children. With a moderate stage of trichocephalosis, growth retardation of a child is possible.
Trichinella
The causative agent of trichinosis is a small round helminth, reaching 2-5 mm in length. Infection occurs when eating poorly roasted meat (pork, bear meat, wild boar). Penetrating the intestine, the parasite larva matures in 3-4 days to the state of a sexually mature individual. The life span of the worm is 40 days, after which the parasite dies. By piercing the intestinal wall, the larvae enter the bloodstream and are transported to all organs of the human body, settling in the muscles. In this case, the respiratory and facial muscles, as well as the flexor muscles of the limbs, are most often affected.
In the first days after the invasion, patients complain of abdominal pain. Then, after about 2 weeks, the body temperature rises to 39-40 C, itchy rashes appear on the skin, muscle aches develop, and the face swells. During this period, in case of massive infection, there is a significant risk of death. After about a month, the patient recovers. The parasite is encapsulated in a spiral shape, after which it dies within two years.
Hookworm and nekator
These two parasites are similar in biological characteristics, as well as in the diseases they cause. In this regard, it is customary to combine them under one common name (hookworms). The worms, which reach lengths of 10-15 mm, parasitize in 12-p. intestine. It should be noted that this is one of the most common parasites, but, at the same time, detected quite rarely. Worm larvae enter the human body through the skin in contact with contaminated soil. In addition, entering the bloodstream, like nematodes, they migrate to the lungs and then, through the bronchi, together with the expectorant sputum, into the digestive tract. Hookworm parasites in the intestine, attaching itself to the intestinal wall. Therefore, the most characteristic symptom of this helminthiasis is iron deficiency anemia, as well as a change in the ratio of protein fractions (dysproteinemia).
Flat worms
Wide ribbon
This is one of the largest helminths, reaching a length of 10-20 meters. The disease caused by this parasite is called diphyllobothriasis. The worm development cycle begins with freshwater fish or crustaceans. The larva enters the human body, which is the final owner of the broad tapeworm, along with infected eggs or fish fillets. Reaching the small intestine, the parasite attaches itself to its wall and grows to a mature individual within 20-25 days.
Diphyllobothriasis occurs against the background of digestive tract disorders and vitamin B12 deficiency anemia.
Hepatic fluke
The parasite that causes opisthorchiasis is a flat worm that reaches a length of 7-20 mm. Human infection occurs when contaminated fish meat is eaten that has not undergone sufficient heat treatment. The liver fluke larva from the small intestine penetrates the bile ducts and gallbladder, fixing itself there with the help of two suckers.
In the acute stage of helminthiasis, the patient has pain in the upper abdomen, increased body temperature, nausea, muscle pain develops, diarrhea and rashes are possible. The chronic course of opisthorchiasis is manifested by symptoms of hepatitis, inflammation of the bile ducts, cholecystitis, digestive tract disorders, nervous disorders, weakness and increased fatigue. The parasite leads to the development of irreversible changes, and even after its expulsion, the patient does not undergo chronic inflammatory processes and functional disorders.
Bovine and porcine tapeworms
These parasites, almost identical in structure, reach a length of 5-6 meters. Teniarinosis and teniasis infection occurs due to the consumption of meat from cattle or pigs infected by Finns (one of the intermediate forms of helminthiasis). Viable Finns, presented in the form of whitish bubbles reaching 0. 5 cm in size, attach themselves to the wall of the human small intestine and turn into adults in 3 months. The tape parasite, consisting of more than 2000 segments, is constantly growing.
Echinococcus
For this parasite, a person is an intermediate host. The worm parasites the human body in the form of Finns. The final owner of the echinococcus is a wolf, a dog or a cat. Infection occurs through food contact with animals and environmental objects sown with Echinococcus eggs. After entering the intestine, oncospheres (six-hooked larvae) develop. From the intestine, they enter the bloodstream and are transported throughout the body.
Alveococcus
This parasite, considered a type of echinococcus, is the cause of one of the most dangerous helminthiases (alveococcosis), similar in severity to cirrhosis and liver cancer. Infection occurs when oncospheres (eggs with mature larvae) enter the intestine. Laurocysts are very aggressive formations that grow steadily due to the enlargement of the bubbles and also have the ability to grow in the liver, like cancer metastases. Necrotic changes due to disturbances in the functioning of blood vessels undergo necrotic changes in nearby tissues. Spreading to neighboring structures, the alveococcus forms fibrous nodes with inclusions of multi-chamber bubbles. This condition can last for several years and therefore requires mandatory surgery.
Diagnosis of helminthiasis
Diagnosis of helminth invasions includes the following activities:
- careful collection of anamnesis, which helps to find out the possible causes of infection;
- laboratory tests on feces, blood, intestinal contents 12p, rectal and perianal mucus, muscle tissue, lung sputum, bile. The analysis can reveal eggs, segments or fragments of parasites. At the same time, an increase in the content of eosinophils in the blood is also a signal of the presence of helminthiasis.
- when diagnosing diseases caused by larval stages or tissue parasites, serological tests are performed (ELISA, RSK, indirect agglutination reaction, immunofluorescence analysis, etc. ).
- to identify worms affecting liver tissue, ultrasound, CT and endoscopic studies are prescribed.
Worms in humans: treatment
In the acute phase of parasitic infection, the patient is prescribed detoxifying and desensitizing therapy. In severe cases of the disease (liver flukes, trichinosis), glucocorticoids are used according to medical indications.
As specific therapy drugs, taking into account the nature of the pathogen, special anthelmintic chemotherapeutic agents are prescribed.
In parallel, the patient is recommended to take antihistamines and enterosorbents. The final stage of treatment involves the use of probiotics that normalize the intestinal microflora.
A special gentle diet is also prescribed (food must be digestible and low in fat).
During the period of anthelmintic therapy, the patient is required to strictly observe personal hygiene (in order to avoid re-infection). At the same time, for many helminthiases, all family members and people who are in constant contact with the infected must undergo treatment.
An underestimation of their danger, combined with a lack of awareness of the biology of these creatures and how they are infected with them, has led to the fact that at least several billion people are now carriers of certain parasites.
Parasites can also be present not only inside a person, but also outside the human body.
Prevention of parasitic infestations
Rule No. 1:you cannot eat any fish that is not sufficiently salted, fried or boiled. Sushi, lightly salted herring or sashimi can all be considered gourmet foods. But in essence it is raw fish and fish is one of the components of the life cycle of parasitic worms.
How it all happens:first the larva enters the mollusk, where it does not grow more than a certain limit, then the fish eats the mollusk, the larva enters its digestive tract, remaining alive, then it grows and multiplies, entering the muscle tissue of the fish, then thisfish is eaten by a dolphin, a seagull or a polar bear. Or a visitor to a restaurant who decides to join the high Japanese culture.
In theory, there is safe raw fish. To do this, it must be frozen immediately after capture and thawed just before cooking, or it must be grown specifically in a fish farm with pest control. But it is usually impossible to verify whether a risky dish was really prepared from it.
The same care must be taken with the meat; don't try raw ground beef and freshly salted bacon.
In addition, in order not to get infected with helminths, vegetables must be washed before eating, as well as hands. As a component of the natural environment, these parasites in the human body are widespread almost everywhere.
Any contact of food or hands with soil, dirt dust and vegetation can leave their microscopic eggs on the food. If they enter the intestine, the worms will hatch from the eggs, which will not be easy to remove.
There are parasites that attack a person who is walking or relaxing in nature, for example:
- malaria plasmodium, contained in the saliva of mosquitoes of the genus Anopheles,
- the causative agent of encephalitis contained in the saliva of ixodid ticks,
- gadfly and wolfarth fly.
Their prevention consists in the use of all kinds of repellents in excursions in nature, as well as in the maximum protection of open areas of the body (mosquito nets, nets, special gels).
However, what can you do if prevention hasn't helped? Since the attack has been known for a long time, treatment by folk methods has also been known for a long time.
And in conclusion, it can be noted that the observance of simple rules of hygiene and hygiene, the extermination of flies and cockroaches, can significantly reduce the risk of pest infection, leading to serious consequences.