Parasites can live in the human body, in any of its organs and systems. These organisms enter the body from the environment and spread throughout the body through the bloodstream. There are many types of parasites that can live in the human body. All of them pose a threat to human health and cause adverse changes in the functioning of organs. So today we will talk about the types of human parasites. In the next article, you will learn what parasites can be found in the human body.
How to get infected with worms
To protect yourself, you need to know 4 ways to spread and infect worm eggs with eggs:
- Through soil and water - geohelminths. It grows in sand, soil and water, then enters the human body and begins to lay eggs there. In addition, the worm's eggs enter the environment with the feces and wait on their wings to infect a new person. Eating poorly washed vegetables and fruits, dirty hands, and dust on food can cause people to become infected with geohelminths. Some parasitic eggs enter the human body through the skin of the feet and ankles.
- Through direct contact. In pets and humans, worms are transmitted through hand contact, games, and joint activities.
- With the use of contaminated foods of animal origin - biohelminthiasis. Eating raw and poorly processed meat (kebabs, pork, canned food, home-made game) and fish (sushi, dried fish, canned fish) is potentially dangerous. There is a risk of intestinal infections and biohelminth infections.
- With insect bites. This type of infection is very rare. These include intestinal myositis, hemorrhage, and scoliosis. Do not mix parasitic eggs and insect larvae, they are also placed under the skin of animals and humans (for example, gadfly larvae).
The main mechanisms of the spread of worms
- Soil, sand and other soil types are the most fertile habitat for worm eggs. Fruiting plants are in constant contact with the ground. During harvesting, greens, fruits and vegetables come into contact with the hands of workers, dusty shelves of vegetable stores and trucks. Under such conditions, food is more likely to be contaminated with parasitic eggs. Therefore, plant products should be washed thoroughly under running water and then poured with boiling water. You need to be especially careful in rural areas where pets roam the yard and then enter the house. It is not difficult to imagine what sewage water a cat or dog can put in the house after a night walk. Flies and cockroaches are also carriers of helminth eggs. While sitting on food, insects can infect your food. Any contact with soil and sand can cause parasites to enter the human body. Therefore, hands should be washed thoroughly, especially under the nails. This is especially true for children.
- From person to person. This mechanism of infection is highly effective. For example, pinworms lay eggs in the area around the anus at night. When a child is asleep, he scratches the place where the egg was laid, because it starts itching. Thousands of eggs fall on clothes, on beds, on door handles in the morning, and on anything touched by a small movement before washing your hands and washing your face in the morning. As a result, the whole family is at risk of infection.
- In contact with water. There are many types of worms in open water basins. Bathing and accidentally swallowing water is a serious risk of infection
Children are more susceptible to helminthic invasion than adults. This is due to the weak protection of the child's body (new defense mechanisms are formed), the child's active contact with the external environment. It takes incredible effort from parents to teach him the basic rules of personal hygiene. Children are more susceptible to helminthic invasion than adults.
A baby under the age of 6 has a high risk of infection. According to statistics, about 95% of children under the age of 4-5 are infected with worms. Therefore, special attention should be paid to prevention. Most types of worms live inside the body, laying eggs only there and dying after a certain period of time. 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 abroad.
The treatment allows you to get rid of worms faster and stop laying eggs in the intestines. It is almost impossible for children with helminthic infections to recover without medication. New eggs will constantly enter the oral cavity, filling the ranks of adults in the child's body.
What are the signs to recognize a helminthic invasion
Signs of the appearance of worms in humans are obvious and hidden. These include "unreasonable" weight loss, pale appearance (skin anemia), chronic fatigue, and nocturnal itching in the anal canal. These manifestations are well known and are an indicator of pollution.
Helminthic infestations are not uncommon, but occur in diseases of the internal organs that have not previously manifested. These are considered secret signs. People are taken to the treatment of many diseases, the cause of which is ignored. At the same time, the therapy does not work. Examples of such cases are:
Infectious diseases as a result of reduced immunity
Parasites in the human body eat a lot of food and release toxins. Such cases significantly reduce the patient's immunity. Exacerbation of chronic diseases, various inflammatory processes in the nasopharynx may begin. Standard treatment for sinusitis or stomatitis is pointless. It is important to rule out the cause. Inflammation of the appendages of the uterus, vulvovaginitis, vaginosis of various origins can often begin in girls and women.
General disorder as a result of intoxication of the body
The more severe the helminthic infestation, the more harmful the parasites release. This has a detrimental effect on the well-being of adults and children and on the nervous system. Examples include migraines, dizziness, and joint pain. The person who relieves nausea takes painkillers, but after a short time the pain returns: the cause of the disease is not taken into account. The more severe the helminthic infestation, the more harmful the parasites release.
Nervous system disorders in children are accompanied by irritability, apathy and aggression. If your child is starting to sleep poorly, talk in his sleep, have nightmares, or go to school, then it's time to start preventing helminthiasis.
Allergic reactions, skin pathologies
Worm waste products are considered a trigger for allergens. Skin reactions (rash, itching, rash, peeling of the skin) are the minimum symptoms that can occur at the onset of allergies. There is a possibility of general reactions of the body: exacerbation of asthma, rhinitis, cough. Sometimes helminthic infestation is accompanied by fragility and hair loss, cracking of the skin on the heels and peeling of the nails.
Gastrointestinal disorders
Depending on the severity of the infection, symptoms can range from mild to severe. Mild nausea and diarrhea, chronic flatulence, constipation, vomiting, pain in the abdomen and hypochondrium. Worms in the tissues do not affect the gastrointestinal tract as much as intestinal parasites.
In what organs can parasites live?
Worm parasites are divided into two categories according to the area of activity in the donor's body.
- Space - worms that live in different parts of the gastrointestinal tract. There are about 100 species of intestinal parasites, and there are several dozen species for each section of the intestine. The small intestine is ready to receive roundworms, antelostomy, wide tapeworms and other less common "brothers". The small intestine will "share the living space" with pinworms, dwarf tapeworms and others. Medical literature describes cases in which a person is infected with several types of parasites at the same time.
- Tissue - worms localized in organs, tissues and even blood. Modern medicine successfully combats paragonimiasis (lungs), cysticercosis (brain), echinococcosis (liver) and filariasis (lymphatic vessels). Some worm larvae move through the circulatory system and inadvertently attach to any organ. If too many eggs are presented, the whole body may become infected.
Symptoms of worms depending on the type of parasite
Symptoms will be different for different types of worms in humans. The duration and severity of parasitic infection and the general condition of the patient before infection should be taken into account. The following table summarizes the main features of the existence of worms in humans by their species.
| Parasite type (disease) | Method of infection | Symptoms | Time of onset of symptoms |
| Pinworms (enterobiasis) | With plant foods. | Nocturnal itching around the anus, the presence of parasites in the stool, severe short-term pain in the abdomen. | 2-3 days after infection |
| Vlasoglav (trichocephalus) | With contaminated food prepared in unsanitary conditions. | Symptoms are expressed only in severe occupation: diarrhea, abdominal pain, anorexia, inflammation of the appendix. In children, body growth may be delayed and even rectal prolapse may occur. | A few weeks |
| Wide ribbon worm (diphyllobotriasis) | While eating infected river fish. | This parasite can live in a patient for up to 25 years. Mechanical damage to the intestines, vitamin deficiency, intestinal obstruction, intoxication of the body, allergies. | A few weeks |
| Round worm (fork worm) | Walking barefoot on loaded land. | Itching, swelling of the feet and legs where the parasite enters. Cough, sputum, damage to the bronchi and lungs. Weakness, dizziness. In women, the menstrual cycle is disrupted. Men have impotence. | A few days |
| ascariasis (ascaridosis) | With plant foods. | Pain in the intestines, peritonitis, bronchitis, pneumonia, liver disease, pancreas. It can cause suffocation by crawling from the gastrointestinal tract to the esophagus or respiratory tract. | About 3 months |
| Trichinella (Trichinella) | Poorly processed meat, fat. | Nausea and heartburn, diarrhea. | 2 days |
| Liver and giant tumor (fascioliasis) | Plant food and water. | Fever, dry cough, anorexia, abdominal pain. | 2-4 weeks |
The pathogens of parasitosis, their life cycle, routes of entry, migration and favorite localization are different, as well as the symptomatology of helminthiasis.
The general symptoms of parasitic diseases are explained by the fact that helminthic invasions parasites suppress a person's immunity, contribute to the development of inflammatory and autoimmune processes. Common symptoms are associated with intoxication, death of parasites, their vital activity and reproduction, weakness, lability and mood swings in children, manifested by decreased academic performance and performance, memory and learning ability.
The appearance of pain, soreness, jaundice in the right hypochondrium may indicate the localization of the parasitic disease mainly in the hepatoduodenal zone (area of the liver and ducts). At the same time, the patient may notice episodes of nausea, regurgitation (vomiting).
Symptoms associated with damage to the liver and ducts associated with the hepatobiliary system, such as flatworm - opisthorchiasis. This helminth enters the body of the last owner - a man, while eating poorly processed fish (carp) of certain species. Symptoms of damage to the liver and ducts associated with the hepatobiliary system, for example, are observed when infected with flatworms. - opistorx
The disease is endemic and has specific areas of spread. In order to transmit the pathogen, the parasitic larvae must go through a complex cycle with the change of host (a certain species of mollusk, a fish of the carp family).
Often with many parasitic diseases there are certain skin manifestations in the form of itching of the skin, the development of various rashes, scratches, atopic dermatitis, eczema and other skin diseases. Skin processes are not always associated with helminthic invasion and are unsuccessfully treated by dermatologists.
It is important that any organs and tissues can be affected by helminthiasis, patients often complain of headaches, arthralgia (articular syndrome), upper and lower respiratory tract. Prolonged cough, often ARVI, pharyngitis, laryngitis, respiratory distress are associated with inflammation, the main pathogenesis of which is infection with parasites (helminths).
Giardiasis and its features
Giardiasis is a protozoal disease in which the pathogen is present in vegetative form and in the form of a cyst. Giardia infection occurs when cysts are received that are very persistent in the environment and can persist in the environment (soil, food, water, various objects) for a long time.
1 ml of feces can contain millions of lamblia cysts that can develop into vegetative forms when placed in a suitable environment. Within a few hours, the cysts in the human intestine form a vegetative, mobile form in which the flagella attaches 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. In a favorable environment, giardia are divided into two (two parts), and soon their number increases many times. In addition to the intestines, vegetative forms of lamblia affect the hepatobiliary system (bile ducts, gallbladder).
Symptoms of giardiasis are associated with asthenia, poor academic performance, and weakness, along with signs of intestinal and hepatobiliary tract damage. The course of giardiasis and other parasitic diseases is mainly associated with the characteristics of the immune response. Intestinal form, gastroenterocolitis - a common form of giardiasis. The endotoxins of the pathogen 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 is more common in children, but often causes numerous complaints and symptoms in adult patients. Many chronic inflammatory diseases, as well as somatic pathologies, can be the beginning of a parasitic invasion and can be exacerbated by the presence of various parasites (including ascarids).
Often children and adults with ascariasis develop chronic colitis, enteritis, bronchitis, may even develop a serious disease such as bronchial asthma, other allergic processes (atopic dermatitis, eczema, rhinitis, psoriasis) may be supported.
When an egg is swallowed, ascaris enters the stomach. After entering the upper part of the digestive tract (stomach), the larvae released from the capsule migrate to the blood vessels, enter the alveoli of the pulmonary system through the bloodstream, and thus cause coughing, sneezing, etc. in the patient. other manifestations of bronchitis.
This condition is often perceived as a viral infection, an exacerbation of chronic bronchopulmonary disease, and is usually associated with the movement of parasitic larvae.
After Ascaris larvae cough and sputum pathogens enter the esophagus, they are absorbed by saliva and re-enter the stomach, then pass into the intestines, where they create favorable conditions for further growth and development of the parasite. After Ascaris larvae cough and pathogens enter the esophagus with sputum, they are absorbed by saliva and re-enter the stomach, then pass into the intestines, where they create favorable conditions for further growth and development of the parasite.
In the human gut, roundworms that feed on its contents develop into sexually mature individuals (50 cm in females and 20 cm in males). The parasite has a negative toxic and mechanical effect on the human body during growth and life activities, as well as as a result of larval migration.
It has a suppressive effect on the immunity of the pathogen in the process of growth, vital activity, egg laying and maturation, can cause diseases of the lungs, intestines and other parts of the digestive system, anemia. Ascaris can live in the human gut for up to a year.
Medicines for helminths
Treatment of a person with pills is possible with the help of many modern means.
Because some remedies do not work on the larvae and eggs of worms and there is a high risk of re-infection (self-infection with pinworms), the course of treatment is repeated after 2-3 weeks. The most effective among the folk methods are the old tried methods - the use of pumpkin seeds and tansy grass. Treatment of a person with pills is possible with the help of many modern means.
Pumpkin seeds have long been known to be a good anthelmintic agent. It is better to take the peeled seeds, peel them yourself, keep a thin layer between the seeds and the skin and eat 300 g in the morning. . Within an hour, previously chopped and mixed with honey or jam. Then do not eat for 3-4 hours and make 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 helminths every year. It suffers from 1. 2 billion enterobiasis, 0. 9 billion ancoliosis, and 0. 7 billion trichocephaly. And these are just official statistics !;
- In European countries, every third inhabitant carries intestinal parasites in the body;
- With severe seizures, a person loses up to 500 ml of blood per day. Diseases and chronic fatigue arise from this;
- Some parasites are localized in the brain, eyeballs, and bone marrow and can live there for up to 30 years. For example, cytisterk. ;
- Ascaris females lay 240, 000 eggs a day. Frequent re-infection will not allow a person to recover for the first time. Repeated courses of treatment are required;
- Waste products of parasites - poisons and toxins are harmful to human health 24 hours a day;
- Some types of tapeworms can grow up to 12 meters in length. Sometimes a person is threatened with intestinal obstruction;
- Pumpkin seeds contain cucurbitins, which help cure worm infections without resorting to medication. Pumpkin seeds are often given to children for prophylaxis;
- It is optimal to treat pets every 3 months. Thus, you will save yourself and your children from parasites;
- Worm eggs can wait up to 6 months on the wings when they hold the door;
- An infected dog breathes in a radius of 5 meters and scatters the eggs of parasites;
- Worms and their eggs release protective anti-enzymes to prevent digestion in the stomach and intestines;
- Trichinella does not lay eggs, but produces ready-made worms. Therefore, it is not possible to detect the presence of this parasite in the laboratory;
- The most effective test for the detection of an invasion is the enzyme immunoassay. Swabs, stool analysis can not provide reliable information.
In conclusion, regular prevention of helminthic infections, even with cheap drugs (they are considered the mildest), helps to protect the whole family. Be responsible for hand and body hygiene and prepare meals thoroughly for use. Children and pets need constant monitoring for parasites.