The most common helminths in humans are worms. These parasites in the human body lead to many complications, including: disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, physical damage to internal organs, helminthiasis.
Helminthosis is not a disease, but a group of diseases caused by parasites living inside a person. All helminths are divided into 3 main types:
- nematodes (belongs to the order of nematodes), prominent representatives - nematodes, pinworms, whipworms;
- represented by tapeworms or tapeworms (a group of flatworms), tapeworms, tapeworms;
- flukes or trematodes (a group of flatworms) are represented by a liver fluke.
Since helminths leave the host during the breeding season to protect the species, when moving to another vector or environment, they are also divided according to the type of transfer:
- Mechanical transmission involves long-distance travel, the development of worms does not occur in the carrier's body. These include most arthropods (crustaceans, arachnids, and centipedes), which are often carried on the legs of common flies.
- An intermediate host is a special mode of transmission in which one of the developmental stages occurs in the host organism. For example, cattle act as carriers (intermediate hosts) for bull tapeworms, and humans act as final carriers.
Helminths differ according to the method of transmission:
- active ( contact );
- passive (food).
Contact worms can penetrate the human body through mucous membranes and skin (schistosomes, corns). Foodborne diseases are more common, they develop in humans after eating unwashed food, in contact with sick people, or when personal hygiene is not followed.
In total, there are more than 250 species of worms in the world that parasitize people. Since the symptoms of the presence of worms in people have different manifestations, at the slightest doubt you should consult a specialist and undergo an examination.
The life cycle of worms, their reproduction and development
An example of the development of helminths is the classic scheme of the life cycle of nematodes. Parasitic eggs are extremely resistant to external negative influences and can remain in the soil for up to six months.
Larva development lasts from 2 weeks to 2 months depending on environmental conditions: temperature, humidity, availability of oxygen. A mature egg with food enters the stomach, where gastric juice corrodes the egg shell and releases the larva.
Subsequently, the nematode enters the bloodstream through the intestinal wall and begins to move along the blood vessel system until it enters the alveoli of the lungs. Nematode larvae are aerobic, only here they become active and continue to develop.
Feeding on blood, it grows to 3-4 mm in length. After reaching primary maturity 4-5 days after invasion, the nematode begins to move towards the bronchi.
Its action causes a person to cough, as a result of which the larva enters the oral cavity and back into the intestines together with mucus. Here, the final stage of larval formation in an adult human takes place.
The life cycle of an adult nematode lasts about a year, during which it lays up to 250, 000 eggs. Human health, and sometimes life, directly depends on the presence of worms in the body and their number, so it is important to start treatment as soon as possible.
Ascariasis is accompanied by intoxication, and intestinal obstruction will in some cases be a complication requiring urgent surgical intervention.
Reproduction of helminths occurs in 2 ways, helminths are divided into biohelminths and geohelminths. Usually, parasite eggs enter the external environment - where they mature. The egg must then enter the host, where it develops fully (geohelminths) or undergoes a larval stage (biohelminths).
In biohelminths, the development process is more complex, the stages of development in an adult individual and reaching adulthood are separated from the stage of appearance of the larva. That is, the egg from the external environment first enters the intermediate carrier where the larvae hatch.
Therefore, it must enter the body of the latter host to reach the adult form. Sometimes biohelminths change up to 4 intermediate vectors before reaching the final host.
Symptoms
How to determine the presence of worms? Polymorphic symptoms and the absence of pain at the initial stage of the disease complicate the diagnosis.
Often, the causes of the appearance of worms in humans are associated with the use of stale or contaminated food, and the parasites themselves live directly in the digestive system, so the signs of their presence in the human body are often related to their work. intestines:
- liquid stool (unstable;
- pain and swelling;
- allergic skin rashes;
- flatulence;
- nausea;
- threw up;
- lack of appetite or excess;
- night - sleep disorder, throwing up, tartar, salivation;
- itching in the anus;
- the presence of mucus or blood in the stool.
These symptoms appear after infection and last for a short time (about 7 days). In case of re-infestation, they are repeated after 2-3 weeks.
In the absence of treatment or due to the occurrence of an acute or chronic form of the disease, some symptoms do not go away, the consequences of a long stay of parasites in the body are added:
- Intoxication appears almost at the same time as infection, but in the early stages it is not so noticeable. The more worms in the human body, the more symptoms of poisoning, from morning sickness to vomiting and abdominal pain.
- Lung congestion (infiltrates), bronchospasm, pneumonia. The main culprits are parasites that develop in the alveoli of the lungs and damage them, causing inflammation.
- Inflammation of the heart muscle (myocarditis). Infectious disease, the result of vital activity of helminths and subsequent intoxication.
- Meningoencephalitis is a dangerous inflammation of the brain and its membranes caused by bacteria and protozoa.
Different pathogens have their own manifestations and consequences, but most of the symptoms are common to all helminths.
Diagnostics
The diagnosis is made in the laboratory. Only in this case, in the presence of worm eggs and their symptoms in the blood or feces, helminthosis can be confidently diagnosed. However, the analysis of feces is not always enough: some types of parasites do not show themselves in it.
A special method for determining the presence of worms is a serological blood test for antibodies. It is used to diagnose helminthosis:
- bile studies;
- macroscopy (to detect ascaris and pinworms);
- biopsy of muscle tissue when checking for trichinosis;
- x-ray and ultrasound.
Trichinosis is a parasitic disease in which the larvae of the pathogen spread throughout the body of the carrier, causing great damage to organs and the central nervous system, after which they settle in the muscle tissue.
Parasites in human muscles gradually create an infiltrate capsule around themselves, and the symptoms of their presence in the body decrease, but at this time the owner's health has already been seriously damaged.
One of the main symptoms can be considered eosinophilia, in which the number of eosinophils in the patient's blood increases dramatically. Eosinophils are a subtype of white blood cells that respond to the presence of small foreign bodies in the circulatory system.
Internal swelling and spots on the skin quickly appear in places where the larvae of the parasite accumulate - traces of infiltration. They also remain in sputum and lung fluid.
Since the symptoms of helminthiasis are wide and mostly coincide with the symptoms of other diseases, self-diagnosis cannot be completely reliable.
There are cases where people see dark threads in their feces after eating bananas, which they take for worms. Before starting treatment, it is necessary to pass all tests for the presence and type of parasites.
Treatment of helminths
A number of general rules should be followed during the treatment of parasitic diseases:
- Thorough disinfection of the sick bed and the room where it is located. Minimize contacts, plates should be separated.
- Strict diet without alcohol. It is recommended to use the infusion of root juice and birch buds.
- Personal hygiene, frequent washing of hands and clothes, cleaning of premises.
- Monitoring the course of treatment and its effectiveness.
Modern treatment methods exclude the use of a separate drug, because it does not guarantee full coverage of all types of helminths. Often, the doctor prescribes an initial drug that weakens the parasites.
If it is not possible to consult a doctor, folk remedies are used. A good anthelmintic effect is carried out by:
- an enema of garlic infusion, taking garlic on an empty stomach;
- tansy infusion on an empty stomach 4 times a day before meals;
- Wormwood tincture on alcohol, take 20 mg 3 times a day.
In our time, worms in humans are diagnosed and treated in a short period of time. If you do not start the disease and start treatment in time, it will help to avoid complications and re-invasion.
The greatest danger of parasitic diseases is children: there is a delay in mental development, complications arise in the form of chronic diseases, inflammatory processes.
It is extremely important to explain to the child in time that it is necessary to wash hands and follow the rules of personal hygiene. At the same time, adults are required to observe other preventive measures.
Prevention of helminthiasis
In addition to personal hygiene, there are a number of factors that affect the elimination of the cause of the appearance of worms:
- washing vegetables and fruits in hot water;
- keep the house clean, perform wet cleaning regularly;
- a balanced diet that provides the body with a sufficient amount of vitamins of all groups;
- monitoring the condition of pets, annual visits to the veterinarian;
- adequate heat treatment of fish and meat;
- fight against insects living in the house;
- refraining from bathing and resting in pastures.
Observance of preventive measures and timely consultation of the doctor in case of infection will help to prevent complications. The correct dosage of drugs prescribed by a specialist doctor will quickly get rid of parasites, and folk remedies can be used along with prescribed drugs.