Parasites can inhabit any organ and system in the human body. These organisms enter the body from the environment and are carried throughout the body in the bloodstream. There are many kinds of parasites that live in the human body. All of these pose a threat to human health and lead to negative changes in the working of organs. So, today we will talk about the types of human parasites. In the next article, you will learn which parasites can colonize the human body.
how do you get worms
To protect yourself, you need to know 4 ways to spread and infect eggs with eggs:
- Through soil and water - soil worms. They develop in sand, soil and water, then enter the human body and start laying eggs there. In addition, the eggs of the worms enter the external environment with the feces and wait to infect new people. Eating unclean vegetables and fruits, dirty hands, and dust on food can lead to soil worm infections in humans. Some parasite eggs enter the body through the skin of the feet and ankles.
- by direct contact. Worms in pets and humans are spread through hand contact, play, and joint activities.
- By using contaminated food of animal origin - biological helminthiasis. Eating raw and poorly processed meats (kebabs, bacon, preserves, homemade game) and fish (sushi, dried fish, fish preserves) is potentially dangerous. It is possible to contract intestinal infections and biological worms.
- There are insect bites. This type of infection is very rare. These include intestinal myiasis, candidiasis, and scoliosis. Do not confuse parasite eggs with insect larvae, which are also deposited under the skin of animals and people (eg, gadfly larvae).
The main mechanism of worm spread
- Soil, sand, and other types of soil are the most fertile habitats for worm eggs. Fruit trees are in constant contact with the ground. Vegetables, fruits and vegetables touch the hands of workers as they are harvested, and the shelves of vegetable shops and trucks are covered in dust. In this case, there is a high chance that the parasite eggs will contaminate the food. Therefore, products of plant origin must be washed thoroughly under running water and then poured with boiling water. Be especially vigilant in the countryside, where pets walk around the yard and then enter the house. It's not hard to imagine what kind of sewage a cat or dog can put into a house after a night walk. Flies and cockroaches are also carriers of worm eggs. When sitting on food, insects can infect your food. Any contact with soil and sand can lead to parasites entering the body. Therefore, it is necessary to wash your hands thoroughly, especially under the nails. This especially applies to children.
- from one person to another. This infection mechanism is very effective. For example, pinworms lay their eggs around the anus at night. A sleeping child scratches where the eggs lay because it starts to itch. Thousands of eggs land on clothes, on beds, on doorknobs in the morning, even before washing your hands and face in the morning. Therefore, the entire family is at risk of being infected.
- by contact with water. Open water contains numerous types of worms. Bathing and swallowing water are serious risks of infection
Children are more susceptible to worms than adults. This is because the child's body is not well protected (defense mechanisms are just formed) and the child is actively engaged with the external environment. It takes incredible effort from his parents to teach him the basic rules of personal hygiene. Children are more susceptible to worms than adults.
Babies under the age of 6 are at 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 are inside the body, only there they lay their eggs and die after a while. For example, pinworms live 6-8 weeks, roundworms - up to 1 year. The number of parasites in the body only increases as new eggs enter from the outside.
Treatment can allow you to get rid of the worms faster and stop laying eggs in your gut. Children with helminth infections are nearly impossible to recover without medication. New eggs are constantly entering the mouth, replenishing the adult ranks in the child.
Identifying the Signs of a Worm Invasion
The signs of worms appearing in humans are obvious and hidden. Notable ones include "unreasonable" weight loss, pale appearance (anemia of the skin), chronic fatigue, and nighttime itching of the anal canal. These manifestations are well known and indicative of contamination.
It is not uncommon for helminth invasions, in which the disease of the internal organs is exacerbated, the occurrence of diseases that have not been manifested before. These are considered hidden signs. A person is taken to treat many diseases, ignoring the cause. At the same time, treatment does not bring results. The following are examples of such situations:
Infectious diseases caused by weakened immunity
Parasites live in the human body and consume many nutrients and release toxic substances. This condition can significantly reduce the patient's immunity. As chronic disease worsens, various inflammatory processes in the nasopharynx may begin. There is no point in treating sinusitis or stomatitis in the standard way. It is important to rule out causes. In girls and women, inflammation of the uterine adnexa, vulvovaginitis, vaginosis of various origins usually begins.
Body poisoning causing general discomfort
The more severe the patient's worm invasion, the more harmful substances the parasite releases. This has adverse effects on the health and nervous system of adults and children. An example of this is migraine, dizziness, joint pain. Overcoming the nausea, the person took painkillers, but the pain returned shortly after: the cause of the disease was ignored. The more severe the patient's worm invasion, the more harmful substances the parasite releases
In children, neurological disorders are accompanied by irritability, apathy, and aggression. If your child starts sleeping poorly, talking in dreams, having nightmares, or slipping into school, it's time to start preventing worms.
allergic reaction, skin disease
The worm's waste is thought to be an allergen trigger. Skin reactions (rash, itching, rash, peeling skin) are the smallest symptoms that can occur when an allergy begins. It is possible for the body to experience general reactions: asthma exacerbation, rhinitis, cough. Sometimes a worm invasion is accompanied by fragility and hair loss, cracked heel skin and peeling nails.
Gastrointestinal disease
Depending on the severity of the infection, symptoms may vary from mild to severe. From mild nausea and diarrhea, to chronic flatulence, constipation, vomiting, navel and flank pain. Worms in tissues do not affect the gastrointestinal tract as much as intestinal parasites.
In which organs can parasites live?
Helminth parasites are divided into two categories, which correspond to the active site in the donor's body.
- Lumen - Worms that live in various parts of the gastrointestinal tract. There are about 100 species of intestinal parasites, dozens of which are found in every part of the gut. The small intestine is primed for roundworms, antistomal worms, tapeworms, and other less common "brothers. "The small intestine will "share living space" with pinworms, dwarf tapeworms, and more. Medical literature describes cases in which a person is infected with multiple parasites at the same time.
- Tissue - Worms located in organs, tissues or even blood. Modern medicine has successfully treated paragonimiasis (lungs), cysticercosis (brain), hydatid disease (liver) and filariasis (lymphatic vessels). The larvae of some worms travel through the body through the circulatory system and attach randomly to any organ. If many eggs are introduced, the entire body can be infected.
Symptoms of worms depend on the type of parasite
The symptoms of different types of worms in humans can vary. It is also worth considering the duration and intensity of the parasitic infection, the general condition of the patient prior to infection. The following table summarizes the main symptoms of the presence of worms in humans by type.
| Parasite type (disease) | Infection mode | symptom | time of symptoms |
| Pinworms (Enterobiasis) | Foods with plant sources. | Itching around the anus at night, the presence of parasites in the stool, short-term severe pain in the navel. | 2-3 days after infection |
| Vlassograf (triceps syndrome) | Prepare contaminated food in unsanitary conditions. | Symptoms manifest only in severe attacks: diarrhea, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, inflammation of the appendix. In children, growth of the body may be delayed, and rectal prolapse may even occur. | few weeks |
| Large tapeworm (diphyllobothriasis) | When eating infected river fish. | The parasite can live in patients for up to 25 years. Intestinal mechanical damage, vitamin deficiency, intestinal obstruction, body poisoning, allergies. | few weeks |
| Ascaris (hookworm) | When walking barefoot on charged soil. | Itchy, swollen feet and legs where the parasite enters. Cough, phlegm, damage to the bronchi and lungs. Weakness, dizziness. Women's menstrual cycles are disturbed. Men have impotence. | a few days |
| Ascaris (Ascaris) | Foods with plant sources. | Intestinal pain, peritonitis, bronchitis, pneumonia, liver disease, pancreas. Crawling from the gastrointestinal tract into the esophagus or respiratory tract may cause choking. | about 3 months |
| Trichinella (Trichinosis) | Poorly processed meat, lard. | Nausea and heartburn, diarrhea. | 2 days |
| Liver flukes and megaflukes (fascioliasis) | Plant food and water. | Fever, dry cough, loss of appetite, abdominal pain. | 2-4 weeks |
The symptoms of helminthiasis are as diverse as the pathogens of parasitic diseases, and they vary in their life cycles, routes of entry, migration routes, and preferred localization.
The general symptoms of parasitic diseases can be explained by the invasion of helminths, which suppress a person's own immunity, leading to the development of inflammatory and autoimmune processes. The general symptoms are associated with poisoning, parasite death, their vital activity and reproduction, manifested as weakness, instability and changes in mood, academic performance and performance, memory and a decline in children's ability to learn.
Pain in the right rib, bitterness, and the presence of jaundice may indicate parasitic disease primarily in the hepatoduodenal area (liver and duct area). At the same time, patients may notice episodes of nausea and reflux (vomiting).
Symptoms associated with liver and ductal damage associated with the hepatobiliary system have been observed, for example, when infected with the flatworm - opisthorchis. When consuming poorly processed fish of certain species (carp), the worm enters the body of its final host, a human. Symptoms associated with damage to the liver and ducts associated with the hepatobiliary system are observed, for example, when infected with flatworms - opisthorchis
The disease is endemic and has special distribution areas. For the pathogen to spread, the parasite larvae must go through a complex cycle that changes with the host (a species of mollusk, a fish of the carp family).
Usually, many parasitic diseases will have certain skin manifestations, such as skin itching, various rashes, scratching, atopic dermatitis, eczema and other skin diseases progress. Skin processes are not always associated with worm infestation and are unsuccessfully treated by dermatologists.
Importantly, helminthiasis can affect any organ and tissue, and sufferers often worry about headaches, joint pains (joint syndrome), and discomfort in the upper and lower airways. Often, lingering cough, frequent ARVI, pharyngitis, laryngitis, dyspnea are associated with inflammation, and a key site in its pathogenesis is parasitic (helminth) infection.
Giardiasis and its characteristics
Giardiasis is a protozoan disease in which the pathogen exists in both vegetative and cystic forms. Giardia infection occurs when cysts are ingested, which are very persistent in the environment and can persist in the environment (soil, food, water, various objects) for a long time.
One milliliter of stool can contain millions of Langerhans cysts, which can transform into plant forms when placed in a favorable environment. In the human gut, cysts form a nutritious, mobile form that persists for hours, with flagella attached between intestinal epithelial cells, where pathogens find a favorable environment for themselves and provide adequate amounts of carbohydrate food, which isThe favorite substrate is Lambia. Giardia are divided into binary (split in two) in favorable circumstances, and soon their numbers will increase many-fold. In addition to the gut, the vegetative form of Lamuria affects the hepatobiliary system (bile ducts, gallbladder).
Symptoms of giardiasis are associated with frailty, poor school performance, frailty, and signs of intestinal and hepatobiliary damage. The course of giardiasis and other parasitic diseases is largely related to the characteristics of the immune response. Intestinal form, gastroenteritis - a common form of giardiasis. Pathogen endotoxins 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 often in children, but in adult patients it usually causes many complaints and symptoms. Many chronic inflammatory diseases, as well as somatic pathologies, can be triggered by parasite invasion and exacerbated in the presence of various parasites, including roundworms.
Often, children and adults who are carriers of roundworms develop chronic colitis, enteritis, bronchitis, and possibly even severe diseases such as bronchial asthma, which may support other allergic processes (atopic dermatitis, eczema, rhinitis, psoriasis).
When the egg is swallowed, the roundworm enters the stomach. After entering the upper part of the digestive tract (stomach), the larvae break away from the capsule, migrate into the blood vessels, and enter the alveoli with the blood flow, causing coughing, coughing, and other symptoms of bronchitis in patients.
This condition is usually thought of as a viral infection, exacerbation of chronic bronchopulmonary disease, and in this case, is usually associated with the movement of parasite larvae.
After the roundworm larvae are coughed up, the pathogen with phlegm enters the pharynx, is swallowed by saliva, re-enters the stomach, and then enters the intestine, providing favorable conditions for the further growth and development of the parasite. Ascaris larvae are coughed up, and the pathogen with phlegm enters the pharynx, swallowed by saliva, re-enters the stomach, and enters the intestine, providing favorable conditions for the further growth and development of the parasite.
In the human gut, roundworms feed on their contents and become sexually mature individuals (50 cm for females, 20 cm for males). During growth and vital activities, and due to the migration of larvae, parasites have negative toxic and mechanical effects on the human body.
In the process of growth, life activities, spawning and maturation, pathogens have an inhibitory effect on the body's immunity, which can cause diseases and anemia in the lungs, intestines and other parts of the digestive tract. Roundworms can live in the human gut for up to a year.
Parasiticide
With the help of a large number of modern means, it is possible to treat a person with drugs.
Since some funds do not work on larvae and eggs of worms and the risk of reinfection is high (self-infection of pinworms), the course of treatment is repeated after 2-3 weeks. Of the folk methods, the most effective is the tried and true old method - using pumpkin seeds and tansy grass. With the help of a large number of modern means, it is possible to treat a person with drugs.
Pumpkin seeds are a good repellent. I have known it for a long time. It is best to buy unpeeled seeds, peel them yourself, and eat with a thin film between the seeds and the peel. Eat 300 grams in the morning. Chopped and mixed with honey or jam. Then do an enema without eating for 3-4 hours, and the treatment can be repeated after 2 weeks.
Interesting Facts About Human Parasites
- According to the World Health Organization, approximately 3 billion people are infected with helminth infections each year. 1. 2 billion people suffer from enterobiasis, 900 million suffer from hookworm and 700 million suffer from hair disease. This is only official statistics!
- In European countries, one third of inhabitants has intestinal parasites;
- In a severe invasion, a person can lose up to 500 milliliters of blood per day. Sickness and chronic fatigue result from it;
- Some parasites are located in the brain, eyeball, and bone marrow, where they can live for up to 30 years. For example, cytisterk . ;
- Ascaris females lay 240, 000 eggs per day. Constant reinfection will not allow a person to be cured the first time. need to repeat the course of treatment;
- The waste products of parasites - poisons and toxins - destroy human health 24 hours a day;
- Some types of tapeworms can grow up to 12 meters in length. Sometimes it threatens a blockage in the human gut;
- Pumpkin seeds contain cucurbitacins, which help heal worm infections without resorting to medication. Pumpkin seeds are often given to children to prevent;
- It is best to treat pets every 3 months. Therefore, you will protect yourself and your children from parasites;
- Eggs can wait up to 6 months on the wings of a doorknob;
- The infected dog spreads the eggs of the parasite by breathing within a radius of 5 meters;
- In order not to be digested by the stomach and intestines, the worms and their eggs release protective anti-enzymes;
- Trichinella do not lay eggs, but produce ready-made worms. Therefore, it is impossible to detect the presence of this parasite under laboratory conditions;
- The most effective assays for detecting invasion are considered to be enzyme immunoassays. Swab, stool analysis may not provide reliable information.
To sum it up, it should be said that regular prevention of helminth infections, even with inexpensive medications (they are also considered the mildest), helps protect the entire family. Take care of hand and body hygiene and prepare food thoroughly for use. Children and pets need constant monitoring for parasites.