Worms are representatives of the lower worms that live in the human body. The disease associated with the infection of a person with various types of worms is called helminthiasis. The disease is not uncommon and occurs among certain segments of the population. Children prone to cream worm infections, hunters - trichinella, fishermen and lovers of Japanese cuisine (raw fish in the form of sushi) suffer from diphyllobothriasis. Many diseases, paradoxically, can occur in the human body due to infection with helminthiasis. To date, the theory of the relationship between cancer and parasitic infections is one of the most relevant. With the presence of helminthiasis, symptoms do not always appear, and if, however, patients with this disease experience any unpleasant and uncomfortable sensations, they are considered a sign of another disease. The patient had been treated for years for pancreatitis, gastritis or colitis, not suspecting that the cause of the disease was helminthiasis.
How the infection occurs
Worms bring a lot of problems to a person
Infection with helminths occurs as follows:
- Through unwashed hands
- When in contact with the ground
- after an insect bite
- Because of dirty hands
- When eating raw meat and fish
- After eating unwashed fruits and vegetables
- After contact with animals
- After contact with an infected person
Mature parasite eggs can be found in soil, water, food (raw meat or fish and not heat processed). Rare cases of this disease are caused by insect bites. The mechanism of infection with helminthiasis is oral-fecal. Someone swallows parasite eggs with food, water. Methods of household contact infection also occur. It occurs when, after contact with soil or sand, hands are not washed thoroughly.
Vegetables and berries that grow in the soil, which are not adequately washed, are also a source of worm infections. Children who play with the yard and pets are at risk of being infected with worms. Pets roaming the streets freely can bring helminth eggs into the house. Flies and other insects, after contact with animal feces, sitting on food, can easily transfer helminth eggs. Surprisingly, human -to -human transmission is also possible. It goes something like this: female cream worms can crawl out of the gut and lay eggs right on the panties, causing severe itching. A person, after brushing the itchy spot, can come in contact with toilet items and other household items. These items fall into the hands of other family members, after which they become infected.
Waterborne infections are also possible. Many parasite eggs easily fall into open bodies of water and wells. Drinking uncooked well water is very dangerous.
Types of helminthiasis
Helminthiases differ in the way they enter the human body:
- Biohelminths
- Geohelminths
- contagious
Biohelminths are transmitted to humans through contact with animals. Geohelminth can be transmitted through soil. Infectiousness arises from contact with an infected person. The disease manifests itself differently depending on the method of infection, the number of worms, their degree of adaptation in any human organ.
Stages of helminthiasis
The most damaging effects on the body are not produced by adults, but by their larvae. Adult individuals have chosen a comfortable place for themselves in the human body, and the larvae move through the organs and leave their lesions. The most common habitat for parasites is the gastrointestinal tract. Different types of parasites prefer different habitats. So ringworms are located in the small intestine, and pin worms settle in the large intestine and the lower part of the small intestine. According to the parasite habitat, helminthiases are:
- transparent
- cloth
Transparent is located in the lumen of the genital organs, and tissue - in the tissues. Depending on the growth, parasites can change their habitat, moving from a translucent form to a tissue. Helminthiasis develops in two stages:
- acute
- Chronicle
The acute stage lasts from a week to a month, and the chronic stage continues until cured. The acute stage begins with the introduction of eggs and continues as the parasite matures and grows. The disease is indicated by an allergic reaction to foreign organisms. During the chronic stages of the disease, various body reactions occur. During this period, parasites move through the body to seek shelter. The disease is accompanied by disorders in the function of organs and systems in the human body. Once integrated into the human body’s immune system, parasites consume substances necessary for their growth and development. This leads to metabolic disorders, disorders of the digestive system, difficulties in the absorption of vitamins and minerals.
In addition to these dangers, parasites spew their wastes into the human body, poisoning the body, leading to intestinal disorders, reduced immunity, and the development of bacterial infections. Parasites contribute to the risk of getting cancer. This occurs due to negative effects on the immune system, and stimulates the process of cell division. Often the patient is examined by many specialists who find a group of diseases in him. And in this case, only one doctor, a parasitologist, can replace all the specialists.
Classification of helminths
Bracelet worms are rather common
Types of worms in humans:
- flat worms
- ringworm
Flat worms include:
- Trematode (opisthorchis, schistosomes, paragonim)
- Cestodes (broad tapeworm, tapeworm, echinococcus, alveococcus)
- Ringworm or Nematode:
- cream worms
- Ascaris
- mine worms
- Trichinella
The classification of such helminths is presented in the medical literature. To successfully solve problems such as helminthiasis, it is necessary to know an in -depth description of the structure and life cycle of the parasite.
Trematod
Another name for trematodes is flukes. The parasite is flat, leaf -shaped or scalpel -shaped with two suckers. One inhaler is in the mouth, and the second, which serves for attachment, is in the peritoneum. All representative flukes enter the body through an intermediate host. These parasites are mostly hermaphrodites.
Opisthorchises
This fluke is a worm up to 1. 3 cm long with two suckers. Opisthorchis are hermaphrodites, parasites in the liver, gallbladder, pancreas in humans and in some predatory animals (foxes, dogs, cats). Eggs of opisthorchiasis leave the human or animal body with feces. When they enter the reservoir, these eggs are swallowed by freshwater mollusks, in which the larvae hatch and develop. The process of development and maturation of larvae lasts for two months. Then the larvae crawl out of the mollusk and penetrate under the skin into the carp. After six weeks, the larvae become fully mature parasites. Opisthorchis enter the body of an animal or a person after eating an infected fish. These worms can live in living organisms for up to 20 years. Symptoms of opisthorchiasis:
- Allergies
- Weakness
- Headache
- Dizziness
- Depression
- Loss of consciousness
Harm caused by opisthorchiasis to the body:
- Poisoning by parasitic wastes
- Liver tissue damage
- Gallbladder injury
- Violation of bile outflow
- Inflammation of the pancreas
- Secretory dysfunction
- Abdominal motility decreases
- Thickening of the walls of some organs, the occurrence of tumors as a result.
The chronic course of the disease is characterized by:
- Feeling heavy after eating
- sick
- vomiting
- Nausea
Habitat of opisthorchis in fish -rich rivers:
- Kame
- Dnipro
- Delta Neman
Infection prevention: To prevent opisthorchiasis infection, do not eat raw fish. Larvae die during heat treatment of the product. Dried fish can only be eaten if it has been marinated before. Also, larvae die when fish are frozen for a long time.
Schistosome
This parasite is of different sexes, it looks like a needle from 0. 4 to 2. 6 cm long. Females are longer than males and larger, producing 3000 eggs per day. The method of reproduction, as in previous parasitic species, is through freshwater mollusks. Larvae enter the human body through the skin, mucous membranes while swimming in freshwater reservoirs. It can also get into the body of a person who accidentally swallowed water while swimming. After a day after penetration, the larvae turn into adults and enter the peripheral veins, where they are directed to the lungs and venous ducts. There, the schistosome reaches sexual maturity.
Schistosomas lay eggs in the intestines, mucous membranes, bladder. Then the egg is removed from the human body with urine or feces and begins the path of redevelopment. Schistosomas live in the human body for decades, causing harm and infecting new individuals. Problems that arise during infection with schistosomes, the human body is more caused not by adults, but by their eggs. Only half of the eggs are removed from the body, the rest accumulates in the organs. These parasitic eggs have spikes that damage a person’s internal organs, often ulcers occur on the infected. Patients with schistosomiasis experience the following symptoms:
- Appetite disorders
- Anemia
- Enlarged heart
- Altered spleen
- Intestinal peristalsis is reduced
- Stomachache
- constipation
- diarrhea
- Weight reduction
- Intestinal bleeding
- Pain during urination
- allergies
- Weakness
When the genitourinary system is infected, patients experience:
- Irregular menstruation and miscarriage in women
- Impotence and incomplete ejaculation in men
When the egg enters the central nervous system:
- Acute cerebral schistosomiasis
- Chronic brain damage
- Fatal outcome
Infected children experience delays in growth and development, a decline in school performance. Prevention of the disease includes avoiding swimming and avoiding walking barefoot in tropical waters.
Paragonim
Paragonim is a 1 cm long lung worm with an ovoid-shaped body and red spines. These parasites multiply in the lungs of animals and enter the human body by eating crayfish, freshwater crabs. Parasites infect the respiratory system. For patients with paragonimiasis, allergic reactions and decreased immunity are characteristic. symptoms:
- Temperature rise
- cough
- Excretion of phlegm from the lungs when coughing
- Dyspnea
- In severe cases, blood and parasite eggs are present in the sputum.
- In the patient's lungs a wheezing is clearly audible.
- Prevention: does not include the use of raw lobster and crab.
Cestodes
Representatives of cestodes are tapeworms of various lengths. Some parasites reach very large sizes. On the head of this parasite there is a sucker, hook or sucker slit. This adaptation is required for parasites to attach to the intestinal wall. Cestodes affect the entire human body, it is most dangerous for children who quickly develop anemia.
Echinococcus
This parasite reaches a length of 5 cm and is the causative agent of Echinococcus disease. Multiple chamber representatives of this type of worm are disease -causing agents such as alveococcosis. The disease is carried by cattle and domestic animals. When caring for these animals, parasite eggs fall from the fur into human hands. Upon entering the human intestine, the parasite bites into the mucous membrane. When the parasite matures, 4 parts appear, the last of which is stuffed with eggs. The department comes out and spreads throughout the body, infecting it. The fourth part sprinkles the eggs all over the body.
The infected organs in the patient are increased, for example, the liver. Suppuration may form. Enlarged organs can even penetrate the abdominal cavity. And this can lead to serious body sepsis and even death. symptoms:
- Weakness
- Dizziness
- Allergic reactions to parasitic waste products.
Echinococcus affects:
- The brain
- Spinal cord
- Mata
- thyroid gland
- heart
- Lungs
- uterus
These parasites can trigger the formation of tumors, including malignant ones. The most unpleasant is that the treatment of this disease can only be done through surgery. Prevention: personal hygiene in contact with animals.
Nematode
These worms with an elongated body, round or in the form of parasitic cylinders, most often, in the body of children. These tapeworms include cream worms, tapeworms, mine worms.
cream worms
This is a small white worm. The length of the female is 1 cm, the male is 0. 5 cm. These parasites have pointed tails, which is why they are called pinworms. The habitat of cream worms is the human intestine. The front end of the parasite has a sucker, with the help of a cream worm boring the intestines, and the sharp end hangs into the lumen and damages the wall. This disease is called enterobiasis. You can be infected from someone through dirty hands. There is a disease in preschool children who attend kindergarten. Symptoms of a cream worm infection are itching around the anus. More often, itching is felt at night, when females lay eggs, while releasing special substances. symptoms:
- Itching
- Diarrhea
- Stomachache
- Headache
- Lack of appetite
- Prevention
- wash your hands
Bracelet worm
This worm is the largest. The length of the female is up to 0. 5 m, the female lays 200 thousand eggs a year, regardless of the male. The mechanism of infection is fecal-oral. Ascaris eggs enter the human body along with unwashed vegetables and fruits through dirty hands. Larvae that have entered the intestine are selected from the shell and penetrate into the intestinal wall, while migrating through the intestinal veins to the liver, through the hepatic veins to the heart, through the pulmonary arteries to the bronchi, then into the trachea and into the mouth. Some of the larvae die in the open air, the rest are swallowed backwards. symptoms:
- Nausea
- vomiting
- Jaundice
- pancreatitis
- Frequent acute respiratory infections
- Bronchitis
- Pneumonia
Prevention:
- wash your hands
- Wash vegetables and fruits
- Hygiene
- Protect food from flies, cockroaches and other hawkers.
In conclusion, we can say that the cause of the disease is not always the bacteria and viruses that have entered the body. Parasites can cause great harm to human health. If the symptoms are not obvious, it is not necessary to exclude the penetration of parasites into the body, the patient should visit a parasite expert.