Worms are representatives of the lower worms that live in the human body. Diseases associated with human infection by various types of worms are called helminthiasis. This disease is not uncommon and occurs among certain segments of the population. Children are prone to infection with pinworms, 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 helminthiasis. Today, the theory about the relationship between cancer and parasitic infections is one of the most relevant. In 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 signs of other diseases. The patient has been treated for years for pancreatitis, gastritis or colitis, not suspecting that the cause of the disease is helminthiasis.
How does infection occur?
Infection with helminths occurs as follows:
- Through unwashed hands
- When it hits the ground
- After an insect bite
- Because hands are dirty
- 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, and food (raw and lightly cooked meat or fish). Rare cases of this disease are caused by insect bites. The mechanism of infection by helminthiasis is oral-fecal. A person ingests parasite eggs with food and water. Contact and household methods of infection also occur. It occurs when, after contact with soil or sand, hands are not washed thoroughly.
Vegetables and berries that grow in soil that is not sufficiently washed are also a source of worm infection. Children who play with lawns and pets are at risk of contracting worms. Free-roaming pets can bring helminth eggs into the home. Flies and other insects, after coming into contact with animal feces, landing on food, can easily transfer helminth eggs. Surprisingly, infection from person to person is also possible. It happens like this: female pinworms can crawl out of the intestine and lay eggs directly on underwear, causing severe itching. A person, after scratching an itchy area, may come into contact with toilet articles and other household items. These items fall into the hands of other family members, after which they become infected.
Waterborne infection is also possible. Many parasite eggs easily fall into reservoirs and open wells. Drinking uncooked well water is very dangerous.
Types of helminthiasis
Helminthiases differ in the method of penetration into the human body:
- Biohelminths
- Geohelminths
- Contagious
Biohelminths are transmitted to people through contact with animals. Geohelminths can be infected through soil. Infectious diseases arise from contact with infected people. The disease manifests itself differently depending on the method of infection, the number of worms, and the degree of their adaptation in any human organ.
Stages of helminthiasis
The most damaging effect on the body is not caused 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 of the parasite is the gastrointestinal tract. Different types of parasites prefer different habitats. So roundworms reside in the small intestine, and pinworms reside in the large intestine and the lower part of the small intestine. According to the habitat of the parasite, helminth infections are:
- Transparent
- Fabric
The luminal one is located in the lumen of the genital organ, and the tissue one is located in the tissue. Depending on their growth, parasites can change their habitat, moving from a luminal form to a tissue form. Helminthiasis develops in two stages:
- spicy
- Chronicle
The acute stage lasts from a week to a month, and the chronic stage continues until recovery. The acute stage begins with the introduction of eggs and continues as the parasite matures and grows. This disease manifests itself as an allergic reaction to a foreign organism. During the chronic stage of the disease, various body reactions occur. During this period, the parasite moves throughout the body in search of protection. This disease is accompanied by disturbances in the function of organs and systems in the human body. Once integrated into the immune system of the human body, parasites use the necessary substances for their growth and development. This leads to metabolic disorders, digestive system disorders, and difficulty absorbing vitamins and minerals.
In addition to this danger, parasites vomit their waste into the human body, poisoning the body, leading to intestinal disorders, decreased immunity, and the development of bacterial infections. Parasites contribute to the risk of getting cancer. This happens because of the negative effect on the immune system and the stimulation of cell division. Often, the patient undergoes examination by many specialists who find a group of diseases in him. And in this case, all specialists can be replaced by a single doctor - a parasitologist.
Classification of helminths
Types of worms in humans:
- Flatworms
- Ringworm
Flatworms include:
- Trematodes (opisthorchiasis, schistosoma, paragonimus)
- Cestodes (broad tapeworms, pig tapeworms, echinococcus, alveococcus)
- Roundworms or nematodes:
- pinworms
- Ascaris
- Hook worm
- Trichinella
This classification of helminths is presented in the medical literature. To successfully solve a problem such as helminthiasis, it is necessary to know the deep characteristics of the structure and life cycle of the parasite.
Trematodes
Another name for trematodes is flukes. This parasite is flat-leafed or lanceolate-shaped with two suckers. One sucker is located in the mouth, and the second, which serves for attachment, is in the peritoneum. All representatives of flukes enter the body through an intermediate host. Most of these parasites are hermaphrodites.
Opisthorchiasis
This is a coincidence - a worm up to 1. 3 cm long with two suckers. Opisthorchiasis is a hermaphrodite that parasitizes the liver, gall bladder, and pancreas in humans and some carnivorous animals (foxes, dogs, cats). Opisthorchiasis eggs come out of the human or animal body in feces. When these eggs enter a body of water, they are swallowed by freshwater molluscs, where the larvae hatch and develop. The larval development and maturation process lasts for two months. Then the larvae crawl out of the mollusk and penetrate the skin of the carp. After six weeks, the larvae become fully mature parasites. Opisthorchiasis enters the body of an animal or a person after eating contaminated 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 waste products of parasites
- Damage to liver tissue
- Gallbladder damage
- Bile outflow is impaired
- Inflammation of the pancreas
- Secretory dysfunction
- Decreased gastric motility
- 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
- ill
- vomiting
- Nausea
Prevention of infection: To prevent infection with opisthorchiasis, you should not eat raw fish. The larvae die during the heat treatment of the product. Dried fish can only be eaten if it has been salted before. Also, the larvae die when the fish is frozen for a long time.
Schistosomes
The parasite is unisex, needle-like with a length of 0. 4 to 2. 6 cm. Females are longer than males and larger, producing 3000 eggs per day. The reproduction method is the same as the previous type of parasite, through freshwater molluscs. Larvae enter the human body through the skin and mucous membranes while swimming in fresh water bodies. It can also enter the body of a person who accidentally swallows water while swimming. After one day of penetration, the larvae turn into adults and enter the peripheral veins, where they are sent to the lungs and venous channels. There the schistosome reaches sexual maturity.
Schistosoma lay eggs in the intestines, mucous membranes, and bladder. The eggs are then excreted from the human body in urine or faeces and begin their developmental path again. Schistosoma lives in the human body for decades, causing harm and infecting new individuals. The problem that arises when infected with schistosomes is caused by the human body not by adults, but by their eggs. Only half of the eggs are removed from the body, the rest accumulates in the organs. The eggs of this parasite have spines that damage a person's internal organs, often causing ulcers in the infected person. Patients with schistosomiasis experience the following symptoms:
- Appetite disorder
- Anemia
- Enlarged heart
- Spleen changes
- Decreased intestinal motility
- Stomachache
- constipation
- Diarrhea
- Weight reduction
- Intestinal bleeding
- Pain when urinating
- Allergies
- Weakness
When the genitourinary system is infected, the patient experiences:
- Irregular menstruation and miscarriage in women
- Impotence and incomplete ejaculation in men
If the egg enters the central nervous system:
- Acute cerebral schistosomiasis
- Chronic brain damage
- Death
Infected children experience delayed growth and development as well as decreased performance in school. Prevention of this disease includes avoiding swimming and avoiding walking barefoot in tropical waters.
Paragonim
Paragonim is a 1 cm long lungworm with an ovoid body and red spines. This parasite reproduces in the lungs of animals and enters the human body by eating crayfish and freshwater crabs. Parasites affect the respiratory system. Patients with paragonimiasis are characterized by allergic reactions and decreased immunity. symptoms:
- Temperature rise
- cough
- Production of phlegm from the lungs when coughing
- Dyspnea
- In severe cases, blood and parasite eggs are present in the sputum
- Wheezing can be clearly heard in the patient's lungs
Prevention: Avoid eating raw shrimp 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, a hook or a suction gap. Parasites need this device 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. Multi-chamber representatives of this type of worm are the causative agents of diseases such as alveococcosis. The disease is carried by cattle and domestic animals. When caring for these animals, parasite eggs fall from their fur into human hands. When parasites enter the human intestine, they bite the mucous membrane. When the parasite matures, it develops 4 parts, the last of which is filled with eggs. This part breaks off and spreads throughout the body, infecting it. The fourth part scatters eggs all over the body.
The infected patient's organs become enlarged, for example the liver. Suppuration may form. Enlarged organs can even rupture the abdominal cavity. And this can lead to serious body sepsis and even death. symptoms:
- Weakness
- Dizziness
- Allergic reaction to parasite waste products.
Echinococcus affects:
- Brain
- Spinal nerve
- Eyes
- Thyroid gland
- heart
- Lungs
- Womb
These parasites can trigger the formation of tumors, including malignant ones. The most unpleasant thing is that the treatment of this disease is only possible with surgery. Prevention: personal hygiene when in contact with animals.
Nematodes
This worm with an elongated, round or cylindrical body, parasites, most often, in the body of children. These roundworms include pinworms, roundworms and hookworms.
pinworms
This is a small white worm. Female length is 1 cm, male is 0. 5 cm. These parasites have a pointed tail, which is why they are called pinworms. The pinworm's habitat is the human intestine. The front end of the parasite has a suction cup, with the help of which the pinworm drills into the intestine, and the sharp end hangs into the lumen and damages the wall. This disease is called enterobiasis. You can get infected from someone through dirty hands. This disease is observed in preschool children who attend kindergarten. Symptoms of pinworm infection are itching near the anus. More often, itching is felt at night, when the female lays eggs, secretes a special substance. symptoms:
- Itching
- Diarrhea
- Stomachache
- Headache
- Lack of appetite
Prevention: wash hands.
Ringworm
This worm is the largest. The length of the female is up to 0. 5 m, the female lays 200 thousand eggs per 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. The larvae, entering the intestine, are selected from the shell and penetrate the intestinal wall, while migrating through the intestinal vein to the liver, through the hepatic vein to the heart, through the pulmonary artery to the bronchus, then to the trachea and inside. mouthSome larvae die in the open air, the rest are re-swallowed. symptoms:
- Nausea
- vomiting
- Jaundice
- Pancreatitis
- Frequent acute respiratory infections
- Bronchitis
- Pneumonia
Prevention:
- Washing hands
- Wash vegetables and fruits
- Maintain personal hygiene
- Protect food from flies, cockroaches and other carriers.
In conclusion, we can say that the cause of disease is not always bacteria and viruses that have entered the body. Parasites can cause great harm to human health. If unclear symptoms occur, one cannot exclude the possibility of parasites entering the body; the patient should visit a parasitologist.