The cause of many diseases, poor health is helminth infection. Various worms can enter the human body. Their dimensions vary from the smallest millimeters to 16-18 meters. By parasitizing in all organs and tissues, they cause enormous damage to health. To protect yourself from invasion (infection), it is desirable to know what worms are and to understand how one can become infected with parasites of each species.
Types of worms: what parasites live in the human body
Depending on the location of the parasitism in the body and the characteristics of the infection, parasites are divided into several classes.
Classification of worms based on their location in the human body:
- Intestinal- These are worms that live in the gastrointestinal tract, mainly in the small intestine. Sometimes they penetrate into other organs. This group includes ribbons and round worms.
- extraintestinal- develop, live and multiply in various organs outside the intestine. They can be located in the lungs, eyes, brain, liver. This group includes flat worms.
Classification of worms according to the method of entry into the human body:
- contagious- are transmitted to a healthy person by an infected person during contact. Another source of infection are household items - towels, toys. Representatives of this species are dwarf tapeworms, pinworms.
- Biohelminthiasis- they are transmitted by contact with an animal, following the consumption of infected meat that has not undergone adequate heat treatment. To become potentially dangerous to humans, these parasites must live for a certain period in the body of an animal which is an intermediate host. This species includes bovine and porcine tapeworms.
- Geoelminthiasis- part of the life cycle takes place in the human body and part - in the soil. This is a necessary condition for their development. You can get infected with poorly washed fruits and vegetables. This group includes nematodes, trichinae.
Depending on the biological characteristics, helminths are divided into three types: round, tapeworms and flounder.
Roundworms (roundworms)
Nematodes are named so because their bodies are round in cross section. These parasites are most often found in a child's body. This type includes:
- pinwormsThey parasitize the small and large intestines. Their body length does not exceed 1 cm. Most often, the invasion of helminths by pinworms affects children. These parasites live 1-2 months. If you strictly observe personal hygiene, you can recover even without taking medication. If not observed, reinfection is possible.
- Nematode- worms up to 45 cm long, which parasitize in the small intestine. They can move freely within the intestine. Their life expectancy is 14 months. During this time, they release toxins into the blood, systematically poisoning the body.
- Vlasoglav- worms, the body length of which is 3-4 cm, parasitize in the large and cecum, burrowing into their mucous membrane to suck blood. Very toxic. Live up to 5 years.
- Trichinella- a parasite with a valley of 3–4 mm, which can be infected through meat that has undergone insufficient heat treatment. Helminths live in different organs, settling in the muscles of the eyes, heart and lungs. Life expectancy - up to 2 years.
- hookworm and nectar- they have the same biological characteristics, development cycle and method of parasitism, therefore they are gathered under the same name of "hookworms". These 10–15 mm long helminths are located in the duodenum 12. Penetrates the human body through the skin in contact with contaminated soil. They feed on blood by biting blood vessels, which leads to iron deficiency anemia. This parasite is difficult to identify.
Tapeworms (tapeworms)
The tapeworm has a flat body divided into segments. As the worm grows, the segments separate from the body and pass out with feces. These tape-like individuals are up to 20m long. They parasitize in the intestine, where it attaches itself to its walls with the help of suckers.
To infect humans, tapeworms must go through one of the stages of development in an animal's body.
These parasites live in the body for years. Members of this group:
- wide ribbon- reaches a length of up to 20 m Parasite in the small intestine, causing severe dysfunction of the digestive system. You can get infected by eating the meat of freshwater fish and shrimp that have not undergone heat treatment.
- Bull tapeworm- a 6-12 m long helminth Lives in the small intestine, attached by suckers to its mucous membrane. The source of the infection is beef that has not undergone proper heat treatment.
- Pork tapeworm- a parasite up to 2 m long, which enters the body through raw or poorly processed pork. It attaches to the walls of the small intestine.
- Echinococcus- a parasite that can be infected with cats, dogs. A person is an intermediate host for this helminth, therefore, entering the body, the larvae penetrate the tissues, any organ and form echinococcal cysts. They are removed exclusively surgically.
- Alveococcus- a type of echinococcus. Very dangerous helminths that can live in any organ, but mainly parasitize in the liver. They actively grow and develop according to the principle of cancer metastases, gradually infecting the whole body. The worms can be removed surgically.
Trematodes (flukes)
Flukes are a type of worm that parasitize in any organ and tissue. They feed on epithelial cells. They reach a length of 1. 5 m. The body has the shape of a leaf. The way of infection is the consumption of raw fish, seafood or after insufficient heat treatment. This type includes:
- liver stroke- a worm 7-20 mm long. It parasites the liver and biliary tract. It provokes the development of serious diseases and functional disorders.
- Fluke- a worm 4-13 mm long, located in the gallbladder.
Symptoms - signs of worms in humans
Exactly how helminthiasis manifests itself depends on the type of worms that have affected the body and their number. The main symptoms of helminth invasion:
- diarrhea or constipation;
- bloating, flatulence;
- pain in the muscles and joints;
- anemia;
- allergic reactions;
- dermatitis;
- weight problems - weight loss or obesity;
- sleep disorders;
- nervousness, irritability, depression;
- apathy, fatigue;
- cough, inflammation of the respiratory tract;
- weakened immunity.
How to determine if there are worms
If symptoms appear that may indicate the presence of worms, it is worth undergoing a diagnosis. The following tests will help identify parasites:
- Stool study.
- Blood test.
- Examination of the secrets of the duodenum 12.
- Analysis of the perianal and rectal mucus.
- Ultrasound, tomography, endoscopy.
You can be sure of the result of the diagnosis if you pass the analysis 3-4 times with an interval of several days. An analysis is not sufficient to confirm the absence of helminth invasion.
The human body can affect one type of worm or several at the same time. All of them, regardless of size, cause serious health problems, are the causative agents of complex chronic diseases that cannot be cured for years. To eliminate the risk of infection, it is necessary to periodically conduct diagnostics and preventive treatment. This is especially true for pet owners.