For the parasitologist, parasites in the human body are the usual fronts of work. For an ordinary patient, helminthic invasion is a terrible pathology. The situation is exacerbated by the fact that a person tends to increase the scale of the problem without knowing the enemy based on his or her vision. Basic knowledge of the types of parasites in the human body helps to overcome fear. And knowing the problem, you can already competently build your methods of treatment or the principles of protection against it. In the following material, we analyze which worms parasitize the human body.
Types of worms in the human body
It is worth knowing that not all worms in the human body can live. For many, the natural habitat is animal organisms, water or just soil. The following is a list of the most common parasites in the human body that are concomitantly associated with clinical symptoms.
Pinworm
This is the most common parasite that enters the human body. Moreover, even humanoid primates can suffer from enterobiasis. Most often, pinworm is localized in the bodies of preschool children. Children 1 to 10 years of age are ill.
A pinworm infection occurs when a healthy person comes in contact with an infected person (shaking hands, touching dirty bedding, towels, etc. ) in the condition of an unwashed hand. Furthermore, with food, pinworm eggs enter the human body.
Important: insects (flies, cockroaches) can also carry helminth eggs.
An adult female crawls out of the anus at night and lays its eggs in the skin folds of the anus, causing severe itching. In addition, the patient may experience intermittent pain in the lower abdomen when the intensity of the helminthic invasion is already high. These symptoms of a parasitic infection indicate pinworms in the body. They can be mixed with general fatigue and allergic skin reactions.
Giardia
Protozoa of the flagellate genus. Localization of such parasites in the human body is more common in the small intestine. However, with blood flow, protozoa can reach the liver and gallbladder. Parasites enter humans with dirty hands, unwashed vegetables / fruits or drinking dirty water.
Symptoms of lamblia parasites include:
- Pain in the right hypochondrium;
- Stool disorders;
- Excessive gassing;
- Nausea;
- Neuroses;
- Allergic manifestations on the skin.
Ascaris
Nailworms in humans, most commonly in the small intestine. But at the same time, they can easily migrate to any organ with blood flow. It is often localized in the heart, lungs, liver, and even the brain.
A helminthic infection occurs with an infected hand that is exposed to vegetables, fruits, soil, and so on. eggs of the parasite may remain. In this case, the symptoms of the parasites vary depending on the phase of the course of the disease. So as the larva migrates, the following symptoms of parasites are observed in the body:
- Increased body temperature (38 degrees);
- Night dry cough with shortness of breath;
- Swollen lymph nodes.
With the further location of worms in the human body, the following symptoms develop:
- Stool disorders (constipation and diarrhea);
- Nervous system disorders;
- Pneumonia;
- Heart failure;
- Nausea;
- vomiting;
- Common headache;
- Stomach pain.
Histological amoeba
Amoeba is a protozoan parasite. It affects the human body with dirty hands, using dirty foods (vegetables, fruits, herbs) and even anal intercourse. Flies can also carry amoebiosis. The amoeba provokes ulceration and further damage to other organs and systems on the walls of the colon. In this case, the signs of parasites in the body will be:
- Stool with blood and mucus;
- Pain in the abdomen;
- anemia;
- General weakness and fatigue;
- Abscess formation in organs in which the parasite can be localized.
Toksokara
A round helminth that triggers a helminthic invasion called toxocariasis. In this case, the parasite may be localized in the intestines, eyes, brain. Toxic arm carriers are canines (dogs, wolves, foxes, etc. ). Infection occurs either through indirect contact with a sick animal or its feces. Infection with this type of parasite is associated with a number of symptoms, depending on the organ in which the worm is established as a larva. So for intestinal toxocariasis, the symptoms will be:
- Nausea and vomiting;
- Diarrhea and constipation;
- Pain in the abdomen.
In case of ocular toxocariasis, the patient has the following signs of parasitic infection:
- Impaired vision;
- Purulent discharge from the affected eye;
- Formation of sources on the eyelid;
- Redness of the sclera of the eye;
- Retinal detachment.
If the toxocara settles in the brain, the patient has the following signs of the parasite in the body:
- Headache;
- Dizziness and fainting;
- Increased intracranial pressure;
- Nervousness and hallucinations;
- Decreased vision and concentration.
In this case, the clinical picture is often confused with the oncology of the brain.
- In cardiac toxocariasis, the patient experiences heart failure such as tachycardia, arrhythmia, valvular heart failure, and pain in the heart.
- If the respiratory system is affected by toxocar, signs of pneumonia or bronchitis, as well as frequent shortness of breath may occur.
- If the worm settles under the skin, the patient will notice itching, movement, and redness on the skin at the helminth site.
Wide Ribbon
This biological host of helminth lives in the small intestine. It gets there through the mouth, with contaminated food (fish, fish eggs) or water. The signs of worms in such a body are:
- Pain in the abdomen;
- Nausea;
- Persistent anemia that cannot be corrected with iron supplementation;
- In the advanced stage of the pathology, the patient develops intestinal obstruction due to the accumulation of large amounts of parasites in it.
Swine tapeworm
This helminth lives in livestock (rabbits, pigs) as well as in the bodies of dogs and even camels. It enters the human body along with contaminated meat that has undergone improper heat treatment. If an adult worm is found in the patient's body, the diagnosis is "teniasis. "If the helminth sample is detected at the larval stage, the diagnosis is "cysticercosis. "
Important: A patient with teniasis is dangerous to himself (swallowing parasitic larvae in the brain, eyes, skeleton) and others.
The list of parasite symptoms in the human body looks like this:
- A sharp decrease in appetite;
- Severe headache;
- Pain in the abdomen;
- Fainting;
- Impaired vision (with eye teniasis).
Important: Treatment of swine tapeworm should only be performed in a hospital under the supervision of specialists.
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Bovine tapeworm (tapeworm)
A parasite that lives in a single individual in the human body. He gets there with infected cow meat. The list of symptoms of the parasite in the human body looks like this:
- Irrevocable appetite and lack of weight gain;
- Unstable chair;
- Pain in the abdomen;
- Severe allergic manifestations;
- Nausea.
Important: The parasite occurs spontaneously with certain anthelmintics. Moreover, its maximum length can be about 12 meters.
The necator and the hookworm
These round parasites enter the human body either through contaminated hands and food, or through the soil through contact with it. The symptoms of the presence of such parasites in the human body look like this:
- Rash in the form of papules and vesicles (acne with pus);
- Severe dry cough with shortness of breath;
- Abdominal pain;
- persistent anemia;
- Diarrhea;
- Nausea;
- Critical anorexia.
Alveococcus
This parasite belongs to the cestode group. However, it is worth knowing that helminth is extremely dangerous to humans because it first forms the primary inflammatory focus in the liver and then its metastases spread to other organs. Human infection occurs when helminth oncospheres enter the human mouth. This is most common during the slaughter of animal carcasses, during hunting, the use of herbs and berries collected in the forest and not satisfactorily processed for food, and direct contact with invaded infected animals. In this case, only a specialist should evaluate the symptoms and treatment tactics. The clinical picture of helminthic invasion looks like this:
- Nausea and specific belching;
- Pain in the right hypochondrium;
- Allergy;
- Severe itching of the skin;
- The site of parasite localization and abscess burst.
Important: The localization of such an invasion is often found in the lungs or brain. They only get rid of the parasite immediately.
Echinococcus
Canids and cats are carriers of echinococcus. In this case, the person against the parasite is only an intermediate host. The danger of echinococcus to humans lies in the fact that helminth seriously affects human organs and systems, provoking the formation of cysts in them. Most often, people working with animals and butcher meat were infected with echinococcus. That is, the parasite can enter the human body when the animal's carcass is slaughtered and contaminated meat or water is consumed. It is worth knowing here that signs of the presence of parasites in an adult may not appear for a long time. When the asymptomatic phase is over, the following clinical picture appears:
- Severe urticaria;
- Itchy skin;
- Pain at the site of the parasite larvae;
- Fever and fever (in case of cyst flooding).
Gnatostoma
This type of helminth enters the human body with contaminated poultry, fish or frog meat. It can also become infected with dirty water, including worm larvae. The presence of such worms in the human body is manifested by the following symptoms:
- Severe dry cough;
- Pain in the area where the parasite larva is located;
- Severe swelling;
- Severe itching of the skin;
- Increased body temperature.
Important: After a week, all symptoms go away on their own, but occur regularly for many years. Damage to the eyes and brain by worms is a major hazard. This can be fatal.
Schistosome
Flux worm. It is dangerous because it can penetrate the human body through intact skin. Infection occurs in dirty waters (more common in Africa), by washing clothes in dirty water, or by watering the soil. In the acute stage of the invasion, the following first signs appear:
- Excessive body temperature (up to 39 degrees);
- Formation of papules on the body;
- Severe itching of the skin.
In the chronic stage, the disease is associated with prostatitis, colitis, colpitis, ascites, renal hydronephrosis, and so on. manifests itself in the form of symptoms. By analyzing the urine, schistosomiasis can be detected.
Trichinella
A round parasite that parasitizes the muscles of the human body at the larval stage and migrates into the small intestine to maturity. Trichinella is fatal to humans. You can become infected with such an invasion if you eat poorly fried / cooked meat from wild and domestic animals infected with worms. If the reader does not know how to determine the presence of such a parasite in the body, the clinical picture of the pathology looks like this:
- Vomiting and severe diarrhea;
- Pain in the abdomen;
- Anorexia;
- Muscle pain;
- Skin rashes;
- Swelling of the eyelids;
- The temperature rises to 40 degrees.
Important: Trichinosis is the only helminthic invasion in the human body that is also treated with corticosteroid drugs.
Once you know what parasites can live in the human body and how the infection occurs, as well as what are the symptoms of a helminthic infection, you can insure yourself and your loved ones against the infection. And if you suspect an infection with one or another type of parasite, seek special help in a timely manner.