Parasites appear in the human bodycompletely unexpectedly. This is usually caused by direct contact with the source of the infection, such as an infected person or object. Many types of parasites can settle in the human body: they can be lamblia, pinworm, alveococcus, trichinella, schistosoma, etc.
Parasites in the human body
The human body has a rather complex structure, which is prone to various diseases and infections, infections, viruses and parasites. Parasites that settle in the human body are microorganisms that carry on a parasitic lifestyle and interact with other organisms, microorganisms, cells, and so on. They try to survive by eating.
Parasites in the human body are microorganisms that engage in parasitic lifestyles that interact with other organisms, microorganisms, cells, and so on. trying to survive by feeding
Parasites that find fertile soil for life and reproduction in the human body cause very serious, sometimes irreparable damage to their health, destroy the body from the inside, eat it and sometimes lead to the death of a person, or stop the work of individual organs, which also degrades a person’s quality of life, depressing and ultimately shortening his life.
Millions of species of parasitic worms exist in nature. Of these, there are those that parasitize the only representative of the animal kingdom. But there are also species in nature that can exist in the bodies of several animal species. What parasites live in the human body is what many ask.
There are many species of helminth in the human body. Some of them are very rare, while others settle indoors very often and can lead a parasitic lifestyle for up to decades.
Types of Parasitism
There are the following types of parasitism: ectoparasitism - parasites that lead a superficial lifestyle in the human body. This category includes lice, bugs, ticks; endoparasitism - parasites that affect the internal organs of man. In turn, protozoa and helminths are divided into two large groups.
Types of parasitic protozoa: lamblia, toxoplasma, trichoionada. These types of protozoan parasites are most commonly found in the human body.
The classification of parasites associated with helminths is classified into three major groups: nematodes; trematodes; cestodes.
Types of parasites in the human body
Pinworms
Pinworms are the best known parasites in the gut. The disease caused by pinworms is called enterobiasis. Not only humans suffer from it, but also monkeys. Children are at increased risk for pinworm infection. According to various sources, their level of participation in preschool age enterobiasis ranges from 25 to 90%. Pinworms are transmitted from one person to another. Infection occurs through handshakes, clothing, and any object touched by a patient, provided that hands are not washed after contact and worm eggs enter the mouth (this occurs especially during meals).
Flies and cockroaches can take the eggs of these nematodes by discarding their food. Pinworms live in the small intestine, cecum, and colon. They mate in the ileum, after which the female crawls out of the anus through the anus and lays eggs in the anus.
Symptoms of enterobiasis: itching in the anal area, poisoning of the body (allergic reactions, fatigue, tiredness), anemia, increased levels of eosinophils in the blood, insomnia and abdominal pain.
Anthelmintics are used to get rid of enterobiasis. The dose and course of treatment are selected by your doctor. To avoid re-infection, it is important to keep your hands clean, wash them after visiting public places, after using the toilet, before eating, and so on.
Nails should be cut short, bedding and underwear should be thoroughly disinfected and the apartment should be cleaned daily.
Toksokara
Toxocara is a parasite belonging to the group of nematodes. The disease caused by toxocara is called "toxocariasis. "This invasion in humans can be larval (eye and visceral) as well as intestinal. The disease has spread all over the world. Toxocara infection occurs when the worm’s eggs enter the human digestive system. This is most common when eating food or water contaminated with dog feces. Contact with sick animals is no less dangerous.
Toxocara is a natural carrier for cats and dogs, foxes and wolves. Once in the human body, the larva of the worm migrates through the blood vessels and can settle in any organ. The symptoms of the disease depend on it. Most often, toxocariasis manifests itself in the form of allergic reactions (Quincke edema, skin rash, bronchial asthma). As the disease worsens, body temperature can rise up to 38 degrees, but symptoms of body poisoning are weakly expressed.
Toxocariasis is suspected by enlarged lymph nodes: the visceral form of toxocariasis is the most common, with damage to the internal organs (intestines, respiratory system, heart valves).
A person may feel pain in the abdomen, right hypochondrium, dyspeptic disorders, nausea; if the respiratory system is damaged, a person has shortness of breath, dry cough, suffocation; if the toxoid arms settle on the heart valves, the patient has weakness, blue fingers and a nasolabial triangle, shortness of breath; the shape of the skin is characterized by itching, a feeling of movement under the skin, inflammation of the skin and mucous membranes; in neurological form, the parasite triggers the inflammation of the meninges and the brain tissues themselves.
Manifestation of headache, nausea and vomiting, seizures and other neurological disorders. Anthelmintics as well as pathogenetic and symptomatic therapy are used to treat toxocariasis.
Human Ascaris
Human Ascaris is a roundworm that parasitizes the small intestine. The disease caused by parasites is called ascariasis. The owner of the nail worm and the source of the infection is a sick person. The eggs of the worms, along with their feces, get into the soil where they become larvae. The soil is then transferred to food or human hands, and if the rules of personal hygiene are not followed, and if the fruits, vegetables and berries are poorly processed, it enters the digestive system.
Children and rural residents are more prone to infections. The development of ascariasis manifests itself in different ways in different phases. During the phase of larval migration through the body, body temperature rises, a dry cough occurs, wheezing in the lungs, and the size of the lymph nodes increases. Children suffer more from ascariasis than adults.
Allergic skin reactions are characteristic symptoms of ascariasis. During parasitism in the intestines, the patient develops dyspeptic disorders, loose stools are replaced by constipation, and abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting occur frequently. Hysterical seizures, insomnia, mental fatigue and headaches have been observed on the part of the nervous system.
During the larval stage, patients are prescribed certain anthelmintics to treat ascariasis, while worms are parasitized in the intestines and others.
Hookworm and nekator
The hookworm and the nekator are two types of globular worms that belong to the family Ancylostomatidae and cause a disease called the hookworm. There are two ways to infect the human body with these parasites: fecal-oral (drinking contaminated water, fruits, vegetables) and percutaneous contact with the soil (penetration through the skin).
Clinical signs of ankylostomiasis: papular blistering, shortness of breath and cough, loss of appetite, nausea, abdominal pain, loose stools, iron deficiency anemia. Treatment is limited to taking anthelmintic drugs and eliminating anemia with iron supplements.
Wide ribbon
The broad tapeworm refers to tapeworms of the order Pseudophyilidea. These parasites live in the small intestine of humans and fish-eating mammals. Infection with tapeworms provokes the development of a disease such as diphyllobothriasis.
12 types of tapeworms can parasitize the human body, however, the widest tapeworm is the most common. Infection occurs when raw and uncooked lightly salted fish or caviar is consumed, which contains worm eggs. Presence of the parasite in the intestines: nausea, abdominal pain, anemia.
In severe cases, intestinal obstruction develops. Patients are prescribed antiparasitic agents to get rid of the parasite. Upon completion of the therapeutic course, a second examination is mandatory in the presence of the worm in the body. If necessary, the use of anthelmintic drugs is repeated.
Bull tapeworm
The bull tapeworm is a tapeworm belonging to the teniid family. In the larval stage it affects cattle and in the tapeworm stage it lives in the human body (intestines). The tapeworm provokes a disease called teniarin, usually a parasite present in the patient's body. Human infection occurs through food after consuming poorly heat-treated meat (beef).
Clinically, the disease presents as nausea, excessive appetite, abdominal pain, unstable stools, and urticaria-type allergic reactions. An anthelmintic is prescribed to remove bovine tapeworms from the body. At the same time, the patient should follow a slag-free diet, make cleansing enemas, and take laxatives. After applying an anthelmintic, the worm dies and leaves the human body naturally. Sometimes it can be up to 12 m long.
Swine tapeworm
A porcine tapeworm is a parasitic tapeworm that infects mammals. Intermediate carriers can be pigs, dogs, rabbits, camels, but the ultimate owner is always male.
When an adult parasite is found in a person’s body, they talk about a disease like teniasis. When the parasite is in the larval stage of the patient's body, the disease is called "cysticercosis. "
Swine tapeworm infection occurs when uncooked pork is consumed. Sometimes the source of cysticercini is inoculation of the hand or water. A patient with teniasis poses an epidemiological risk to himself (an infection caused by larvae of the brain, skin, eyes, or skeletal muscles) as well as to others.
Symptoms of teniasis: abdominal pain, loss of appetite, nervous stools, headache, frequent dizziness, fainting (tennis and brain tennis are extremely dangerous). The patient is hospitalized to treat teniasis. Under the supervision of doctors, he is prescribed anthelmintics, after which the patient takes a saline laxative after 2 hours, which allows him to get rid of the worm’s segments and eggs. Surgery is required to treat cysticercosis of the eye and brain.
Echinococcus
Echinococcus is a tapeworm of the order Cyclophyllidae. Adults parasitize the intestines of dogs and cats, found in jackals and wolves. Parasitic larvae are dangerous to humans, which can cause a serious disease called echinococcosis. Larvae can infect human internal organs, forming echinococcus cysts in them. In the case of echinococcus, humans act as an intermediate host.
Infection is performed by contact (when cutting carcasses if they come in contact with a sick animal) or food (when consuming contaminated food or water). People who are involved in animal husbandry or who are in constant contact with animals are at risk. Symptoms should not appear for many years.
When the asymptomatic phase ends, pain, itchy skin, and hives appear at the site of the larval invasion. It also affects the function of the organ within which the echinococcus larva parasites. An increase in body temperature and fever is observed during cyst inflation.
Complete cure for echinococcosis is only possible with surgery. The cyst is peeled, taking care not to damage its membrane. If the bladder is very large, it will puncture and its contents will be sucked out. Anti-parasitic agents are prescribed to the patient before and after surgery. In the case of radical cyst removal, the prognosis for recovery is favorable.
Alveococcus
Alveococcus is a helminth belonging to the cestode group. The worm causes a life-threatening alveococcal disease, characterized by the primary focus in the liver and subsequent spread of metastases to other organs. Infection occurs when the oncospheres of a parasite enter the mouth.
This can happen while hunting, slaughtering wild animal carcasses, coming into contact with pets, or consuming unprocessed berries and herbs from the forest. Symptoms of alveococcosis are reduced to pain in the right hypochondrium, belching, nausea. There are often itching and allergic reactions. Occlusion of the tumor with the parasite and rupture into the abdominal or pleural cavity cannot be ruled out.
Alveococcal metastases are found in the brain and lungs. Treatment of the disease is rapid, but this should be supplemented with the administration of antiparasitic drugs.
Giardia
Giardia (another name for Giardia) is a flagellate parasite of the order Diplomonadid. Giardia provokes a disease called "giardiasis" and parasites the small intestines of humans and many other mammals and even birds.
Giardia infection occurs via the fecal-oral route: food, water, and contact household methods. The most important for the spread of the infection are the use of raw water, contaminated food, and public items inoculated with lamblia cysts. The leading symptoms of giardiasis are nausea, abdominal pain, stool disturbances and excessive gas.
In addition, patients suffer from allergic reactions, poisoning, and neurotic disorders. Giardiasis is treated with antiprotozoal drugs and enzymes, choleretic agents, and enterosorbents as part of the treatment regimen.
Histological amoeba
Histological amoeba is a protozoan parasite that causes a disease called amoebiasis. The disease is manifested by the formation of ulcers in the colon, followed by damage to other internal organs. Infection with amoebas occurs via the fecal-oral route after mature cysts from water or food enter the human gastrointestinal tract. Possible way of contacting parasites with unwashed handsFlies can be carriers of amoebae.
Another way to spread amebiasis is through the sexual pathway (anal intercourse). Symptoms of amebiasis: copious mucous stools, abdominal pain, blood in the stool, weight loss, anemia. In addition, extraintestinal amebiasis is characterized by the formation of abscesses in the organs affected by parasites (lungs, brain, liver, etc. ).
Antiprotozoal drugs are prescribed to treat intestinal ambiasis.
The duration of therapy is determined by the severity of the amoebiasis.
A disease called gnatostomosis is caused by larvae and mature nematodes of Gnathostoma spinigerum. Infection occurs when you eat unprocessed fish, frog or poultry, and drink uncooked, contaminated water. Symptoms of the disease include coughing and pain at the larval penetration site under the skin, local inflammation, and an increase in body temperature.
Severe edema and pruritus. As a general rule, they disappear one week after the onset of symptoms, but recur over the years. Dangerous damage to the eyeball and brain, often fatal. Treatment includes taking anthelmintics and surgery. During the surgery, the parasites are removed from under the skin.
Trichinella
Trichinella is a round parasitic worm that lives in the larval stage in the muscles (oculomotor, masticatory, diaphragm) and in adulthood - in the lumen of the small intestine. The disease caused by trichinella is called "trichinosis. "Deadly.
Human infection occurs through the consumption of raw or poorly processed meat from wild and domestic animals. Symptoms include loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. In the future, muscle aches, eyelid swelling and skin rashes will join. The parasitic infection is treated with anthelmintic drugs. However, antihistamines and corticosteroids are prescribed as needed.
Schistosomes
Schistosomes are fluke worms of the genus Trematodes. They provoke a disease called schistosomiasis. Human infection occurs during bathing, during the process of washing clothes or watering the ground with schistosoma larvae.
They can penetrate the human body even through intact skin and mucous membranes. In the acute stage of the disease, the symptoms are manifested in a rise in temperature to high levels, itchy skin and the appearance of papules throughout the body.
Once the disease becomes chronic, the infected person develops colpitis, prostatitis, colitis, ascites, hydronephrosis, and so on. you can show signs. Anthelmintics are used to treat the disease. Complications of genitourinary schistosomiasis require surgery.
Many parasites can damage the human body. Most of them enter the body of their owner through the gastrointestinal tract if safe food preparation technology and basic hygiene procedures are not followed.
Parasites in the body - adaptive properties
- long life expectancy (helminths live in the human body for years and sometimes as long as the host of the parasite lives);
- the ability to suppress or modify the host's immune response (an immunodeficiency occurs, conditions are created for pathogens to invade from the outside, and "inhibits" the internal foci of infection);
- many kinds of helminths, entering the digestive system, release antienzymes that save them from death; the digestive process is interrupted, toxic-allergic reactions of varying severity appear: hives, bronchial asthma, atopic dermatitis;
- developmental stages (eggs, larvae, change of ownership);
- the ability of eggs to survive for years in the external environment;
- sexual reproduction, in which genetic information is exchanged and is already at the highest stage of development, leading to an increase in the heterogeneous population, i. e. parasites will be less vulnerable;
- lack of immunization methods because the immune response is weak and unstable;
- widespread helminths, many habitats (water, soil, air, plants and animals).
Preventing parasites in the body
Preventive measures to prevent parasitic infections must be comprehensive. First of all, you have to follow the basic rules of personal hygiene, eat only washed fruits, vegetables and heat-treated fish and meat, only drink clean water.
Most experts advocate drug prevention of helminthiasis using antiparasitic drugs - a parasitologist will help you select the drug you need and calculate its dose correctly.
You can supplement this therapy with folk remedies with an anthelmintic effect - for example, eat more onions, garlic, various spices, consume pumpkin seeds regularly.