The cause of many diseases, poor health is helminth infection. Various worms can enter the human body. Their sizes vary from the smallest millimeters to 16-18 meters. 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 you can get infected with parasites of all kinds.
Types of worms - what parasites live in the human body
Depending on the location of the parasite in the body and the characteristics of the infection, the parasites are divided into several classes.
Classification of worms depending on the location in the human body:
- Intestinal- These are worms that live in the gastrointestinal tract, mainly in the small intestine. Sometimes they penetrate other organs. This group includes tapeworms and roundworms.
- extraintestinal- develop, live and multiply in various organs outside the intestine. They can be localized in the lungs, eyes, brain, liver. This group includes flatworms.
Classification of worms depending on the way they enter the human body:
- infected- 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- are transmitted by contact with an animal as a result of the consumption of contaminated meat which has not undergone sufficient heat treatment. In order to become potentially dangerous to humans, these parasites must live for a certain period in the body of an animal that is an intermediate host. This species includes beef and pork tapeworms.
- Geohelminthiasis- 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 through poorly washed vegetables and fruits. This group includes roundworms, trichinae.
Depending on the biological characteristics, helminths are divided into three types - roundworms, tapeworms and flukes.
roundworms (nematodes)
Roundworms are so named because their bodies are round in cross section. These parasites are most often found in a child's body. This type includes:
- OystersThey parasitize in the large and small intestines. Their body length does not exceed 1 cm. Most often the helminth infestation of pinworms affects children. These parasites live 1-2 months. If you strictly follow personal hygiene, you can recover even without taking medication. If not observed, re-infection is possible.
- Ascaris- worms up to 45 cm long, which parasitize in the small intestine. They can move freely in the intestines. Their life expectancy is 14 months. During this period, they release toxins into the blood, systematically poisoning the body.
- Vlasoglav- worms, whose body length is 3-4 cm. They parasitize the large and caecum, digging into their mucous membranes to suck blood. Very toxic. Live up to 5 years.
- Trichinella- parasite with a recess of 3-4 mm, which can be infected by meat that has undergone insufficient heat treatment. Helminths live in various organs, settling in the muscles of the eyes, heart and lungs. Life expectancy - up to 2 years.
- hookworm and some- have the same biological characteristics, development cycle and method of parasitism, which is why they are combined under the same name "hookworms". These helminths with a length of 10-15 mm are localized in the duodenum 12. It penetrates the human body through the skin in contact with contaminated soil. They feed on blood by biting blood vessels, leading to iron deficiency anemia. This parasite is difficult to identify.
tapeworms
The tapeworm has a flat body that is divided into segments. As the worm grows, the segments separate from the body and are excreted in the feces. These banded individuals are up to 20 m long. They parasitize in the intestines, where with the help of suckers it attaches to its walls.
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 band- reaches a length of 20 m. Parasitizes in the small intestine, causing severe dysfunction of the digestive tract. You can become infected by eating meat from freshwater fish and crabs that have not undergone heat treatment.
- Bull tapeworm- helminth 6–12 m long. Lives in the small intestine, attached with suction cups to its mucosa. The source of infection is beef, which has not undergone appropriate heat treatment.
- Pork tapeworm- a parasite up to 2 m long that 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 by cats, dogs. Man is an intermediate host for this helminth, therefore, getting into the body, the larvae penetrate the tissues, all kinds of organs and form echinococcal cysts. They are removed exclusively by surgery.
- Alveococci- type of echinococcus. Very dangerous helminths that can live in any organ, but parasitize mainly in the liver. They are actively growing and developing on the principle of cancer metastases, gradually infecting the whole body. Worms can be removed surgically.
flukes (trematodes)
Metals are a type of worm that parasitize all kinds of organs and tissues. They feed on epithelial cells. They reach a length of 1. 5 m. The body is shaped like a leaf. The route of infection is the consumption of raw fish, seafood or after insufficient heat treatment. This type includes:
- hepatic fluke- worm 7–20 mm long. Parasitizes in the liver and bile ducts. Provokes the development of serious diseases and functional disorders.
- Fluke- worm 4-13 mm long, localized in the gallbladder.
Symptoms - signs of worms in humans
How exactly helminthiasis manifests itself depends on the type of worms that have affected the body and their number. The main symptoms of helminth infestation:
- diarrhea or constipation;
- bloating, flatulence;
- muscle and joint pain;
- anemia;
- allergic reactions;
- dermatitis;
- weight problems - weight loss or obesity;
- sleep disturbance;
- 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:
- Examination of stool.
- Blood test.
- Exploring the secrets of the duodenum 12.
- Analysis of 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. One analysis is not enough to confirm the absence of helminth infestation.
The human body can be affected by one or more worms at once. All of them, regardless of their size, provoke serious health problems, are the cause of complex chronic diseases that can not be cured for years. To eliminate the risk of infection, it is necessary to periodically diagnose and prevent preventive treatment. This is especially true for pet owners.