The most common helminths in humans are worms. These parasites in the human body lead to many complications, including: disruption of the gastrointestinal tract, physical damage to internal organs, helminthiasis.
Helminthiasis is not a disease, but a group of diseases caused by parasites that live inside a person. All helminths are divided into 3 main types:
- nematodes (belong to the order nematodes), prominent representatives - nematodes, pinworms, whipworms;
- tapeworms, or tapeworms (a group of flatworms), are represented by tapeworms, beef tapeworms;
- flukes or trematodes (an order of flatworms) are represented by the liver fluke.
Since helminths leave the host during the reproductive period to preserve the species, when moving to another vector or environment, they are also divided according to the type of transfer:
- Mechanical transfer involves traveling long distances until the development of worms in the body of the carrier does not occur. These include most arthropods (crustaceans, arachnids, and centipedes) that are often carried on the legs of common flies.
- An intermediate host is a special mode of transmission in which one of the developmental stages takes place in the host organism. For example, for tapeworms, cattle act as a carrier (intermediate host) and humans as a final carrier.
Helminths differ in the mode of transmission:
- active (contact);
- passive (food).
Contact worms can penetrate the human body through mucous membranes and skin (schistosomes, hookworms). Food products are more common, they develop in a person after eating unwashed food, contact with sick people or failure to observe the rules of personal hygiene.
In total, there are more than 250 species of lower worms in the world that parasitize humans. Since the symptoms of the presence of worms in humans have different manifestations, therefore, at the slightest suspicion, you should consult a specialist and undergo an examination.
The life cycle of worms, their reproduction and development
An example of the development of helminths is the classic diagram of the life cycle of nematodes. Parasite eggs are extremely resistant to external adverse influences and can remain in the soil for up to six months.
The development of the larva itself takes from 2 weeks to 2 months, depending on the environmental conditions: temperature, humidity, availability of oxygen. A mature egg with food enters the stomach, where gastric juice eats away at the egg shell, releasing the larva.
Subsequently, the nematode enters the bloodstream through the intestinal wall and begins to move along the entire system of blood vessels until it enters the lung alveoli. The nematode larva is aerobic, only here it becomes active and continues to develop.
Feeding on blood, it grows to 3-4 mm in length. After reaching primary maturity 4-5 days after invasion, the nematode begins to move in the bronchi.
Its movement causes a person to cough, as a result of which the larva, together with mucus, enters the oral cavity and back into the intestines. Here the last stage of the formation of the larva into an adult takes place.
The life cycle of an adult nematode lasts about a year, during which time it lays up to 250, 000 eggs. Human health, and sometimes life, directly depends on the presence of worms in the body and their number, so it is important to start treatment as soon as possible.
Ascariasis is accompanied by intoxication, and intestinal obstruction will be a complication, which in some cases will require urgent surgical intervention.
Reproduction of helminths occurs in 2 ways, in which helminths are divided into biohelminths and geohelminths. Usually the eggs of the parasites fall into the external environment - here they mature. The egg must then enter the host, where it develops fully (geohelminths) or passes through the larval stage (biohelminths).
In biohelminths, the development process is more complex, the stages of development of an adult individual and reaching maturity are separated from the stage of emergence of the larva. That is, from the external environment, the egg first enters the intermediate carrier, where the larva hatches.
Therefore, it must enter the body of the final host to reach the adult form. Sometimes biohelminths change up to 4 intermediate hosts before reaching the final host.
Symptoms
How to determine the presence of worms? Polymorphic symptoms and the absence of pain in the early stages of the disease make diagnosis difficult.
Often the causes of the appearance of worms in people are related to the use of outdated or contaminated food, and the parasites themselves live directly in the digestive tract, so the signs of their presence in the human body in most cases relate to the work of the intestines:
- liquid stools (unstable;
- pain and swelling;
- allergic skin rashes;
- flatulence;
- nausea;
- he threw up;
- lack or excess of appetite;
- at night - sleep disorders, tossing, grinding teeth, salivation;
- itching in the anus;
- the presence of mucus or blood in the stool.
These symptoms appear after infection and last for a short time (about 7 days). In case of repeated invasion, they are repeated after 2-3 weeks.
In the absence of treatment or due to the appearance of an acute or chronic form of the disease, some symptoms do not disappear, the consequences of a prolonged stay of parasites in the body are added:
- Intoxication occurs almost simultaneously with infection, but in the early stages it is not so noticeable. The more worms there are in the human body, the more the symptoms of poisoning increase, from morning sickness to vomiting and abdominal pain.
- Congestion in the lungs (infiltrates), bronchospasm, pneumonia. The main culprits are parasites that develop in the alveoli of the lungs and damage them, causing inflammation.
- Inflammation of the heart muscle (myocarditis). An infectious disease resulting from the vital activity of helminths and subsequent intoxication.
- Meningoencephalitis is a dangerous inflammation of the brain and its membranes caused by bacteria and protozoa.
Different pathogens have their own manifestations and consequences, but most of the symptoms are common to all helminths.
Diagnosis
The diagnosis is made in the laboratory. Only in this case, in the presence of worm eggs and their signs in the blood or feces, helminthiasis can be confidently diagnosed. However, stool analysis is not always sufficient: some types of parasites do not show up in it.
A special method for determining the presence of worms is a serological blood test for antibodies. For the diagnosis of helminthiasis, the following are used:
- bile studies;
- macroscopy (to detect ascaris and pinworms);
- biopsy of muscle tissue when checking for trichinellosis;
- x-ray and ultrasound.
Trichinellosis is a parasitic disease in which the larvae of the pathogen spread throughout the host's body, causing extensive damage to organs and the central nervous system, then settling in the muscle tissue.
Parasites in a person's muscles gradually create a capsule of infiltrates around themselves, and the symptoms of their presence in the body decrease, but by this time serious damage has already been done to the owner's health.
One of the main symptoms can be considered eosinophilia, in which the number of eosinophils in the patient's blood increases dramatically. Eosinophils are a subtype of white blood cells that respond to the presence of small foreign bodies in the circulatory system.
In places of accumulation of larvae of the parasite, internal swelling and spots on the skin quickly appear - traces of infiltration. They also remain in sputum and lung fluid.
Since the symptoms of helminthiasis are extensive and largely overlap with signs of other diseases, self-diagnosis cannot be completely reliable.
There are cases when after eating bananas, people notice dark threads in their stool, which they mistake for worms. Before starting treatment, it is necessary to pass all tests for the presence and type of parasites.
Treatment of helminthiasis
In the treatment of parasitic diseases, several general rules must be followed:
- Complete disinfection of the sick underwear and the room in which it is located. Keep contacts to a minimum, plates should be separated.
- Strict alcohol-free diet. It is recommended to use an infusion of carrot juice and birch sprouts.
- Personal hygiene, frequent hand washing and laundry, cleaning the premises.
- Monitoring the course of treatment and its effectiveness.
Modern methods of treatment exclude the use of a separate drug, as this does not guarantee full coverage of all types of helminths. Most often, the doctor prescribes an initial drug that weakens the parasites.
If it is not possible to consult a doctor, folk remedies are used. A good anthelmintic effect is exerted by:
- garlic infusion enema, taking garlic on an empty stomach;
- infusion of tansy on an empty stomach 4 times a day before meals;
- wormwood tincture on alcohol, take 20 mg 3 times a day.
Worms in people nowadays are diagnosed and treated in a short time. If you do not start the disease and start treatment in time, it will help to avoid complications and re-invasion.
The greatest danger of parasitic diseases is for children: there is a lag in mental development, complications arise in the form of chronic diseases, inflammatory processes.
It is extremely important to explain to the child in a timely manner the need to wash hands and follow the rules of personal hygiene. At the same time, adults are required to observe other preventive measures.
Prevention of helminthiasis
In addition to personal hygiene, there are a number of factors that affect the elimination of the cause of the appearance of worms:
- washing vegetables and fruits in hot water;
- keep the house clean, perform wet cleaning regularly;
- a balanced diet that provides the body with a sufficient amount of vitamins from all groups;
- monitoring the condition of pets, annual visits to a veterinarian;
- adequate heat treatment of fish and meat;
- combating insects living in the house;
- to refrain from bathing and resting in pastures.
Compliance with preventive measures and timely access to a doctor in case of infection will help to avoid complications. The correct dosage of the drugs prescribed by a specialist doctor will get rid of the parasites quickly, and folk remedies can be used along with the prescribed drugs.