The cause of many diseases, poor health is infection with helminths. 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 become infected with parasites of each species.
Types of worms - what parasites live in the human body
According to the place of parasitism in the organism and the characteristics of the infection, parasites are divided into several classes.
Classification of worms according to their location in the human body:
- Intestinal- These are worms that live in the gastrointestinal tract, mainly in the small intestine. Sometimes they get into other organs. This group includes tapeworms and roundworms.
- extra-intestinal- develop, live and multiply in different organs apart from the intestines. They can be localized in the lungs, eyes, brain, liver. This group includes flatworms.
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 is household items: towels, toys. Representatives of this species are dwarf tapeworm, pinworms.
- Biohelminthiasis- are transmitted by contact with an animal, following the consumption of infected meat that has not undergone sufficient heat treatment. To become potentially dangerous for humans, these parasites must live for a certain time in the organism of an animal which is an intermediate host. This species includes bovine and porcine tapeworms.
- Soil-transmitted helminthiasis- part of the life cycle takes place in the human body, and part - in the soil. It is a necessary condition for their development. You can get infected from poorly washed vegetables and fruits. This group includes roundworms, trichinae.
According to biological characteristics, helminths are divided into three types - round, tapeworm and fluke.
Roundworms (nematodes)
Roundworms are so called because their bodies are round in cross-section. These parasites are most often found in the body of a child. This type includes:
- PinwormsThey parasitize the large and small intestine. The length of their body does not exceed 1 cm. Most often, helminthic invasion by pinworms affects children. These parasites live 1-2 months. If you strictly observe personal hygiene, you can recover even without taking medication. If it is not observed, reinfection is possible.
- Ascaris- worms up to 45 cm long, which parasitize the small intestine. They can move freely inside 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, parasitize the fat and caecum, 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 by 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 necator- have the same biological characteristics, development cycle and method of parasitism, therefore they are grouped under the same name "hookworms". These 10-15 mm long helminths are localized in the duodenum 12. Penetrating into the human body through the skin upon contact with contaminated soil. They feed on blood by stinging 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 the feces. These ribbon-shaped individuals are up to 20 m long. They parasitize in the intestines, 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. It parasitizes the small intestine, causing severe dysfunction of the digestive tract. You can get infected by eating meat from freshwater fish and crayfish that have not been heat treated.
- bull tapeworm- a 6-12 m long helminth that lives in the small intestine, attached by suction cups to its mucous membrane. The source of 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. Attaches to the walls of the small intestine.
- Echinococcus- a parasite that can be infected by cats, dogs. A person is an intermediate host for this helminth, therefore, getting into the body, the larvae penetrate tissues, all organs and form echinococcus cysts. They are removed exclusively by surgery.
- Alveococcus- a type of echinococcus. Very dangerous helminths that can live in any organ, but mainly parasitize the liver. They actively grow and develop according to the principle of cancer metastasis, gradually infecting the whole body. Worms can be surgically removed.
flukes (trematodes)
Flukes are a type of worm that parasitize all organs and tissues. They feed on epithelial cells. They reach a length of 1. 5 m, and the body has the shape of a leaf. The route of infection is the consumption of raw fish, seafood or after insufficient heat treatment. This type includes:
- liver fluke- a worm 7 to 20 mm long. It parasitizes the liver and bile ducts. It provokes the development of serious diseases and functional disorders.
- Paw- a worm 4 to 13 mm long, located in the gallbladder.
Symptoms - signs of worms in humans
Exactly how helminthiasis manifests depends on what kind of worms have affected the body and how many there are. The main symptoms of helminthic invasion:
- diarrhea or constipation;
- bloating, flatulence;
- pain in muscles and joints;
- anemia;
- allergic reactions;
- dermatitis;
- weight problems - weight loss or obesity;
- sleep disorder;
- 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:
- Study of feces.
- Blood test.
- Examination of the secrets of the duodenum 12.
- Perianal and rectal mucus analysis.
- Ultrasound, tomography, endoscopy.
You can be sure of the diagnostic result if you pass the analysis 3-4 times with an interval of several days. An analysis is not sufficient to confirm the absence of helminthic invasion.
The human body can affect one type of worm or several at once. 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 carry out diagnostics and preventive treatment. This is especially true for pet owners.