A person is exposed to the risk of infection by various parasites throughout his life. The most common are helminths (worms in humans). These parasites in the human body cause many complications, including: disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, physical damage to internal organs, helminthiasis. Helminthiasis is not a disease, but a group of diseases caused by parasites living inside a person. All helminths are divided into 3 main types:
- nematodes (belonging to the order of roundworms), prominent representatives - roundworms, pinworms, whipworms;
- represented by tapeworms, or cestodes (order of flatworms), tapeworms, bovine tapeworms;
- flatworms or trematodes (order of flatworms) are represented by liver flukes.
Helminths are also divided according to the type of transmission, since they leave the body of the host to protect the species during reproduction, to move to another host or to the environment:
- Mechanical transmission involves movement over long distances, while worm development does not occur in the body of the carrier. These include most of the arthropods (crustaceans, arachnids, and millipedes) that are often carried on the legs of common flies.
- An intermediate host is a special method of transmission in which one of the stages of development occurs in the body of the vector. For example, for bovine tapeworm, the carrier (intermediate host) is cattle, and the final carrier is humans.
Helminths also differ in their transmission methods:
- active ( contact );
- passive (food).
Contact helminths can enter the human body through mucous membranes and skin (schistosomes, roundworms). Foodborne diseases are more common, they develop in humans after eating unwashed food, coming into contact with sick people, or when personal hygiene is not followed.
In total, there are more than 250 species of worms in the world that parasitize people. Since the symptoms of the presence of worms in people have different manifestations, at the slightest suspicion you should contact a specialist and undergo tests.
The life cycle of worms, their reproduction and development
An example of the development of helminths is a classic diagram of the life cycle of a roundworm. Eggs of the parasite are extremely resistant to external negative influences and can remain on the ground for up to six months. The development of the larva itself takes from 2 weeks to 2 months, depending on environmental conditions: temperature, humidity, availability of oxygen. The mature egg enters the stomach with food, where gastric juice eats the shell of the egg and releases the larva.
After that, the roundworm enters the bloodstream through the intestinal wall and begins to move through the entire blood vessel system until it enters the alveoli of the lungs. The tuber worm larva is aerobic, only here it becomes active and continues to develop. Feeding on blood, it grows to 3-4 mm in length. 4-5 days after the invasion, the roundworm, which reaches primary maturity, starts to move towards the bronchi. Its action causes a person to cough, as a result of which the larva enters the oral cavity and back into the intestines together with mucus. Here, the final stage of the larva's transformation into an adult occurs.
The life cycle of an adult roundworm lasts about a year, during which time it lays up to 250, 000 eggs. Human health and sometimes even life directly depends on the presence and quantity of worms in the body, so it is important to start treatment as early as possible. Ascariasis is accompanied by intoxication, and a complication will be intestinal obstruction, in some cases urgent surgical intervention is required.
Reproduction of helminths occurs in 2 ways, based on which worms are divided into biohelminths and geohelminths. Typically, parasite eggs fall into the external environment where they mature. The egg must then enter the host, where it either fully develops (geohelminths) or undergoes a larval (biohelminths) stage.
For biohelminths, the development process is more complex, the stages of becoming an adult and reaching adulthood are separated from the stage of larval formation. That is, the egg from the external environment first enters the intermediate carrier where the larvae hatch. It must then be accepted by its final host to reach its adult form. Sometimes biohelminths change up to 4 intermediate carriers before reaching the final host.
Symptoms
How to determine the presence of worms? Polymorphic symptoms and the absence of painful sensations in the early stages of the disease complicate the diagnosis. Most often, the causes of the appearance of worms in people are associated with the consumption of stale or contaminated food, and the parasites themselves live directly in the gastrointestinal tract, so the signs of their presence in the human body are often related to their activity. intestines:
- loose (unstable) stool;
- pain and swelling;
- allergic skin rashes;
- flatulence;
- nausea;
- Vomiting;
- lack of appetite or excess;
- night - sleep disorders, tossing and turning, teeth grinding, 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 re-infection, they are repeated after 2-3 weeks. In the absence of treatment or due to the occurrence of an acute or chronic form of the disease, some symptoms do not disappear, and the consequences of a long stay of parasites in the body are added to them:
- Intoxication appears almost at the same time as infection, but in the early stages it is not so noticeable. The greater the number of worms in the human body, the stronger the symptoms of poisoning - from morning sickness to vomiting and abdominal pain.
- Lung congestion (infiltrates), bronchial spasms, pneumonia. The main culprits are parasites that develop and damage the alveoli of the lungs, which provokes inflammatory processes.
- 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 symptoms are common to all helminths.
Diagnostics
Diagnosis is carried out in laboratory conditions. Only in this case, if there are worm eggs in the blood or feces and their symptoms, helminthosis can be diagnosed with confidence. However, the analysis of feces is not always enough - 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. The following are used to diagnose helminthosis:
- bile studies;
- macroscopy (to identify roundworms and pinworms);
- biopsy of muscle tissue to check for trichinosis;
- X-ray and ultrasound.
Trichinosis 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 muscle tissue. Parasites in human muscles gradually form an infiltrating capsule around them, and the signs of their presence in the body diminish, but by this time, the health of the host has already been seriously damaged.
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 leukocytes that respond to the presence of the smallest foreign bodies in the circulatory system. Internal swelling and spots quickly appear on the skin where parasite larvae accumulate - traces of infiltration. They also remain in sputum and lung fluid.
Since the symptoms of helminthic diseases are wide and mostly coincide with the symptoms of other diseases, self-diagnosis cannot be completely reliable. There are cases that after eating bananas, people see dark threads in their feces that are mistaken for worms. Before starting treatment, it is necessary to pass all tests to determine the presence and type of parasites.
Treatment of helminthiasis
A number of general rules should be followed when treating parasitic diseases:
- Thorough disinfection of the patient's clothes and the room where he is located. Minimize contact, separate meals.
- Strict diet excluding alcohol. It is recommended to drink carrot juice and birch bud infusion.
- Follow the rules of personal hygiene, wash hands often and wash clothes, clean living spaces.
- Monitoring the course of treatment and its effectiveness.
Modern treatment methods exclude the use of a separate drug, because it does not guarantee full coverage of all types of helminths. Often, the doctor prescribes a first-acting drug that weakens the parasites. After 3 days, depending on the age of the patient and the severity of the infection, anthelmintic drugs are prescribed. Pregnant women or people with drug contraindications are prescribed a non-toxic drug from the tetrahydropyrimidine group.
If it is not possible to consult a doctor, then use folk methods. The following have a good anthelmintic effect:
- enema of garlic infusion, taking garlic on an empty stomach;
- tansy infusion on an empty stomach 4 times a day before meals;
- Wormwood tincture in alcohol, 20 mg 3 times a day.
Currently, helminth infections are diagnosed and treated in a short period of time. If you do not neglect the disease and start treatment in time, it will help prevent complications and reinvasion. Parasitic diseases pose the greatest threat to children: there is a delay in mental development, complications and inflammatory processes occur in the form of chronic diseases. It is extremely important to immediately explain to your child that it is necessary to wash hands and follow the rules of personal hygiene. Adults are also required to follow 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 worms:
- washing vegetables and fruits in hot water;
- keeping the house clean, regular wet cleaning;
- a balanced diet that provides the body with a sufficient amount of vitamins of all groups;
- monitoring the condition of pets, annual visits to the veterinarian;
- correct heat treatment of fish and meat;
- fight against insects living in the house;
- avoid swimming and resting in areas where cattle are grazing.
Observance of preventive measures and timely consultation of the doctor in case of infection will help to prevent complications. The correct dose of drugs prescribed by a specialist will quickly get rid of parasites, and folk remedies can be used together with prescribed drugs.