The most common helminths are worms in humans. 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 one disease, but a group of diseases caused by parasites living inside a person. All helminths are divided into 3 main types:
- roundworms (belong to the order of roundworms), prominent representatives - roundworms, pinworms, whipworms;
- tapeworms, or tapeworms (a group of flat worms), are represented by tapeworms, bovine tapeworms;
- flukes or flukes (a detachment of flatworms) are represented by the fluke of the liver.
Since helminths leave the host during the breeding season to preserve the species, when moving to another vector or environment, they are also divided according to the type of transfer:
- Mechanical transfer involves long-distance travel, while the development of worms in the bearer's body does not occur. These include most arthropods (crustaceans, arachnids and millipedes) often carried on the legs of houseflies.
- An intermediate host is a special mode of transfer in which one of the developmental stages occurs in the host organism. For example, for ox tapeworm, cattle serve as the vector (intermediate host) and humans as the ultimate vector.
Helminths differ in the method of transmission:
- active (contact);
- passive (food).
Contact worms are able to penetrate the human body through the mucous membranes and skin (schistosomes, hookworms). Food products are more common, develop in a person after eating unwashed food, in contact with sick people or non-compliance with personal hygiene rules.
In total, there are more than 250 varieties of lower worms parasitizing humans in the world. Since the symptoms of the presence of worms in humans have different manifestations, therefore, at the slightest suspicion, it is necessary to 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 classical scheme of the life cycle of nematodes. Pest eggs are extremely resistant to external adverse influences and can stay in the ground 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, oxygen availability. A mature egg with food enters the stomach, where gastric juice eats away at the egg shell, releasing the larva.
Subsequently, the roundworm enters the bloodstream through the intestinal wall and begins to move through the blood vessel system until it reaches the pulmonary alveoli. The nematode larva is aerobic, only here it becomes active and continues to develop.
Feeding on blood, it grows up to 3-4 mm in length. Having reached primary maturity 4-5 days after invasion, the nematode begins to move into the bronchi.
Its movement causes a person to cough, as a result of which the larva, together with mucus, enters the oral cavity and returns to the intestine. Here the final stage of the formation of the larva into an adult takes place.
The life cycle of an adult nematode lasts about one year, during which 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 early 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 helminths are divided into biohelminths and geohelminths. Usually, the eggs of the parasites get into the external environment - they ripen here. The egg must then enter the host, where it develops completely (geohelminths) or goes through the stage of transformation into larva (biohelminths).
In biohelminths, the development process is more complex, the stages of development into an adult individual and reaching maturity are separate from the stage of emergence of the larva. That is, from the external environment, the egg first enters the intermediate vector, where the larva hatches.
Therefore, it needs to enter the body of the last host to reach adult form. Sometimes biohelminths change up to 4 intermediate carriers before reaching the final host.
Symptoms
How to determine the presence of worms? The polymorphic symptoms and absence of pain in the early stages of the disease make diagnosis difficult.
Often the causes of the appearance of worms in humans are associated with the use of stale or contaminated food, and the parasites themselves live directly in the digestive tract, so the signs of their occurrence in the human body in most cases refer to the work of the intestine:
- loose stools (unstable;
- pain and swelling;
- allergic skin rashes;
- flatulence;
- nausea;
- he vomited;
- lack or excess of appetite;
- at night - sleep disturbance, throwing, teeth grinding, salivation;
- itching in the anus;
- the presence of mucus or blood in the stool.
These symptoms appear after the infection and last for a short time (about 7 days). In case of re-invasion they are repeated after 2-3 weeks.
In the absence of treatment or due to the onset of an acute or chronic form of the disease, some symptoms do not go away, the consequences of a long stay of parasites in the body are added:
- Intoxication appears 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 grow in the air sacs of the lungs and damage them, causing inflammation.
- Inflammation of the heart muscle (myocarditis). Infectious disease, the result of 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.
Diagnostics
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 diagnosed with confidence. However, the analysis of feces is not always enough - some types of parasites do not manifest themselves in it.
A special method for determining the presence of worms is a serological blood test for antibodies. For the diagnosis of helminthiasis are used:
- studies on bile;
- macroscopy (to detect roundworms and pinworms);
- biopsy of muscle tissue when checking for trichinosis;
- radiography and ultrasound.
Trichinosis is a parasitic disease in which the larvae of the pathogen spread throughout the body of the carrier, causing serious damage to organs and the central nervous system, after which they settle in muscle tissue.
Parasites in the muscles of a person gradually create a capsule of infiltrates around themselves, and the symptoms of their presence in the body decrease, but by this time serious harm 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 markedly. Eosinophils are a subspecies of white blood cells that respond to the presence of tiny foreign bodies in the circulatory system.
In places of accumulation of the larvae of the parasite, internal swelling and spots on the skin quickly appear - traces of infiltration. They also remain in the sputum and lung fluid.
Since the symptoms of helminthiasis are extensive and largely overlap with the signs of other diseases, self-diagnosis cannot be completely reliable.
There are cases when, after eating bananas, people noticed dark strings in the feces, which they took for worms. Before starting treatment, it is necessary to pass all tests for the presence and type of parasites.
Treatment of helminthiasis
During the treatment of parasitic diseases, several general rules must be observed:
- Thorough disinfection of sick linen and the room in which it is located. Keep contact to a minimum, plates should be separated.
- Strictly non-alcoholic diet. It is recommended to use an infusion of carrot juice and birch buds.
- Personal hygiene, frequent washing of hands and laundry, cleaning of 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 complete 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:
- an enema of garlic infusion, taking garlic on an empty stomach;
- infusion of tansy on an empty stomach 4 times a day before meals;
- tincture of wormwood on alcohol, take 20 mg 3 times a day.
Worms in humans in our time are diagnosed and treated in a short time. If you do not start the disease and start treatment on time, this will help avoid complications and re-invasion.
The greatest danger of parasitic diseases is for children: there is a delay in mental development, complications arise in the form of chronic diseases, inflammatory processes.
It is extremely important to timely explain to the child the need to wash hands and observe the rules of personal hygiene. At the same time, adults are required to comply with other preventive measures.
Prevention of helminthiasis
In addition to personal hygiene, there are a number of factors affecting the elimination of the cause of the appearance of worms:
- wash fruits and vegetables in hot water;
- keep the house clean, do wet cleaning regularly;
- a balanced diet that provides the body with a sufficient amount of vitamins of all groups;
- condition monitoring of pets, annual visits to the vet;
- proper heat treatment of fish and meat;
- fight insects living in the house;
- refrain from bathing and resting in pasture areas.
Compliance with preventive measures and timely access to a doctor in case of infection will help avoid complications. The correct dosage of medicines prescribed by a specialist doctor will quickly get rid of the parasites, and folk remedies can be used in conjunction with the prescribed medicines.