The most common helminths are worms in humans. These parasites in the human body lead to many complications, such as: disorder 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 class of nematodes), prominent representatives - nematodes, pinworms, whipworms.
- Tapeworms, or tapeworms (a group of flatworms), are represented by tapeworms, cattle tapeworms.
- the flukes or trematodes (a detachment of flatworms) are represented by the liver fluke.
Since helminths leave the host during the breeding season to maintain the species, when they move to another carrier or environment, they are also divided according to the type of transport:
- Mechanical transmission involves long-distance travel, while worm development does not occur in the host's body. 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 transfer in which one of the developmental stages occurs in the host organism. For example, for tapeworm, livestock acts as the vector (intermediate host) and man as the final vector.
Helminths differ depending on the method of transmission:
- active (contact);
- passive (food).
Contact worms are able to penetrate the human body through mucous membranes and skin (schistosomes, hookworms). Food is more common, it develops in a person after eating unwashed food, in contact with sick people or non-compliance with the rules of personal hygiene.
In total, there are more than 250 varieties of lower worms that parasitize humans in the world. 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 helminth development is the classic scheme of the nematode life cycle. Pest eggs are extremely resistant to external adverse effects and can remain in the soil for up to six months.
The development of the larva itself lasts 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 erodes the eggshell, releasing the larva.
The nematode then enters the bloodstream through the intestinal wall and begins to move throughout the blood vessel system until it enters the alveoli. The nematode larva is aerobic, only here it is active and continues to develop.
It feeds on blood, reaches 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 intestines. This is where the final 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 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 emergency surgery.
Helminths reproduce in 2 ways in which helminths are divided into biohelminths and geohelminths. Usually, the eggs of parasites enter the external environment - here they mature. The egg must then enter the host, where it fully develops (geohelminths) or passes through the larval stage (biohelminths).
In biohelminths, the development process is more complex, the stages of development into an adult individual and reaching maturity are separated from the stage of larval appearance. That is, from the external environment the egg first enters the intermediate carrier, where the larva hatches.
Therefore, it needs to enter the body of the final host to reach the adult form. Sometimes biohelminths change up to 4 intermediate vectors 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 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 presence in the human body in most cases are related to the work of the intestines:
- liquid stools (unstable;
- pain and swelling;
- allergic skin rashes;
- inflation;
- motion sickness;
- vomited?
- lack or excessive appetite.
- at night - sleep disorders, throwing up, 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-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 subside, the consequences of the long stay of parasites in the body are added:
- Poisoning occurs almost simultaneously with infection, but in the initial stages it is not so noticeable. The more worms in the human body, the more the symptoms of poisoning increase, from morning sickness to vomiting and abdominal pain.
- Congestion in the lungs (infiltrations), bronchospasm, pneumonia. The main culprits are parasites that grow in the alveoli of the lungs and destroy them, causing inflammation.
- Inflammation of the heart muscle (myocarditis). Infectious disease, the result of the vital activity of helminths and subsequent poisoning.
- 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, with the presence of worm eggs and their traces 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:
- bile studies;
- macroscopy (to detect roundworms and pinworms);
- biopsy of muscle tissue when screening 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, after which they settle in muscle tissue.
Parasites in a person's muscles gradually create a capsule of infiltration around them, 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 microscopic 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 noticed dark threads in the feces, which they took for worms. Before starting the treatment, it is necessary to pass all tests for the presence and type of parasites.
Treatment of helminths
When treating parasitic diseases, several general rules must be observed:
- Thorough disinfection of sick linen and the room in which they are. Keep contacts to a minimum, plates must be separated.
- Strict diet without alcohol. It is recommended to use an infusion of carrot juice and birch sap.
- Personal hygiene, frequent hand washing and laundry, cleaning of premises.
- Monitoring the course of treatment and its effectiveness.
Modern treatment methods exclude the use of a separate drug, as this does not guarantee full coverage of all types of helminths. Most of the time, 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:
- a garlic infusion enema, taking garlic on an empty stomach.
- tansy infusion on an empty stomach 4 times a day before meals.
- tincture of wormwood in alcohol, take 20 mg 3 times a day.
Worms in humans nowadays are diagnosed and treated in a short period of time. If you do not start the disease and start treatment in time, this will help to 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 explain to the child in time the need to wash his hands and observe the rules of personal hygiene. At the same time, adults are required to comply with other preventive measures.
Prevention of helminths
In addition to personal hygiene, there are some factors that affect the elimination of the cause of the appearance of worms:
- washing vegetables and fruits in hot water.
- keep the house clean, carry out 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 vet.
- adequate heat treatment of fish and meat;
- fight the insects that live in the house.
- 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 the specialist doctor will quickly get rid of parasites, and folk remedies can be used in combination with prescription drugs.