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 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, bovine tapeworms;
- flukes or trematodes (a detachment of flatworms) are represented by the liver fluke.
As helminths leave the host during the breeding season to preserve the species, when they move to another vector or environment they are also distributed according to the type of transfer:
- Mechanical transfer involves movement over long distances, while the development of worms in the carrier's body does not occur. These include most arthropods (crustaceans, arachnids and centipedes) often carried on the legs of common flies.
- An intermediate host is a special mode of transfer in which one of the stages of development occurs in the host organism. For example, for the beef tapeworm, cattle act as the carrier (intermediate host) and humans as the final carrier.
Helminths differ according to the mode of transmission:
- active (contact);
- passive (food).
Contact worms are able to enter the human body through mucous membranes and skin (schistosomes, hookworms). Food products are more common, they develop in a person as a result of eating unwashed food, 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 the development of helminths is the classic diagram of the life cycle of nematodes. Parasite eggs are extremely resistant to harmful external influences and can remain in the ground for up to six months.
The development of the actual larva takes from 2 weeks to 2 months, depending on environmental conditions: temperature, humidity, oxygen availability. A mature egg with food enters the stomach, where gastric juice corrodes the eggshell, releasing the larva.
Subsequently, the nematode enters the bloodstream through the intestinal wall and begins to move through the blood vessel system until it enters the alveoli of the lungs. The nematode larva is aerobic, only here it becomes active and continues to develop.
Feeding on blood, it reaches 3 to 4 mm in length. Having reached primary maturity 4-5 days after invasion, the nematode begins to move through the bronchi.
Its movement causes a cough in a person, as a result of which the larva, accompanied by mucus, enters the oral cavity and returns to the intestines. Here the last stage of the formation of the larva in 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 early as possible.
Ascariasis is accompanied by intoxication, and intestinal obstruction will be a complication, which in some cases will require urgent surgery.
Reproduction of helminths occurs in 2 ways in which helminths are divided into biohelminths and geohelminths. Usually the eggs of parasites get into the external environment - here they mature. The egg must then enter the host, where it develops fully (soil-transmitted helminths) or goes through the stage of transformation into larva (biohelminths).
In biohelminths, the development process is more complex, the stages of development in an adult individual and reaching maturity are separated from the stage of the appearance of the larva. That is, from the external environment, the egg first enters the intermediate support, where the larva hatches.
Therefore, it must enter the body of the last host to reach the 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 pain in the early stages of the disease make its diagnosis difficult.
Often the causes of the appearance of worms in humans are associated with the use of expired or contaminated food, and the parasites themselves live directly in the digestive tract, so signs of their presence in thehuman body are in most cases related to the work of the intestines:
- watery stools (unstable;
- pain and swelling;
- allergic skin rashes;
- flatulence;
- nausea;
- he vomited;
- lack or excess of appetite;
- at night - trouble sleeping, throwing, 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 re-invasion, 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, certain symptoms do not disappear, in addition to the consequences of a long stay of the parasites in the body:
- 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, ranging from morning sickness to vomiting and abdominal pain.
- Congestion in the lungs (infiltrates), bronchospasm, pneumonia. The main culprits are parasites that grow in the alveoli 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 the resulting 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.
Diagnostic
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, can helminthiasis be diagnosed with confidence. However, the analysis of feces is not always enough: certain types of parasites do not manifest themselves there.
A special method for determining the presence of worms is a serological blood test for antibodies. For the diagnosis of helminthiasis are used:
- biliary studies;
- macroscopy (to detect roundworms and pinworms);
- biopsy of muscle tissue when looking for trichinosis;
- radiography and ultrasound.
Trichinosis is a parasitic disease in which the larvae of the pathogen spread throughout the carrier's body, causing severe 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 healthof the owner.
One of the main symptoms can be considered eosinophilia, in which the number of eosinophils in the patient's blood increases significantly. Eosinophils are a subspecies of white blood cells that react to the presence of tiny 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 the signs of other diseases, self-diagnosis cannot be completely reliable.
There are cases when, after eating bananas, people noticed black threads in the stool, 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
When treating parasitic diseases, several general rules must be observed:
- Complete disinfection of sick laundry and the room in which it is located. Keep contacts to a minimum, the plates should be separated.
- Strict alcohol-free diet. It is recommended to use an infusion of carrot juice and birch shoots.
- Personal hygiene, frequent hand washing and laundry, cleaning of premises.
- Follow-up of the progress of the treatment and its effectiveness.
Modern treatment methods exclude the use of a separate drug, as this does not guarantee complete coverage of all types of helminths. Most often, the doctor prescribes a first drug that weakens the parasites.
If it is not possible to consult a doctor, folk remedies are used. A good vermifuge effect is exerted by:
- a 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 humans in our time 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 reinvasion.
The greatest danger of parasitic diseases concerns 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 his 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, a number of factors affect the elimination of the cause of the appearance of worms:
- wash vegetables and fruits in hot water;
- keep the house clean, regularly carry out 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;
- proper heat treatment of fish and meat;
- fight insects living in the house;
- refrain from bathing and resting in grazing areas.
Compliance with preventive measures and timely access to a doctor in case of infection will help to avoid complications. The correct dosage of drugs prescribed by a specialist doctor will quickly get rid of parasites, and folk remedies can be used in conjunction with prescribed drugs.