The cause of many diseases and poor health is helminth infection. Various worms can enter the human body. Their sizes vary from the smallest millimeters to 16-18 meters. By parasitizing 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 be infected with parasites of all kinds.
Types of worms - which parasites live in the human body
Depending on the site of parasitism in the body and the characteristics of the infection, parasites are divided into several classes.
Classification of worms depending on the location in the human body:
- Intestinal- These are worms that live in the gastrointestinal tract, mostly in the small intestine. Sometimes they penetrate other organs. This group includes tapeworms and roundworms.
- extraintestinal- develop, live and reproduce in various organs outside the intestine. They can be localized in the lungs, eyes, brain, liver. This group includes flatworms.
Classification of worms depending on the way they enter the human body:
- contagious- are transmitted to a healthy person from an infected person during contact. Another source of infection are household items: towels, toys. Representatives of this species are dwarf tapeworms, pinworms.
- Biohelminthiasis- are transmitted by contact with an animal, as a result of consuming infected meat that has not undergone sufficient heat treatment. In order to become potentially dangerous to humans, these parasites must live for a certain period in the body of an animal that is an intermediate host. This species includes beef and pork tapeworms.
- Geohelminthiasis- part of the life cycle takes place in the human body, and part - in the soil. This is a necessary condition for their development. You can get infected through poorly washed vegetables and fruits. This group includes roundworms, Trichinella.
Depending on the biological characteristics, helminths are divided into three types - roundworms, tapeworms, and flukes.
roundworms (nematodes)
Roundworms are so named because their bodies are round in cross section. These parasites are most commonly found in a child's body. This type includes:
- PinwormsThey parasitize in the large and small intestine. Their body length does not exceed 1 cm. Most often, helminthic invasion of pinworms affects children. These parasites live for 1-2 months. If you strictly adhere to personal hygiene, you can recover without taking medication. If not detected, re-infection is possible.
- Dirty worm- worms up to 45 cm long, which parasitize in the small intestine. They can move freely inside the gut. Their lifespan 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 They parasitize in the large and cecum, penetrating into their mucous membranes to suck blood. Very toxic. They live up to 5 years.
- Trichinella- parasite with a recess of 3-4 mm, which can be infected through meat that is not sufficiently heat-treated. Helminths live in various organs, settling in the muscles of the eyes, heart and lungs. Life expectancy - up to 2 years.
- hookworm and some- have the same biological characteristics, developmental cycle and mode of parasitism, so they are united under the same name "hookworm". These helminths 10-15 mm long are localized in the duodenum 12. It penetrates the human body through the skin after contact with contaminated soil. They feed on blood by biting blood vessels, leading to iron deficiency anemia. This parasite is difficult to identify.
tapeworms
The ribbon has a flat body that is divided into segments. As the worm grows, the segments separate from the body and disappear with the feces. These tape-like individuals are up to 20 m long. They parasitize in the intestines, where they attach to their walls with the help of pumps.
In order 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 strip- reaches a length of up to 20 m. It parasitizes in the small intestine, causing severe digestive tract dysfunction. You can get infected if you eat meat from freshwater fish and crabs that have not undergone heat treatment.
- Bull tapeworm- helminth 6–12 m long. It lives in the small intestine, attached by rubber cups to the mucosa. The source of infection is beef that has not been subjected to appropriate heat treatment.
- Pork tapeworm- parasite up to 2 m long, which enters the body through raw or poorly processed pork. It attaches to the walls of the small intestine.
- Echinococcus- a parasite that can be infected by cats, dogs. The person is an intermediate host for this helminth, therefore, entering the body, the larvae penetrate the tissues, any organs and form echinococcal cysts. They are removed exclusively by surgery.
- Alveococcus- Echinococcus species. Very dangerous helminths that can live in all organs, but mostly parasitize the liver. They actively grow and develop on the principle of cancer metastasis, gradually infecting the whole body. Worms can be removed surgically.
flukes (trematodes)
Butterflies are a type of worm that parasitize all organs and tissues. They feed on epithelial cells. They reach a length of 1. 5 m. The body is in 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- worm 7-20 mm long. It parasitizes in the liver and bile ducts. It provokes the development of serious diseases and functional disorders.
- Fluke- worm 4-13 mm long, localized in the gallbladder.
Symptoms - signs of worms in humans
How exactly helminthiasis manifests itself depends on the type of worms that have infected the body and their number. The main symptoms of helminthic invasion:
- diarrhea or constipation;
- bloating, bloating;
- muscle and joint pain;
- 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:
- Fecal study.
- Blood test.
- Examination of duodenal secretions 12.
- Analysis of perianal and rectal mucus.
- Ultrasound, tomography, endoscopy.
You can be sure of the result of the diagnosis if you pass the analysis 3-4 times in an interval of several days. One analysis is not enough to confirm the absence of helminthic invasion.
The human body can be affected by one type of worm or several at once. All of them, regardless of their size, cause serious health problems, they are the cause of complex chronic diseases that cannot be cured for years. In order to eliminate the risk of infection, it is necessary to periodically carry out diagnostics and preventive treatment. This is especially true for pet owners.