Worms are parasitic worms that live in the intestines or tissues of humans. The vast majority of parasites have two hosts - medium and final. However, some helminths parasitize in the body without leaving it and without entering the environment. Worms are ubiquitous. Most of them are in countries with warm and humid climates.
The symptoms of worms in the intestine depend not only on the type of invasion, but also on the characteristics of its course.
The most common types of parasites
There are seven main types of parasitic worms:
Pinworms
Pinworms are small filamentous worms that belong to the nematode category. The size of an adult does not exceed 1 mm. In the human body, they live mainly in the large intestine, causing irritation, damage to the mucous membranes and enteritis. Enterobiasis caused by pinworms has an incubation period of about 15 days. Furthermore, a characteristic clinical picture develops. The duration of the disease is 2 months, which is equal to the lifespan of the worm. In reality, there is no independent resolution of the disease, because in enterobiosis there is a mechanism of self-infection.
Note: symptoms of enterobiosis are rarely pronounced. The disease often occurs in a blurred form, there are no clear diagnostic signs. Suspicion of enterobiosis in children occurs if the child complains of itching in the perianal region.
Worm infestation occurs when the rules of personal hygiene are not followed. The route of transmission is fecal-oral. A person who touches a contaminated surface and then does not wash his hands swallows helminth eggs. Similarly, re-infection with enterobiosis occurs. The patient, who feels itching in the perianal region, scratches the disturbing area and then continues to eat. Eggs of worms that fall on the hands are swallowed. The parasite development cycle begins anew.
Dirty worm
Roundworms are dioecious roundworms that live in the small intestine of humans and animals. The length of the female helminth is 40 centimeters. The size of the males is much smaller. Its length usually does not exceed 25 centimeters. The identifying characteristic of males is the pointed end of the body.
The life cycle of roundworms is somewhat more complex than that of pinworms. The route of infection is fecal-oral. Helminth eggs fall on a person's hands when working with soil and dirty objects. In the stomach, a young larva emerges from the egg, which penetrates the bloodstream with the help of hooks. It grows and migrates here. By the time the larva enters the lungs, it reaches a state that allows it to develop into a sexually mature individual. The patient coughs up the larva, after which it is swallowed again, enters the intestines, and turns into an adult roundworm.
Hairheads
Vlasoglav is a roundworm that belongs to the group of nematodes. It is a parasite that lives in the colon of humans and domestic animals. From the outside, the helminth looks like a thin grayish thread of varying thickness. The front of the thorn is thin and long. The back is thickened and shortened. Here are the internal organs. The length of the body of the whip does not differ depending on gender and is 3-5 centimeters.
Whip eggs, which are already parasitized in the host organism, enter the environment with feces. Here they mature and become invasive. A person becomes infected through the fecal-oral route, if the rules of personal hygiene are not followed. The larvae of the whip enter the intestines, grow, feed on the microflora and develop. After that, young helminths migrate to the large intestine. trichuriases developed.
Chains
Tapeworms are tapeworms, sometimes reaching 25 meters in length. The most famous representatives of this genus of parasites are:
- bull tapeworm;
- pork tapeworm;
- wide strip.
The body structure of all tapeworms is similar. They have a head, neck and body consisting of many segments. The segments that are closer to the end of the body have a uterus filled with eggs. They separate from the tapeworm and come out with the feces.
As a rule, the life cycle of tapeworm involves the presence of two hosts - the middle and the final. The average host can vary depending on the type of worm. A person becomes infected by swallowing larvae contained in undercooked meat or fish.
Echinococcus
Echinococcus is the smallest tapeworm that exists. Its length is 2-8 mm. The mature individual has a scolex, neck and 3-4 segments. It lives in the intestines of carnivores from the dog family. Medium hosts can be herbivores or humans. Helminth eggs fall on the hands in contact with the final host or during the collection of forest fruits sown with echinococcus eggs.
When eggs are swallowed, the person becomes an intermediate host. In his body, the larvae penetrate the blood vessels, are transmitted by blood flow to organs and tissues, where they settle and turn into Finca - a fluid-filled bladder and containing the parasite scolex. In this case, the Finn can reach large sizes, which leads to compression of organs and tissues. The localization of echinococcal cysts in the brain, liver and lungs is especially dangerous.
Schistisomy
Schistisomes are dioecious helminths that belong to the category of flatworms. They have oral and ventral pumps. The female is slightly longer than the male. The final hosts of schistosomes are humans and mammals. Helminths settle in the small vessels of the colon, small pelvis and bladder. The eggs of the parasite are released into the bloodstream, filtered by the kidneys and excreted in the urine.
The larvae of the parasites that have fallen into the freshwater reservoir penetrate the bodies of mollusks, where they continue their developmental cycle. After 6-8 weeks, the embryos re-enter open water, where they turn into cercariae - tail larvae that can penetrate the human body through intact skin. As a rule, infestations in humans develop when swimming in open water, washing clothes in it or other contact with open water.
Filariae
Filariae are round filamentous worms. There are about 8 species of filariae that parasitize the human body. The middle host and vector of the disease are blood-sucking insects. Infection of humans occurs when insect stings and helminth larvae enter the upper layers of the skin.
The distribution of larvae in the body of the final host takes place by hematogenous route. Worms spread throughout the body, settle in organs and tissues, cause allergic reactions, swelling of the affected area, lymphostasis, proliferation of endothelial cells.
How to recognize worms at home
It is possible to assume the presence of worms in the body by one or another characteristic feature. In addition, a special test consisting of several questions has been developed for the rapid diagnosis of helminthiasis.
Signs of the presence of parasites in the body
The signs of worms in the body of an adult directly depend on the type of invasion.
- Enterobiosis - itching in the anus, insomnia, irritability, indigestion, diarrhea, loss of appetite, pain in the right side of the abdomen, bloating, false urge to defecate.
- Ascariasis - vomiting, navel pain, dry cough, nausea, shortness of breath, roundworm or roundworm eggs in the stool, wheezing, fever.
- Trichuria - bloating, vomiting, feces mixed with blood and mucus, mental retardation of the child, abdominal pain, weight loss, anemia.
- Tapeworm invasion - has been asymptomatic for a long time. Later, episodic abdominal pain, drop in hemoglobin in the blood, indigestion, diarrhea and causeless weight loss occur.
- Echinococcus - the symptoms of infection with parasites that form Fince depend on which organ is affected. With the development of echinococcal cysts in the brain, neurological symptoms occur. With liver damage, patients complain of pain in the right side, yellowing of the skin, general deterioration of well-being and violation of digestive processes.
- Schistosomiasis - weight loss, abdominal pain, dizziness, enlarged liver, spleen, blood in urine, fever, anemia, skin edema, urolithiasis, dry cough, difficulty defecating.
- Filariasis - enlarged lymph nodes, hyperthermia, weakness, headache, blood in the urine, stiffness of movement, enlargement of certain parts of the body, swelling of the skin, tearing.
Note: Most of the described symptoms are non-specific and can occur with many other diseases.
Parasite test
This test allows you to assess the likelihood of helminth infection. When you pass it, you should use answer options such as "yes", "no", "sometimes". For each answer "yes" 2 points are awarded, for each answer "no" - 0 points. The answer "sometimes" requires onepoint
- Is there morning sickness?
- Is there pale skin, gums?
- Is there persistent anemia that does not respond to drug therapy?
- Abdominal pain or discomfort?
- Are indigestion common?
- Stool disorders?
- Is there weight on the right side?
- Frequent headaches?
- Periodic cough?
- Occasional tingling in large joints?
- Sudden loss of vision?
- Do you gnash your teeth in your sleep?
- Do you eat large amounts of food while still feeling hungry?
- Frequent allergies?
- Is there swelling?
- Reduced performance?
- Chronic diseases?
- Intermittent abdominal pain?
- Signs of inflammation in the blood?
- Itching in the anus?
- Do family members have similar symptoms?
A negative test can be considered a test in which no more than 6 points have been achieved. The probability of invasion exists in those who scored from 6 to 17 points. People who scored 17 to 24 points on the test are almost certainly infected with one or the other helminth. With an indicator of 24 to 42 points, we can talk about multiple invasions of helminths of different species, which is extremely rare.
Laboratory diagnostics
Several types of laboratory tests are used to accurately diagnose helminthiasis:
Fecal analysis
Sampling of biological material for analysis is performed in the morning. A small amount of stool taken from the middle of the total portion is sent to the laboratory. Here the obtained material is examined visually, trying to determine the presence of eggs in it. The eggs of some parasites are so large that they can be seen with the naked eye. If this does not happen, the biomaterial is stained with special techniques, sown on nutrient media, and then examined under a microscope. It is possible to talk about the absence of invasion only after three or four researches, during which no signs of the presence of worms were discovered. The technique is suitable for determining all helminths whose eggs and segments are excreted in the feces.
Scraping, swab
Signs of the presence of pinworms and ascaris can be detected by taking scrapings or swabs from the patient’s perianal folds. This method is relevant due to the peculiarities of helminth reproduction. The egg-laying pinworm leaves the gut and exits, where the laying process takes place. The swab should be taken in the morning, without prior hygienic procedure. Otherwise, the parasite's eggs will be washed away, and the analysis will be false negative.
Blood test
A general blood test is indirectly important in the diagnosis of helminthiasis. Indisputable signs of the presence of parasites in the blood were not detected by this method of research. As a rule, the long-term presence of parasitic worms in the body leads to a certain decrease in hemoglobin levels, the appearance of non-specific signs of the inflammatory process (increased ESR, leukocytosis).
ELISA blood test
The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method is based on the detection of antibodies to parasite toxins and the body's enzymatic response to the presence of helminths. This method of research enables the diagnosis of the disease even if the helminths did not lay eggs for one reason or another. ELISA is most productive in the early stages of invasion, when the worm is just beginning to develop in the human body.
What to do if you get infected?
If there are signs of parasitic infection, independent attempts at therapy should not be made. Regardless of the symptoms of worms in adults, the best course of action is to visit a parasitologist or gastroenterologist. He will prescribe the necessary tests, be able to properly assess the risk of disease, choose drugs that will quickly and completely remove parasites from the body.
Despite the apparent simplicity of the disease, helminthiasis can have very serious consequences. There are cases when the presence of parasites has led to intestinal perforation, its obstruction, peritonitis and sepsis. Modern medicines allow you to get rid of worms quickly and reliably. However, almost every one of them has a number of contraindications and recommendations for use, which only an expert knows. Therefore, any anthelmintic or traditional medicine should be used only after consulting a doctor.