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, helminthiases.
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 of 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.
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 body of the carrier 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 ox tapeworm, livestock acts as a carrier (intermediate host), and humans as the last carrier.
Helminths differ according to the method of transmission:
- active (contact);
- passive (food).
Contact worms are able to penetrate into the human body through the mucous membranes and skin (schistosomes, hookworms). Food products are more common, they develop in a person after eating unwashed foods, in contact with sick people or non-compliance with personal hygiene rules.
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 classical scheme of the life cycle of nematodes. Parasite eggs are extremely resistant to external adverse influences and can remain in the soil for up to six months.
The development of the larva itself takes from 2 weeks to 2 months, depending on environmental conditions: temperature, humidity, oxygen availability. A mature egg with food enters the stomach, where the gastric juice corrodes the egg shell, releasing the larva.
Subsequently, the nematode enters the bloodstream through the intestinal wall and begins to move throughout the system of blood vessels until it enters 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 the invasion, the nematode begins to move into the bronchi.
Its movement causes a cough in a person, as a result of which the larva, along with mucus, enters the oral cavity and back into the intestines. Here the final 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 is directly dependent 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 urgent surgical intervention.
The reproduction of helminths occurs in 2 ways in which helminths are divided into biohelminths and geohelminths. Usually, parasite eggs enter the external environment - here they mature. The egg must then enter the host, where it fully develops (geohelminths) or goes through the stage of transformation into a larva (biohelminths).
In biohelminths, the development process is more complex, the stages of development in an adult individual and the achievement of maturity are separated from the stage of appearance of the larva. That is, from the external environment, the egg first enters the intermediate carrier, where the larva hatches.
Therefore, he needs to enter the body of the last host in order 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 it difficult to diagnose.
Often the causes of the appearance of worms in humans are associated with the use of stale or contaminated foods, and the parasites themselves live directly in the digestive tract, so the signs of their presence in the human body in most cases relate to the work of the intestines:
- liquid stool (unstable;
- pain and swelling;
- allergic skin rashes;
- flatulence;
- nausea;
- he vomited;
- lack or excess of appetite;
- at night - sleep disturbances, 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, 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 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 develop 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 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 confidently diagnosed. 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 ascaris and pinworms);
- biopsy of muscle tissue when checking for trichinosis;
- x-ray and ultrasound.
Trichinosis is a parasitic disease in which the larvae of the pathogen spread throughout the body of the carrier, causing great damage to the organs and central nervous system, after which they settle in the 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 damage has already been done to the health of the owner.
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 subspecies of white blood cells that respond 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 helminthiases 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 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 helminthiases
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 contacts to a minimum, the plates should be separated.
- Strict non-alcoholic diet. It is recommended to use an infusion of carrot juice and birch sprouts.
- Personal hygiene, frequent hand washing and laundry, cleaning the 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 infusion of garlic, 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 to avoid complications and re-invasion.
The greatest danger of parasitic diseases is for 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 their hands and observe the rules of personal hygiene. At the same time, adults are required to comply with other preventive measures.
Prevention of helminthiases
In addition to personal hygiene, there are a number of factors that affect the elimination of the cause of the appearance of worms:
- washing 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;
- adequate heat treatment of fish and meat;
- fight insects living in the house;
- to 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 medicines prescribed by a specialist doctor will quickly get rid of parasites, and folk remedies can be used in conjunction with prescribed medicines.