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 living inside a person. All helminths are divided into 3 main types:
- nematodes (belonging to the order of nematodes), prominent representatives - nematodes, roundworms, whipworms;
- tapeworms or tapeworms (a group of flatworms), represented by tapeworms, cattle tapeworms;
- flukes or trematodes (an offshoot of flatworms) are represented by liver flukes.
Since helminths leave the host during the breeding season to maintain the species, when they move 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) that are 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 tapeworm, cattle act as the carrier (intermediate host), and humans as the final carrier.
Helminths differ according to 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 products are more common, they develop 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 species of nematodes that parasitize humans in the world. Since the symptoms of the presence of worms in people 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 scheme of the life cycle of nematodes. Parasite eggs are extremely resistant to negative external influences and can stay in the soil for up to six months.
The larval development itself lasts from 2 weeks to 2 months, depending on 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 vascular system 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 invasion, the nematode begins to move into the bronchi.
Its movement causes a cough in a person, as a result of which the larva, together with mucus, enters the oral cavity and again into the intestines. This is where the final stage of larval development into 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 soon as possible.
Ascariasis is associated with intoxication and intestinal obstruction will be a complication, which in some cases will require urgent surgical intervention.
Reproduction of helminths occurs in 2 ways in which helminths are divided into biohelminths and geohelminths. Usually, parasite eggs enter the external environment - this is where they mature. The egg must then enter the host, where it fully develops (geohelminths) or passes 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 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 must enter the body of the final 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 diagnosis difficult.
Often the causes of the appearance of worms in people are related to 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 stool (unstable;
- pain and swelling;
- allergic skin rash;
- bloating;
- nausea;
- he vomited;
- lack or excess of appetite;
- at night - sleep disturbances, throwing up, 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 appearance 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 occurs almost simultaneously with infection, but in the early stages it is not so obvious. 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.
Diagnosing
The diagnosis is made in the laboratory. Only in this case, in the presence of worm eggs and their traces in blood or feces, helminthiasis can be diagnosed with certainty. However, the analysis of feces is not always sufficient: some types of parasites do not appear 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:
- biliary studies;
- macroscope (to detect ascaris and pinworms);
- biopsy of muscle tissue when checking for trichinosis;
- x-rays and ultrasounds.
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 the central nervous system, after which they settle in the muscle tissue.
Parasites in a person's muscles 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 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 subset of white blood cells that respond to the presence of small foreign bodies in the circulatory system.
In places where the parasite's larvae accumulate, internal swelling and spots on the skin quickly appear - traces of infiltration. They also remain in saliva and lung fluids.
Since the symptoms of helminthiasis are wide and mostly overlap with signs of other diseases, self-diagnosis cannot be completely reliable.
There are cases when, after eating bananas, people have noticed dark threads in their stool, which they mistook for worms. Before starting the treatment, it is necessary to pass all tests for the presence and type of parasites.
Treatment of helminthiasis
During the treatment of parasitic diseases, some general rules must be observed:
- Complete disinfection of the sick linen and the room in which it is located. Keep contacts to a minimum, plates should be separated.
- Strict non-alcoholic diet. It is recommended to use an infusion of carrot and birch sap.
- Personal hygiene, frequent hand washing and laundry, cleaning the premises.
- Monitoring the course of treatment and its effectiveness.
Modern treatment methods exclude the use of a special 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 garlic infusion, taking garlic on an empty stomach;
- infusion of tansy on an empty stomach 4 times a day before meals;
- wormwood solution in alcohol, take 20 mg 3 times a day.
Worms in people in our time are diagnosed and treated in a short time. If you do not start the disease and start treatment in time, this will help to avoid complications and re-invasion.
The greatest risk 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 at the right time the need to wash hands and respect the rules of personal hygiene. At the same time, adults are asked to observe other preventive measures.
Prevention of helminthiasis
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, perform wet cleaning regularly;
- a balanced diet that provides the body with a sufficient amount of vitamins of all groups;
- monitoring the condition of domestic animals, annual visit to the veterinarian;
- adequate thermal 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 the drugs prescribed by the specialist doctor will quickly get rid of the parasites, and folk remedies can be used along with the prescribed drugs.