The cause of many diseases, 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 helps to know what worms are and understand how you can become infected with parasites of each species.
Types of worms: what parasites live in the human body
Depending on the place of parasitism in the body and the characteristics of the infection, parasites are divided into several classes.
Classification of worms according to the location in the human body:
- Intestinal- These are worms that live in the gastrointestinal tract, mainly in the small intestine. Sometimes they penetrate other organs. This group includes tapeworms and roundworms.
- extraintestinal- develop, live and multiply in different organs outside the intestines. They can be localized in the lungs, eyes, brain, liver. This group includes flatworms.
Classification of worms according to the method of entry into the human body:
- contagious- are transmitted to a healthy person from an infected person during contact. Another source of infection is household items: towels, toys. Representatives of this species are the dwarf tapeworm, pinworms.
- biohelminthiasis- are transmitted by contact with an animal, as a result of the consumption of infected meat that has not been subjected to sufficient heat treatment. 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 bovine and porcine tapeworms.
- geohelminthiasis- part of the life cycle takes place in the human body, and part - in the soil. This is a necessary condition for its development. You can get infected through poorly washed vegetables and fruits. This group includes roundworms, whipworms.
Depending on the biological characteristics, helminths are divided into three types: round, tapeworms and trematodes.
Intestinal worms (nematodes)
Roundworms are so named because their bodies are round in cross section. These parasites are most often found in the body of a child. This type includes:
- Intestinal wormsThey parasitize in the large and small intestine. The length of their body does not exceed 1 cm. . In most cases, helminthic invasion by pinworms affects children. These parasites live for 1 to 2 months. If you strictly observe personal hygiene, you can recover even without taking medication. If not observed, reinfection is possible.
- round worm- worms up to 45 cm long, which parasitize in the small intestine. They can move freely within the intestines. His life expectancy 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, parasitize on the large ones and the cecum, burrowing into their mucous membrane to suck blood. Very toxic. Live up to 5 years.
- Trichinella- a parasite with a valley of 3–4 mm, which can be infected through meat that has not undergone sufficient heat treatment. Helminths live in different organs, settling in the muscles of the eyes, heart and lungs. Life expectancy - up to 2 years.
- hookworm and necator- have the same biological characteristics, development cycle and method of parasitism, therefore they are combined under the same name "hookworm". These 10-15 mm long helminths are located in the duodenum 12. They enter the human body through the skin upon contact with contaminated soil. They feed on blood by biting into blood vessels, leading to iron deficiency anemia. This parasite is difficult to identify.
tapeworms (cestodes)
The tapeworm has a flat body that is divided into segments. As the worm grows, the segments separate from the body and pass out with the feces. These ribbon-shaped individuals measure up to 20 m in length. They parasitize in the intestines, where they adhere to their walls with the help of suction cups.
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 ribbon- Reaches a length of up to 20 m. Parasite in the small intestine, causing serious dysfunctions of the digestive tube. You can get infected by eating the meat of freshwater fish and crayfish that have not undergone heat treatment.
- I had a bull- a 6-12 m long helminth lives in the small intestine, attached by suckers to its mucous membrane. The source of infection is beef that has not undergone adequate heat treatment.
- pork tapeworm- a parasite up to 2 m long, which enters the body through raw or poorly processed pork. It adheres to the walls of the small intestine.
- echinococcus- a parasite that can be infected from cats, dogs. A person is an intermediate host for this helminth, therefore, getting into the body, the larvae penetrate into the tissues, into any organs and form echinococcus cysts. They are removed exclusively by surgery.
- alveococcus- a type of echinococcus. Very dangerous helminths that can live in any organ, but mainly parasitize the liver. They actively grow and develop on the principle of cancer metastases, gradually infecting the entire body. The worms can be surgically removed.
Trematodes (flukes)
Trematodes are a type of worms that parasitize in any organ and tissue. They feed on epithelial cells. They reach a length of 1. 5 m. The body is leaf-shaped. The route of infection is the consumption of raw fish, shellfish or after insufficient heat treatment. This type includes:
- liver parasite- a worm 7–20 mm long. Parasite in the liver and biliary tract. It provokes the development of serious diseases and functional disorders.
- Chance- a worm 4-13 mm long, located in the gallbladder.
Symptoms: signs of worms in humans.
The exact way in which helminthiasis manifests itself depends on the type of worms that have affected the body and their number. The main symptoms of helminthic invasion:
- diarrhea or constipation;
- bloating, flatulence;
- pain in muscles and joints;
- anemia;
- allergic reactions;
- dermatitis;
- weight problems: weight loss or obesity;
- Sleep disturbance;
- nervousness, irritability, depression;
- apathy, fatigue;
- cough, inflammation of the airways;
- 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:
- stool study.
- Blood test.
- Examination of the secrets of the duodenum 12.
- Analysis of perianal and rectal mucus.
- Ultrasound, tomography, endoscopy.
You can be sure of the diagnostic result if you pass the analysis 3-4 times with an interval of several days. An analysis is not enough to confirm the absence of helminthic invasion.
The human body can affect one type of worms or several at once. All of them, regardless of their size, cause serious health problems, they are the causative agents of complex chronic diseases that cannot be cured for years. To eliminate the risk of infection, it is necessary to periodically carry out diagnostics and preventive treatment. This is especially true for pet owners.