Several types of worms can live in the human body. No one is safe from parasites, general information about helminths is important information for everyone. Knowing the ways of invasion and the characteristics of parasitism of various worms, it will be possible to significantly reduce the risk of infection. Consider the classification of worm species.
nematodes
Roundworms are the most common type of worms. Another name for them is roundworms. This is a group of parasites, the body of which has a round cross section. Their length varies from 5 mm to 40 cm, they settle mainly in the intestine, but can also be located in other organs and tissues.
The high prevalence of this parasite is due to the ease of transmission. For development, it does not need to change the owner. Roundworms are spread from person to person or through the consumption of unwashed fruit and vegetables. Particularly massive helminthiasis of this type is diagnosed in children, called the disease of dirty hands. Such representatives of nematodes settle in the human body:
- Pinworms are small worms with a grayish body 5-10 mm long. Localized in the intestine, it causes the disease of enterobiasis. Infection occurs when eggs enter the body through the mouth. For 2 weeks, the worm goes through a development cycle until it reaches a sexually mature individual. These parasites live for 1-2 months, disrupting the normal functioning of the digestive tract, leading to exhaustion. The appearance of the worm can be seen in the photo.
- Nematodes are large worms that cause ascariasis to develop. The length of their spindle-shaped body is 20-40 cm They parasitize in the small intestine, but in the process of development they penetrate the liver, heart and lungs. By migrating through the body, the worms damage internal organs and ducts. The life span of parasites is 12-14 months. Infection with them adversely affects health, leads to allergies, digestive disorders, internal bleeding, intestinal obstruction. In children, roundworms can cause developmental delays. The way of infection is through unwashed hands, dirty products.
- Vlasoglavy - worms with a 3-5 cm long body, localized in the large intestine. It sticks to the walls and absorbs the blood. It causes trichuriasis. This is a very toxic parasite, so it greatly poisons the body. The lifespan is up to 5 years. All this time, it causes problems with appetite and stool, anemia and abdominal pain. It can lead to acute appendicitis if injected into the cecum.
- Trichinella - worms, the length of which does not exceed 2-5 mm. Despite their small size, they cause a serious disease - trichinosis. Its symptoms are fever, swelling, allergies, high temperature. You can get infected through game meat, pigs. These worms affect muscle tissues, especially the muscles of the face, as well as the respiratory tract. After 3-4 weeks, the larvae that have entered the muscles are encapsulated. Healing is on the way. But with a massive infection, a fatal outcome is possible.
- Toxocara is a worm that parasites the body of dogs. It looks like a nematode, because it has the same spindle-shaped body 15-30 cm long. When its larvae enter the body of people, the disease toxocariasis occurs. In the human body, toxocara cannot develop in a sexually mature individual, so their larvae migrate throughout the body, causing damage to internal organs, allergies and other ailments.
The intensity of the symptoms of nematode infection depends on the number of worms that have entered the body and the state of human health.
Tapeworms
Among the most dangerous worms that occur in humans, the main role is played by tapeworms or tapeworms. Given their enormous size, which can reach 18 m, it becomes evident how harmful they are to health. Tapeworms are divided into tapeworms and tapeworms. They require a change of owner to complete their entire life cycle. An obligatory stage of development is the existence in the body of ungulates. Consider a brief description of the most common representatives of the species:
- Wide tapeworm - a 10-15 m long worm, which causes the development of diphyllobothriasis. It settles in the small intestine after a person has consumed raw or undercooked (undercooked) freshwater fish infected with worm eggs. It causes severe abdominal pain, anemia, digestive disorders. This helminth, like most tapeworms, has a scary appearance.
- Tapeworm is a worm that enters the body due to the consumption of contaminated pork. These 8-meter worms, parasites in the intestine, cause the development of tapeworm, accompanied by severe indigestion, nerve dysfunction and allergies.
- The bull tapeworm - a kind of tapeworm, reaching a size of 18 m. This is one of the largest human worms. It provokes the development of teniarinhoza, leads to intestinal obstruction, physical and nervous exhaustion. You can get infected with this worm by eating the affected beef. The worm is located in the small intestine.
- Echinococcus is a tapeworm that parasites the body of dogs and cats. People for this parasite are an intermediate host, but, despite this, the worm larvae provoke the development of a very complex disease, echinococcosis. Eggs of worms develop to the stage of larvae, which penetrate the tissues of any organ and quickly form cysts. They can only be removed surgically.
flukes
Trematodes or flukes are a type of worm with suckers on the surface of the body. With their help, worms burrow into the walls of internal organs, tissues, and then feed, absorbing useful substances, blood. The bodies of these helminths have a flat shape, can reach up to 1. 5 m in length and visually resemble a tree leaf. The main source of fluke infection is the consumption of poorly cooked or fried fish and seafood. In the development process, 1-2 intermediate hosts need to change. The main varieties of trematodes that parasitize in the human body:
- Liver fluke is a helminth that provokes the development of opstorchiasis. In length it reaches 7-20 mm. It affects the bile, hepatic and pancreatic ducts. Against the background of infection with this parasite, ulcer, cholecystitis and pancreatitis develop. Learn more about liver fluke.
- Fluke - a worm 8-13 mm long, which parasites the gallbladder and its ducts. In the early stages of the invasion, there is a high temperature, pain in the muscles, joints, indigestion, so the symptoms become less pronounced. This is proof that the disease has passed into the chronic stage.
Treatment: drugs for all types of worms
To destroy worms, you need to take anthelmintic drugs. But first you need to establish what specific type of helminthiasis affected the body. Based on the results of the diagnosis, drugs are selected. They are divided into 2 types:
- targeted - are assigned to the destruction of different types of helminths;
- widely targeted - they are considered universal, as they destroy almost all types of worms, are suitable for the prevention of helminth invasion.
The most popular are anthelmintic tablets and suspensions containing the following active ingredients:
- mebendazole;
- Piratello;
- piperazine;
- Carbendacym;
- levamisole;
- Pirvinium embonate;
- Albendazole.
The regimen, as well as the duration of treatment with tablets, must be determined by the doctor, since anthelmintic drugs have many contraindications and side effects.
Also, during anthelmintic therapy, you can use folk recipes. Many plants are characterized by anti-helminth properties: garlic, onions, pumpkin seeds, herbs, spices, ginger. On their basis, infusions of anthelmintics, decoctions and other means are prepared, the use of which will help cleanse the body.
The defeat of any type of worm leads to enormous health problems. Given their danger, it is important to take preventive measures to reduce the risk of infestation. To do this, it is enough to follow the rules of hygiene, eat meat and fish that have only undergone a complete heat treatment, and thoroughly wash fruits and vegetables.
At the first sign of infection, contact your doctor. The less time the worms live in the body, the easier it is to get rid of the consequences of parasitism.
Which parasites of the human body are we aware of
The human body is an ideal platform for the life and reproduction of most microorganisms, including helminths. Each species has its own differences and morphological characteristics. You need to know what the representatives of helminths look like and what is the difference between them.
Parasites in the human body are a widespread pathological condition. Features of the structure and type of helminths directly depend on the class to which they belong.
Classification
There are three major classes of parasites that pose a danger to human life and health:
- flat worms (tape class);
- nematodes (Nematodes class);
- flukes (Trematodi class).
All parasites in the human body are of great danger, regardless of their class or species.
All representatives of the main classes can parasitize in the body of both an adult and a child. Consider the most famous representatives and the differences between them.
Characteristics of the Tape class
Representatives of the species are also called flat worms. This name was given to them for the structural features of the body, which has a flat shape. There are more than 1500 types of tapeworms. The most dangerous representatives of this class for people were united by the common name Cestode.
A feature of all worms is their body, which has a ribbon shape and is divided into segments. The dimensions of the body in length can be different, from a few millimeters to tens of centimeters. On the front of the worm there is a scolex - a head that carries the organs necessary for fixation - suckers, proboscis. After the head is the neck, and then there is a large number of segments.
The neck area is responsible for the growth of the helminth, so the young segments are located closer to the head, and the old ones are located towards the back of the body. Each old segment has in its composition the male and female reproductive systems, that is, it is considered hermaphrodite.
wide ribbon
This representative of the species is considered the largest among all parasitic worms. There have been cases of reaching its length up to 20 meters. The worm's head has an oval shape, has two narrow slits, with the help of which the helminth can attach itself to the surface and change the position of its body.
Tapeworm is a hermaphrodite, like all representatives of flat worms. Its mature segments form eggs, which then exit through the uterine openings. Worm eggs can be yellow to brown in color, have a lid on one end and a tubercle on the other.
Pork tapeworm (armed tapeworm)
The next representative of the Tapeworm class. His body is white and can reach a length of 5 meters. The name "armed" passed to the helminth due to the presence of a double corolla of hooks located on the scolex. The segments are square and hermaphrodite.
Each segment has a uterus located in the middle and ovaries, which occupy a place between the uterus and the vagina. The testes are located on the sides of the female reproductive system.
disarmed tapeworm
This representative is also called the bull tapeworm. "Disarmed" became due to the lack of hooks on the head, compared to the pork tapeworm. The bull tapeworm is the second largest worm after a large tapeworm. In its structure, it completely resembles an armed tapeworm. It also has a white color. Parasitic worms reproduce in the intestine of the intermediate or main host.
All tapeworms in the human body look the same. It is possible to differentiate species only with the help of laboratory research.
Representatives of the Trematodes and their description
Flukes are human parasites that can cause the development of serious diseases. The main representatives of the medical interest class:
- cat fluke;
- lanceolate fluke;
- lung fluke;
- liver stroke.
A feature of the body of worms of this class is the presence of all kinds of formations for attachment and movement: spikes, suckers and other devices. The length of their body varies from a few millimeters to 4-5 cm. All have a pink or grayish color, an elongated leaf-shaped shape.
The fluke is a small helminth. The length of its body reaches 1. 5 cm in length, has an elongated shape, slightly expanded towards the tail. Two suckers are located in front of the body, which distinguishes it from other representatives. The male reproductive system is closer to the tail, and the uterus occupies an intermediate position. It is large and includes a large number of eggs.
The body of the lung fluke has a brown color, shaped like an ellipse or a coffee bean. The shape of the helminth is oval, wide. The entire body of the worm is covered on the outside with small pointed formations that are involved in movement and change its position in space.
The lanceolate trematode reaches 8-10 mm in length. The head and tail are slightly elongated. Under the abdominal sucker is the male reproductive system in the form of two testicles, as well as the female, represented by an ovary and the body of the uterus. The ventral sucker is close to the oral one.
Nematodes and their varieties
The types of helminths in this class are called nematodes. Their body has a round shape when drawing a cross section, which served as the basis for such a name. The ends of the nematode body have a pointed and elongated shape. Vlasoglav, human nematode, pinworms and trichinella are the main representatives that most often cause human helminthiasis. Worms look like this:
- Pinworm is a helminth that parasites in the large intestine. More often it provokes the development of diseases in children. Representatives are small in size, the body of the female is twice as large as that of the male. Pinworms are whitish in color, sometimes with a gray tinge. In front of the body there is a swelling with which the worm can attach itself to the walls of the intestine.
- The human nematode is a helminth that reaches half a meter in length. The female is about 2 times larger than the male. The body has an oval shape, elongated in the anterior and posterior directions. From the side of the tail there is a slight curve, which is directed towards the abdomen. The movement of helminths occurs with the help of a well-developed muscle layer, located under an impenetrable shell, consisting of a large number of layers.
- Vlasoglav can differ in the color of his body. It can be white or red-gray. The front of the worm is much thinner than the back. In the back are all the organs of the helminth. The worm has a small length - from 3 to 5 cm. The female differs from the male in the curvature of the tail. In the female the tail has a spiral shape, while in the male it is in the shape of an arc.
- Trichinella - the smallest representatives of the class. Their size is only a couple of millimeters. Visually, they are filiform worms, the body of which is narrowed in the front and covered with a cuticle.
lamblia
Intestinal Giardia belongs to the Diplomonads order of the class of flagellates. This is a separate type of worms, which is also dangerous for the human body, especially children. Parasites cause the development of giardiasis.
The body of Giardia is shaped like a pear, the front end of which is round and wide. The rear end is sharp and slightly narrowed. The size of the representatives of the class is so small that it is impossible to distinguish them with the naked eye.
Determine the worm-parasites in the intestine is possible only under laboratory conditions.
A feature of the parasite's body is the presence of two nuclei and two sets of organelles. The organelles comprise two medial bodies and eight flagella.
Symptoms and treatment of parasites in human lungs
Not everyone knows that there are worms in the lungs, the symptoms of the disease are not so easy to recognize. The topic of parasites in the body is often undeservedly ignored by most people, believing that it is not them. But many people are infected with parasites. The difficulty of detecting worms lies in the fact that there are thousands of species. The signs of the presence of parasites are similar to the symptoms of diseases. The medical literature describes more than one clinical case in which a patient is treated by several specialized doctors and only one can replace them: a parasitologist.
Ways of worm infection
They can be different:
- communication with an animal carrier of pathogens of parasites;
- the use of untreated food containing parasite eggs;
- bathing in pests and lakes infected with parasites;
- introduction of parasites through the skin.
Residents of rural areas are often infected with parasites. They are more likely to come into contact with infected animals. The risk of invasion increases when vegetable gardens and fields are fertilized with uninfected manure.
Far from being an isolated case, when worm larvae enter a person's gastrointestinal tract with vegetables grown in their own garden. The intestines are a very favorable environment for the development and life of helminths. By consuming nutrients intended for humans, parasites multiply rapidly in conditions that are easy for their life, poisoning the patient's organism with the products of their vital activity. In humans, it can cause allergies, nausea, vomiting, and liver disease. From the intestine, the embryos of the larvae enter the bloodstream and are transported throughout the body (e. g. to the lungs, liver, brain). Having established themselves in any organ, the worms begin to actively multiply, causing diseases of this organ. A rare case when the true cause that caused the disease is correctly established. The degree of damage depends on the state of the immune system.
Signs of helminthic invasion of the lungs
Symptoms of the disease in case of worm infection vary depending on the number of helminths in the body, the route of invasion and human immunity. Worms in the lungs rarely appear immediately after penetrating the body. They can live there for several years, waiting for the weakening of the immune system. When there are parasites in a person's lungs, the symptoms are similar to those seen in pneumonia and bronchitis:
- dyspnea;
- heat;
- cough without sputum;
- headache, nausea, vomiting;
- wheezing;
- decreased visual acuity and contrast;
- manifestations of allergies;
- lack of appetite.
The larvae of lung worms that have settled with the blood, developing, modify the tissues of this organ. There are formed capsules and adhesions. Due to damage to the lungs, failures in their work are noted. Tumors, emphysema, pleurisy, pneumosclerosis can form.
What types of worms can get into the lungs?
Knowing which parasites live in the lungs, it is possible to more objectively assess the degree of damage to the organ.
The causative agent of Toxoplasma is a pathogenic protozoan that causes toxoplasmosis. The patient is affected by the brain and spinal cord, liver, eyes. Tomography reveals extensive pneumosclerosis, many calcifications. Calcifications form dead parasites in the lungs.
Ascaris eggs, which enter the gastrointestinal tract, cause ascariasis. In the places where the worms penetrate the lung tissue, a trace of mechanical damage occurs. The body reacts with tissue edema, the formation of infiltrates.
Cysticercosis of the lungs is caused by tapeworm larvae. They enter the lungs with the bloodstream. Parasites in the lungs form a fibrous capsule.
Echinococcosis of the lungs develops due to tapeworm tapeworms entering the respiratory system. Tapeworms form parasitic cysts with a fibrous membrane in the lungs. If the parasite dies, the capsule deflates and calcifies. Echinococcosis can be single-chamber and multi-chamber. Gradually, the cyst grows. Parasites live in human lungs for several years. Sometimes suppuration develops, pus can get into the pleural cavity or bronchi.
Diagnosis and treatment
Lung worms are detected using the following studies:
- blood analysis;
- X-rays of light;
- serological methods of examination;
- lung ultrasound;
- tomography.
The main role in the diagnosis of lung worms is played by fluorography and X-rays.
Treatment of the disease is carried out with anthelmintic drugs that kill parasites. Pharmacies sell many effective drugs. Only an experienced doctor can correctly evaluate the symptoms and treatment. Parasites always deplete the body, destroy the immune system, so the treatment must be comprehensive, aimed at strengthening the body.
Pest infection occurs through dirty vegetables and herbs, improperly cooked fish and meat, garden soil, dirty water bodies. Parasite larvae, consuming nutrients, develop and can live in the body for several years. The waste products of parasites poison a person, affect his brain, blood, liver, lungs, immune system, without causing acute conditions for years. Left unnoticed, they cause serious illnesses up to cancer, they can cause the death of the patient. Care must be taken to prevent parasite infection.