All kinds of parasites in the human body have a detrimental effect on its health. They infect organs, feed on nutrients necessary for human life and release harmful toxic substances. Therefore, it is so important to get rid of them in a timely manner.
The human body is affected by various parasites, some live inside the body, others on its surface. They differ in size, in the way they enter the body, in the characteristics of their vital activity.
What parasites live in the human body? How to get rid of them? What preventive measures are there? These issues will be discussed below.
Classification of parasites
Human parasites are very common, they are divided into groups:
- Endoparasitesthey are called organisms that parasitize inside a person. This group, in turn, is divided into protozoa (consisting of a single cell) and helminths (worms). The simplest, parasites in the human body, are amoeba, lamblia, Trichomonas, toxoplasma. As for worms, here too there is a division into round worms (nematodes), flat and tapeworms.
- Ectoparasites- these are organisms that parasitize on the surface of the human body: lice, ticks, fleas, insects. In addition to the fact that they feed on human blood, they cause great discomfort (bites, burning, skin wounds), carry quite dangerous diseases: typhus, anthrax, trypanosomiasis and others.
Unicellular parasites:
- Giardia. . . Giardiasis infection is a fecal-oral mechanism. After the cysts (parasites not yet formed, covered with a protective membrane) are removed from the anus of a sick person, they spread to vegetables, fruits and other food products. Through poorly washed hands, standing water, insufficiently washed fruits and vegetables, the cysts enter the human oral cavity, from where they safely reach the intestines, where they turn back into an adult and multiply again. The result is a vicious cycle that will continue until proper treatment is provided and hygiene measures are followed. Symptoms of the disease are weakness, fatigue, headache, diarrhea, abdominal pain and bloating. Itching in the anus, rashes, bronchial asthma may occur. The pathology is characterized by weight loss, anemia and a weakening of the immune system. Treatment is with antiprotozoal drugs. Dosage is prescribed by the doctor.
- Toxoplasma. . . Infection with these protozoa occurs through contact with infected pets. In this case, a person is an intermediate host, since the sexual development cycle of the parasite occurs in the animal's body. The disease is manifested by a prolonged increase in temperature to subfebrile levels, general signs of intoxication, the patient has enlarged lymph nodes, joint and muscle pains appear. In addition, the functions of the gastrointestinal tract and vision are disrupted, the central nervous system can suffer, there are signs of heart and endocrine system diseases. Complex treatment is prescribed: antibiotics from the group of tetracyclines and sulfonamides.
- Trichomonas. . . Trichomonas is sexually transmitted, the risk of infection by contact is minimal, but still there. Symptoms of the disease in women are itching, redness of the genitals, burning sensation and frothy discharge. Men may have difficulty urinating and having a discharge. Treatment: anti-trichomonas drugs.
Pinworm is an intestinal parasite
The most famous internal parasites are pinworms. They live in the intestines and cause a disease called enterobiasis. This type of parasite affects not only humans, but monkeys as well. Risk group: preschool children, according to statistics, enterobiasis is diagnosed in half of children aged 2 to 10 years.
Worms are transmitted from person to person, you can get infected through any object used by a sick person or through a handshake. The main condition for the transfer of pinworm eggs is not to wash your hands after contact, especially before eating. Worms, or rather their eggs, can be carried by flies and cockroaches.
Pinworms can only live in the intestine, they are particularly comfortable in the thin section, colon and cecum. For mating, the parasites select the ileum, from where the female crawls out through the anus and lays eggs in the anus. Symptoms of pinworms in the body are itching in the anus, allergies, fatigue, anemia, abdominal pain, exhaustion.
Anthelmintics are prescribed for the treatment of enterobiasis. Pinworm prevention relies on hand hygiene. They need to be washed after visiting any public place.
Roundworms - roundworms
The length of an adult can reach 40 cm. Nematodes live in the human intestine, their eggs naturally hatch, then continue their development in the soil, where they remain until they re-enter the human body. Dirty hands and unwashed fruits and vegetables are ways of nematode infection. Roundworm eggs are covered with a shell that does not dissolve in the human stomach and allows the roundworms to survive and enter the intestine, where mature individuals develop.
Ascariasis can be asymptomatic for a long time. Then symptoms appear, which depend on the location and stage of development of the parasite. In the first migratory stage of ascariasis, the patient is worried about the appearance of fever, cough with sputum, skin rashes, migraines, enlarged lymph nodes, liver and spleen. In the late stage, when the parasite already enters the intestine, stool disturbances are observed (dysentery, cholera-like symptoms, signs of typhoid fever may occur). There are painful sensations in the abdomen, severe weight loss and fatigue.
Wide tapeworm
Infection with this parasite occurs through the fish. This is the worm's intermediate host. It is not necessary to eat for infection, sometimes just contact with infected fish is enough. That is why it is so important to handle your hands, the knife, the table very carefully after cutting the fish.
From a sick person to a healthy one, neither worms nor their larvae are transmitted. Symptoms of infection are nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, increased or decreased appetite, dyspeptic disorders. The first signs of the disease may appear a month or two after infection. As a result of the long-term presence of the parasite in the human body, pallor of the skin, headache, increased heart rate, decreased blood pressure, weakness, anemia occur. The treatment is aimed at killing the worm. For this, anthelmintics are used.
Bovine tapeworm
The bovine tapeworm can grow up to 12 m in length, it is a hermaphrodite capable of producing over 100, 000 eggs, which are excreted in the excrement. Eggs fall into the ground, so on plants, these plants are eaten by livestock. In the body of an animal, the eggs become larvae, which are localized in the muscles. If a person eats contaminated beef, the larvae enter the intestines. The larvae are not transmitted from person to person.
Adult worms have a head with four suckers, a neck and a body made up of segments. The number of segments is constantly growing, mature segments can separate from the worm and crawl out of the human intestine.
Symptoms of the disease are nausea, vomiting, dyspeptic disorders, increased salivation, dizziness, weakness, nervousness, fatigue, abdominal pain of uncertain location, allergies, fluctuations in appetite.
To remove the bovine tapeworm from the body, there is a scheme consisting of 3 stages: preparatory (cleansing the body), treatment with antiparasitic drugs, recovery (diet, herbal medicine).
Pork tapeworm
A person can become infected with the pig tapeworm through dirty hands, poorly cooked meat, dirty water, an infected person can expel segments and larvae of a tapeworm into the environment with vomit and feces.
The worm can live in the human body up to 15-17 years, attaches itself to the intestinal mucosa, and its larvae can spread throughout the body with the bloodstream and attach to any organ. It is especially dangerous if the larva enters the brain.
Pigs are the intermediate host; people who have frequent contact with raw meat are at greater risk of contracting this parasite. The pig chain can become infected either by contact or by eating insufficiently heat-treated meat. In order for all the larvae of the pork tapeworm to be destroyed in the meat, the meat must be cooked for a long time or frozen for 2-3 weeks.
Pork tapeworms can affect the small intestine, liver, brain, visual organs, muscles, etc. If the tapeworm affects vital organs, a person can experience paralysis or even death.
Symptoms of pork tapeworms: the occurrence of allergic reactions, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, weakness, dizziness, headache, weight loss, itching in the anus. The worm infects the intestinal mucosa, so the symptoms are very similar to enteritis.
Treatment consists of taking medications that have a paralyzing effect on the worm, so it cannot stay on the intestinal walls and exits. But at the same time it emits a large amount of toxic substances, which can cause anaphylactic shock in a person. Therefore, treatment should only be carried out under the supervision of a doctor.
Parasites in the mouth
Parasites in the human mouth can often be represented by the following types:
- trichomonas;
- oral amoeba;
- Diptera larvae (oral myiasis).
The clinical picture may be as follows:
- allergies;
- weakness, weight loss;
- fetid smell from the mouth;
- a feeling of agitation in the larynx;
- itching and sweating;
- nausea, loss of strength.
Worms living in the mouth can destroy the teeth, create purulent deposits on the mucous membrane and tongue. Treatment is prescribed only by a doctor who takes into account the existing symptoms and types of parasites. A prerequisite for treatment is the examination of all persons in contact with the patient.
summing up
Above, not all of them have been considered, even the most common parasites that can live inside the human body. It is important to understand the great danger of that neighborhood - worms in a person can cause very serious consequences and ultimately cause the death of their owner. Therefore, it is very important to timely diagnose parasites and get rid of them. As for preventive measures, they mainly consist of hygiene and high-quality roasting of the meat consumed.