The cause of many diseases, poor health is the infection with helminths. 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 is desirable to know what worms are and to understand how you can be infected by parasites of all kinds.
Types of worms - what parasites live in the human body
Depending on the location of the parasite in the body and the characteristics of the infection, the parasites are divided into different categories.
Classification of worms according to their position 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.
- extrauterine- grow, live and multiply in different organs outside the intestines. They can be found in the lungs, eyes, brain, liver. This group includes flatworms.
Classification of worms according to the method of entry into the human body:
- contagious- transmitted to a healthy person by an infected person during contact. Another source of infection is household items: towels, toys. Representatives of this species are dwarf movie, pinworms.
- Biohelminths- transmitted through contact with an animal, as a result of the consumption of contaminated meat that has not undergone adequate heat treatment. To become potentially dangerous to humans, these parasites must live for a period of time in the body of an intermediate host animal. This species includes bovine and pork strips.
- Geohelminthiases- part of the life cycle takes place in the human body and part - on the ground. This is a necessary condition for their development. You can become infected through poorly washed vegetables and fruits. This group includes round worms, hairs.
Depending on the biological characteristics, helminths are divided into three types - round, tapeworms, as well as inflatable.
Round worms (nematodes)
Roundworms are so named because their bodies are round in cross section. These parasites are most often found in a child's body. This type includes:
- PinwormsThey parasitize the large and small intestine. Their body length does not exceed 1 cm. Most of the time, the helminth infestation by pin worms affects children. These parasites live 1-2 months. If you follow strict personal hygiene, you can recover even without taking medication. If not observed, re-infection is possible.
- Round worm- worms up to 45 cm long, parasitic in the small intestine. They can move freely in the intestines. Their life expectancy is 14 months. During this period, they release toxins into the bloodstream, systematically poisoning the body.
- Vlasoglav- worms, whose body length is 3-4 cm. They parasitize the large and small intestine, digging in their mucosa to suck blood. Very toxic. Live up to 5 years.
- Trichinella- a parasite with a valley of 3–4 mm, which can be infected by meat that has undergone insufficient heat treatment. Worms live in different organs, settling in the muscles of the eyes, heart and lungs. Life expectancy - up to 2 years.
- hookworm and nectar- have the same biological characteristics, growth cycle and method of parasitism, therefore they are combined with the same name "hookworm". These 10-15 mm long helminths are located in the duodenum 12. They penetrate the human body through the skin upon contact with contaminated soil. They feed on blood by biting the blood vessels, which leads to iron deficiency anemia. This parasite is difficult to identify.
Films (cestodes)
The film has a flat body that is divided into sections. As the worm grows, the parts separate from the body and come out with the feces. These ribbon-like individuals are up to 20 meters long. They infest the intestines, where it attaches to its walls with the help of suckers.
In order to infect humans, the strips must go through one of the developmental stages 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. It parasitizes the small intestine, causing severe dysfunction of the digestive system. You can become infected by eating freshwater fish and crayfish that have not been heat-treated.
- Bull movie- a worm 6–12 m long. It lives in the small intestine, attached to its mucosa with suction cups. A source of infection is beef that has not been properly heat treated.
- Pork ribbon- 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 by cats, dogs. A person is an intermediate host for this helminth, therefore, entering the body, the larvae penetrate the tissues, into any organs and form echinococcal cysts. They are removed only surgically.
- Cellular- a type of echinococcus. Very dangerous helminths that can live in any organ, but mainly parasitize the liver. They actively grow and develop according to the principle of cancer metastases, gradually infecting the whole body. The worms can be removed surgically.
Flukes (trembling)
Flukes are a type of worm that infest any organs and tissues. They feed on epithelial cells. They reach a length of 1. 5 m. The body has the shape of a leaf. The route of contamination is the consumption of raw fish, seafood or after insufficient heat treatment. This type includes:
- liver- a worm 7–20 mm long. It parasitizes the liver and bile ducts. Causes the development of serious diseases and functional disorders.
- Unexpected succes- a worm 4-13 mm long, located in the gallbladder.
Symptoms - signs of worms in humans
Exactly how helminthiasis manifests depends on the type of worms that have affected the body and their number. The main symptoms of helminth infestation:
- diarrhea or constipation;
- bloating, flatulence;
- muscle and joint pain.
- anemia;
- allergic reactions?
- dermatitis;
- weight problems - weight loss or obesity.
- Sleep disorder;
- nervousness, irritability, depression.
- apathy, fatigue;
- cough, inflammation of the respiratory tract;
- weakened immunity.
How to determine if there are worms
If symptoms occur that may indicate the presence of worms, it is worth being diagnosed. The following tests will help detect the parasites:
- Fecal study.
- Blood test.
- Examining the secrets of the duodenum 12.
- Analysis of anal and rectal mucus.
- Ultrasound, tomography, endoscopy.
You can be sure of the result of the diagnosis if you pass the analysis 3-4 times with an interval of several days. An analysis is not enough to confirm the absence of helminth infestation.
The human body can be affected by one type of worm or many at a time. All of them, regardless of size, cause serious health problems, they are the causative agents of complex chronic diseases that are not treated for years. To eliminate the risk of infection, it is necessary to conduct periodic diagnostics and preventive treatment. This is especially true for pet owners.