Worms are parasitic worms that live in the intestines or tissues of humans. The vast majority of parasites have two hosts - intermediate and final. However, some helminths infest the body without leaving it and without entering the environment. Worms are ubiquitous. Most of them exist in countries with hot and humid climate.
The symptoms of worms in the intestines depend not only on the type of invasion, but also on the characteristics of its course.
The most common types of pests
There are seven main types of parasitic worms:
Pinworms
Pinworms are small worms that look like threads belonging to the nematode class. The size of an adult does not exceed 1 mm. In the human body they live mainly in the large intestine, causing irritations, mucous membrane damage and enteritis. Pinworm enterobiasis has an incubation period of about 15 days. Further, a characteristic clinical picture develops. The duration of the disease is 2 months, which is equal to the lifespan of the worm. In fact, there is no independent solution to the disease, since with enterobiasis there is a mechanism of self-infection.
Note: the symptoms of enterobiasis are rarely severe. The disease often occurs in blurred form, has no clear diagnostic signs. Suspicion of enterobiasis in children occurs if the child complains of itching in the perianal area.
Worm infestation occurs when personal hygiene rules are not followed. The route of transmission is fecal-oral. A person who touches an infected surface and then does not wash his hands, swallows helminth eggs. Similarly, re-infection with enterobiasis occurs. The patient, having itching in the perianal area, scratches the annoying area and then proceeds to eat. Worm eggs that fall into the hands are swallowed. The growth cycle of the parasite begins again.
Round worm
Roundworms are administrative roundworms that live in the small intestine of humans and animals. The length of the female helminth is 40 cm. The size of the male is much smaller. Its length usually does not exceed 25 cm. The distinguishing feature of the male is the pointed end of the body.
The life cycle of roundworms is somewhat more complex than that of worms. The route of infection is fecal-oral. Helminth eggs fall into the hands of a person when working with earth and dirty objects. In the stomach, a young larva emerges from the egg, penetrating the bloodstream with the help of hooks. Here he grows up and immigrates. By the time the larva enters the lungs, it reaches a state that allows it to develop into a sexually mature person. The patient coughs the larva, after which it is swallowed again, enters the intestines, turns into an adult round worm.
Vlasoglavy
Vlasoglav is a round worm belonging to the group of nematodes. It is a parasite that lives in the large intestine of humans and pets. Externally, the helminth looks like a thin grayish thread of various thicknesses. The front of the whip is thin and long. The back is thick and short. Here are the internal organs. The body length of the whip does not differ depending on the sex and is 3-5 cm.
The whip eggs, already parasitic on the host organism, enter the environment with feces. Here they mature and become invasive. A person becomes infected through the fecal-oral route if the rules of personal hygiene are not followed. Whipworm larvae enter the intestines, grow, feed on microflora and grow. Later, young helminths migrate to the large intestine. hair growth develops.
Chains
Films are films that sometimes reach 25 meters in length. The most famous representatives of this genus of parasites are:
- Bull movie;
- pork ribbon;
- wide ribbon.
The body structure of all the films is similar. They have a head, neck and body consisting of many parts. The parts closest to the extremity of the body have a uterus filled with eggs. They are separated from the film and come out with feces.
As a rule, the life cycle of the films implies the presence of two hosts - intermediate and final. The host may vary depending on the type of worm. A person becomes infected by swallowing larvae contained in lean meat or fish.
Echinococcus
Echinococcus is the smallest film that exists. Its length is 2-8 mm. A mature person has scolex, neck and 3-4 sections. It lives in the intestines of carnivorous animals of the dog family. Intermediates can be herbivores or humans. Helminth eggs fall into the hands when they come in contact with the final host or when they collect wild berries with seeds with echinococcus eggs.
When eggs are swallowed, a person becomes an intermediate host. In its body, the larvae penetrate the blood vessels, flowing through the bloodstream to the organs and tissues, where they settle and become Finnish - a bubble filled with fluid containing the parasite scolex. In this case, the Finn can reach large sizes, which leads to compression of organs and tissues. Particularly dangerous is the detection of echinococcal cysts in the brain, liver and lungs.
Schistomia
The slits are helminths of an administrative type that belong to the category of flat worms. They have mouth and abdominal puffiness. The female is slightly longer than the male. The definitive host of schistosomes is humans and mammals. The helminth settles in small vessels of the large intestine, small intestine and bladder. The parasite's eggs are released into the bloodstream, filtered by the kidneys and excreted in the urine.
The larvae of the parasites that have fallen into a freshwater tank penetrate the mollusk bodies, where they continue their growth cycle. After 6-8 weeks, the embryos re-enter the open water, where they turn into crickets - larvae with tails that can penetrate the human body through the intact skin. As a rule, human infestations develop when swimming in open water, washing clothes in them or other contact with open water.
Filariae
Filariae are worms that look like round threads. There are about 8 varieties of filariasis that parasitize the human body. The intermediate host and carrier of the disease are the insects that suck the blood. Human infection occurs when insect bites and helminth larvae enter the upper layers of the skin.
The distribution of the larvae in the body of the final host is done by the hematogenous route. The worms spread throughout the body, settle on organs and tissues, cause allergic reactions, swelling of the affected area, lymphostasis, proliferation of endothelial cells.
How to identify worms at home
It is possible to assume the presence of worms in the body by one or another feature. In addition, for the rapid diagnosis of helminths, a special test was developed, consisting of several questions.
Signs of the presence of parasites in the body
The signs of worms on an adult's body depend directly on the type of invasion.
- Enterobiosis - itching in the anus, insomnia, irritability, indigestion, diarrhea, loss of appetite, pain in the right side of the abdomen, flatulence, false desire for defecation.
- Ascariasis - vomiting, umbilical cord pain, dry cough, nausea, shortness of breath, round or round eggs in the stool, wheezing, fever.
- Hair loss - flatulence, vomiting, faeces mixed with blood and mucus, mental retardation of the child, abdominal pain, weight loss, anemia.
- Invasion by film - for a long time it is asymptomatic. Later, episodic abdominal pain, decreased hemoglobin in the blood, indigestion, diarrhea, and unexplained weight loss occur.
- Echinococcus - the symptoms of parasitic infection that form Finns depend on which organ was infected. With the development of an echinococcal cyst in the brain, neurological symptoms appear. With liver damage, patients complain of pain in the right side, yellowing of the skin, general deterioration of well-being and violation of digestive processes.
- Schistosomiasis - weight loss, abdominal pain, dizziness, swollen liver, spleen, blood in the urine, fever, anemia, skin swelling, urolithiasis, dry cough, defecation disorder.
- Filariasis - enlarged lymph nodes, hyperthermia, weakness, headaches, blood in the urine, stiffness of movements, increase in certain parts of the body, swelling of the skin, tearing.
Note: Most of the symptoms described are non-specific and can occur with many other diseases.
Pest testing
This test allows you to assess the possibility of helminth infection. When you go through it, you should use such answer options as "yes", "no", "sometimes". For each answer "yes" 2 points are awarded, for the answer "no" - 0 points. The answer "sometimes" requires a point.
- Is there morning sickness?
- Is there pale skin, gums?
- Is there persistent anemia that does not respond to medication?
- Abdominal pain or discomfort?
- Are indigestion common?
- Stool disorders?
- Is there weight on the right side?
- Frequent headaches?
- Periodic cough?
- Intermittent tingling in large joints?
- Sudden loss of vision?
- Do you brush your teeth in your sleep?
- Do you eat large amounts of food while still feeling hungry?
- Common allergies?
- Is there swelling?
- Decreased performance;
- Chronic diseases;
- Intermittent abdominal pain?
- Signs of inflammation in the blood?
- Itching in the anus?
- Do family members have similar symptoms?
A negative test can be considered a test in which no more than 6 points were scored. The possibility of invasion exists in those who scored from 6 to 17 points. Individuals who scored 17 to 24 points on the test are almost certainly infected with one or the other helminth. With an index of 24 to 42 points, one can talk about multiple invasions of different types of helminths, something that happens extremely rarely.
Laboratory diagnosis
Various types of laboratory tests are used to accurately diagnose helminths:
Stool analysis
Sampling of biological material for analysis is performed in the morning. A small amount of stool taken from the middle of the total portion is sent to the laboratory. Here, the obtained material is examined visually, trying to determine the presence of eggs in it. The eggs of some pests are so large that they can be seen with the naked eye. If this does not happen, the biomaterial is stained with special techniques, seeded in media, and then examined under a microscope. It is possible to talk about the absence of invasion only after three or four studies, during which no signs of worms were detected. The technique is suitable for the identification of all helminths whose eggs and segments are excreted in the faeces.
Scratching, cotton swab
Signs of the presence of worms and roundworms can be detected by taking a scratch or swab from the patient's anal folds. This method is relevant due to the peculiarities of helminth reproduction. The spawning worm leaves the intestine and exits, where the spawning process takes place. A smear should be taken in the morning, without any pre-hygiene procedures. Otherwise, the parasite eggs will be washed and the analysis will be false negative.
Blood analysis
In the diagnosis of helminths, a general blood test is of indirect importance. Undoubted signs of the presence of parasites in the blood with this method of research are not detected. As a rule, the long-term presence of parasitic worms in the body leads to a decrease in hemoglobin levels, the appearance of non-specific signs of the inflammatory process (increased ESR, leukocytosis).
ELISA blood test
The enzyme immunoassay (ELISA) method is based on the detection of antibodies to parasitic toxins and the body's enzymatic response in the presence of helminths. This research method allows the diagnosis of the disease even if the helminth, for one reason or another, did not lay eggs. ELISA is most productive in the early stages of the invasion, when the worm is just beginning to grow in the human body.
What to do if you become infected?
If there are signs of parasitic infection, no independent treatment efforts should be made. Regardless of the symptoms of worms in adults, the best course of action is to visit a parasitologist or gastroenterologist. Will prescribe the necessary tests, will be able to properly assess the risk of disease, will select drugs that will quickly and completely remove parasites from the body.
Despite the apparent simplicity of the disease, helminthiasis can have very serious consequences. There are cases where the presence of parasites led to perforation of the intestine, its obstruction, peritonitis and sepsis. Modern medicines allow you to get rid of worms quickly and reliably. However, almost all of them have a number of contraindications and recommendations for use, which only a specialist knows. This is why any anthelmintic or traditional medicine should only be used on the advice of a doctor.