Parasitic worm: types, danger and control measures. Causes and consequences of the appearance of worms in humans. Diagnosis and treatment of tapeworms. The most common symptom of worms. Where to get tested for worms

Settling in the body, their vital activity, they cause great harm to many organs and disable them. As a result, people suffer from many diseases.

Ways of infection with worms

The main way of infection is not observing the simplest rules of hygiene.

• public places. City toilets, handrails in transport, a store, money, places of public food of a dubious nature, and much more;
• Pets. Failure to comply with the hygiene of pets, cats and dogs, ignoring their treatment, can threaten infection with worms for their owners. Particles of animal feces remain on the wool, which may contain helminth eggs. They get to the person through too close contact with the pet, when the cat sleeps with the owner. Pets must be vaccinated and undergo periodic check-ups by a veterinarian;
• Food. Vegetables, fruits should be washed well with water, preferably several times. Salted fish, its caviar can also become a source of infection. Meat should always be fried and stewed for a long time and well, do not use questionable products and not fully cooked;
• water, earth. Polluted water in rivers, lakes, and even plumbing, soil that contains helminth eggs. They penetrate the mucous membrane, so you should always wash your hands with soap;
• insects. Mosquitoes can also transmit helminthiasis to humans.

How to determine if you have worms?

In addition, there are a number of symptoms by which anyone can understand that he is infected with helminths.

Symptoms that cause worms:

• itching of the anus;
• headache;
• observed violations of the gastrointestinal tract. There are unreasonable constipation, diarrhea, which can alternate;
• a person is tormented by constant nausea, there may be vomiting;
• the infected person constantly feels tired, lethargic, he gets tired quickly, drowsy, irritated;
• the functioning of the nervous system is disturbed, insomnia torments;
• there is constant bloating, heaviness in the abdomen, gas formation;
• sharp weight loss and pallor of the skin;
• recurrent abdominal pain, which can be sharp or aching;
• skin problems begin. Worms can cause an allergic reaction, which is manifested by eczema, hives and other rashes;
• the body's immune system is severely affected;
• the respiratory organs are damaged, a choking cough occurs, there may be various inflammations;
• at night, frequent trips to the toilet, and grinding of teeth during sleep.

When the first symptoms appear, or when they are combined, you should not postpone a visit to the doctor. Self-medication is not always effective and appropriate.

The danger of helminths on the human body

The harm of worms to humans is very large. This is due to the fact that they affect all organs, multiply rapidly and move throughout the body with the bloodstream.

Often there are also fatal cases when infected with helminths. But this happens only when everything is very neglected and no treatment is accepted. When the worm grows more than 30-35 cm, it carries a danger, which consists in blockage of any parts of the intestine, any large vessels, which can be fatal to humans.

Let us consider in more detail what worms are dangerous for humans:

Having understood what helminths are harmful for, we can say that they cause complete depletion of the body and affect the full functioning of a person.

The danger of worms also depends on their type:

Infection with helminths in childhood can stop the physical and mental development of the child.

Description of roundworm

The human roundworm is a representative of a huge class of nematodes belonging to the type of roundworms. Outwardly, roundworms look like a very stretched spindle.

Around the mouth they have small growths - tactile tubercles. The male genital organs, phagocytic cells and intestines are located at the rear end of the body.

After fertilization, the female develops an annular constriction in the anterior part of the body. The male can be distinguished by the posterior end curved towards the abdomen.

Human roundworms go through two stages of development: in the environment and in the internal organs of a person. Eggs and larvae of ascarids are resistant to adverse conditions and can maintain their vital activity for a long time. Males, in the human body grow up to 25 cm, the length of the female is 40 cm.

Causes of infection

Ascariasis is not transmitted by airborne droplets. Infection from a sick person is impossible! Eggs, before they enter the human body, must undergo maturation in the environment (soil, sand).

How long do roundworms live in the body, what harm can they cause to a person, is it possible to get rid of them once and for all? The questions are by no means idle.

To begin with, let's figure out how much and where roundworms live in a person and why they need him.

Roundworms live in the small intestine. For puberty and reproduction, they need a "master", which has become a person.

Since roundworms reproduce only inside a person, animals cannot be their carriers.

If only females enter the body, maturing, they begin to lay unfertilized eggs. At the end of the reproductive period, females die and are excreted from the body along with feces.

Males do not produce eggs; without females, they live in the human body for the prescribed period and die. On average, roundworms live and reproduce in the human body for 7 to 12 months. In practice, there are exceptional cases - roundworms that can live in the human body for about 2 years.

With timely diagnosis, ascariasis is successfully treated. Patients who have undergone treatment remain under observation and are regularly tested for three years.

Stages of development of roundworm

The life cycle of human roundworm development can be divided into the following stages.

reproduction

Reproduction in roundworm occurs sexually. Females reach sexual maturity at two months of age. The reproductive system of females is represented by two ovaries, smoothly passing through the oviducts into the uterus. The uterus merges into the vagina, which has an opening in the abdomen.

The reproductive system of males is the testis, flowing into the vas deferens, with access to the posterior end of the body.

In a day, one individual is able to lay more than 200 thousand eggs. Each egg is covered with five dense shells.

The outer shell has pigmentation that can absorb ultraviolet light, which is deadly to the fetus. Eggs have a different shape: round, pear-shaped, oval.

All eggs come out with feces. For further development, eggs require exposure to external factors: oxygen, heat and humidity.

Larval development

Under favorable weather conditions, moderate humidity, air temperature not less than +24 degrees, ascaris larvae develop in eggs in 10-15 days. Very high or low temperatures, drought affect how roundworms develop.

If the weather conditions are unsatisfactory, the eggs can lie in the soil for several months, waiting for better times.

Fertilized eggs can remain viable for more than 10 years.

As soon as the mature egg enters the intestines through the mouth, the membranes begin to dissolve, the microscopic larva comes out of the egg.

By damaging the intestinal lining, it penetrates into the blood capillaries. Then in larger vessels and with the flow of blood begins its journey through the body.

Migration

Migration of roundworm larvae in the human body lasts 15-18 days. First, the larvae make a stop in the liver, here the first molt occurs. Then they move along the bloodstream to the atrium.

To transform the larvae into an adult, oxygen is needed, this drives the roundworm to the pulmonary artery.

On the tenth day, in the lungs, the larvae molt again. Damage to the internal organs causes coughing fits. During coughing, the larvae are released into the mouth and re-swallowed.

Returning to the intestines, the larvae shed their shells for the third time. This happens two weeks after the initial infection.

Very quickly, their size increases and after two to three months they reach large sizes. The females are larger and longer than the males.

Incubation period for ascariasis

When children are infected with roundworm larvae, the incubation period is from 1 to 1.5 months; in adults, the first symptoms of the disease appear after 1.5 - 2 months.

The stages of ascariasis are conditionally divided into migratory and intestinal.

• The first stage (migratory) is characterized by acute manifestations of the disease: chills, headaches, skin rashes, itching in the anus. Rapid fatigue, irritability, drowsiness. As the lungs are affected, shortness of breath and a dry, “barking” cough develop. The temperature rises in the evening.
• The second stage (intestinal) is accompanied by violations of intestinal dysfunction, dull pain in the abdomen, nausea. Weight loss.

Not all individuals of worms after migration return to the intestine. Some of them may remain in other internal organs (liver, heart, lungs).

With a large accumulation of roundworms, their outcome at home can be deadly.

Worms are a disease of dirty hands. If in early childhood a child is taught to follow the rules of hygiene, he will be reliably protected from infection with helminths.

What is the life cycle of a pinworm?

The next phase of the cycle is when the larvae begin to form. This stage of the cycle lasts only 5.5 hours under favorable conditions, which is the normal temperature of the human body.

From the moment of infection to the appearance of the first signs of enterobiasis, it takes from 3 to 6 weeks. During this period, the larva develops and turns into a sexually mature individual. Symptomatically, the disease does not manifest itself at this time. This helminthiasis can occur in acute and chronic form.

The course of the disease will depend on many reasons:

• Frequency of repeated invasions.
• General condition of the patient.
• Age category of the patient.

The acute phase of the disease lasts an average of seven days. At this time, the patient complains of:

• Pain in the abdomen.
• Attacks of nausea.
• Discomfort in the intestines.
• Frequent stool.

The chronic stage is characterized by few symptoms. The main sign of invasion during this period is severe itching in the anus. It keeps on continuing for two or three days, followed by a repeat after twenty-one days. During this time, roundworms go through the next round of ontogenesis.

Nematodes tend to provoke infectious helminthiasis in children, which is called enterobiasis. They are more likely to infect children of primary school age and who attend kindergartens.

The life cycle of a helminth is divided into several phases. When penetrating into the gastrointestinal tract of the patient, the surface of the worm egg under the influence of substances from the outside undergoes dissolution. They hatch into larvae. But their full formation lasts for another one and a half weeks.

A worm infection can linger for several months. It is necessary to conduct a course of deworming in a timely manner.

The main place of localization of this type of helminths is the department of the human large intestine. But in order for an egg to become infectious, it must be outside the host's body and oxygen must be present. The structure of the roundworm is no different from the structure of other roundworms.

The body of the helminth is like a spindle. It has a white color. In females, one end is pointed, in males, the back of the body is curved and resembles a hook. Their size varies from three to twelve millimeters, depending on the sex of the individual.

In the eggs laid by the female roundworm, a larva develops in about five to six hours. Once in the soil, they remain viable for 21 days. Human infection occurs orally. The larvae are released in the area of ​​the small intestine and rush to the upper part of the large intestine for maturation. Nematodes become sexually mature after two weeks.

Helminths emerging from the intestinal opening to lay eggs provoke the development of itching and burning. Since females most often go outside at night, a person has a sleep disturbance. He becomes irritable, restless.

This helminthic invasion is most often found in children. Children comb the anal area during sleep and thus collect worm eggs under the nails and on the hands. From contaminated hands, through food and household items, they enter the oral cavity of children. Eggs with dust particles may be swallowed.

Nematodes, including pinworms, do not have a fixing function. They are retained in the intestines due to their active mobility and strong muscular apparatus. Their survival is ensured by high fecundity and ease of reinvasion of people.

The scheme of helminthic invasion consists in the transfer of pathogenic microorganisms from an infected person to a healthy one. In this case, the patient feels itching in the region of the opening of the rectum, which intensifies at night. During the combing of the perianal area, a certain number of helminth eggs remain on the hands.

From this we can conclude that the main factor of helminthic invasion by pinworms is the lack of personal hygiene. Most often, worms are brought by children from kindergartens or school institutions that do not comply with sanitary requirements and personal hygiene. As a result, the infection is transmitted not only between children, but also from children to adults.

The reason for re-infection with oscariasis may be a bad habit of biting the nail plates, even after antihelminthic therapy.

To prevent the occurrence of helminthic infection, it is necessary to carry out the prevention of helminthiasis. Primarily:

• Keep hands clean.
• Keep your nails short.
• Don't chew on them.
• To carry out the toilet of intimate areas.
• Wear clean underwear.
• Wash and iron bedding.

Symptoms of the presence of helminths:

• an allergic reaction in the form of skin rashes, food allergies, itching;
• iron deficiency anemia: pallor of the skin, fatigue, brittle hair and nails;
• constipation or diarrhea;
• weight loss and inability to replenish;
• decreased immunity: frequent colds;
• itching in the anus;
• abdominal pain not associated with eating;
• grinding teeth in sleep.

Infection with worms occurs most often through unwashed hands after the street or contact with animals, the use of dirty vegetables, fruits, raw water. Poorly fried pig and cow meat, raw fish can also become a source of worm infection for humans.

The danger of worms for humans

First of all, it is worth noting that when worms enter the human body, they feed on tissues and release harmful toxins. The most dangerous are the larvae, as they can circulate with the bloodstream, causing various disorders in the organs.

Worms in the intestines can cause colitis, ulcers. Bleeding can be a complication of an ulcer. Bleeding in the intestines can be detected by the syndrome of acute abdomen and the detection of blood in the stool. Intestinal obstruction is another dangerous complication of intestinal helminthiasis.

Some species affect absolutely all organs and systems. Hiding under the picture of other diseases, which makes it difficult to diagnose the disease and provide the right treatment in time.

Worms are also dangerous for a child, as they delay mental and physical development.

The most terrible worms for humans

Paragonim is one of the most dangerous types of flukes. Pargonyms, affecting the lungs, cause a clinical picture similar to pneumonia, further forming calcifications. A bacterial infection usually joins the parogonyms.

Schistosomes are one of the most feared worms. The disease they cause is called schistosomiasis. They contribute to the formation of ulcers in the intestines, bleeding from ulcers, cause constipation or diarrhea, as well as intestinal obstruction. There are types of schistosomes that affect the bladder. In women, such worms are localized in the reproductive system and cause such dangerous conditions as miscarriages. When it enters the nervous system, it causes paralysis and paresis. In children, they cause a delay in mental and physical development. On the territory of our state, infection with schistosomes can rarely occur.

Worms that are especially dangerous for human health are echinococci related to cystodes. Causes echinococcosis, which is terrible for humans, because it affects all organs and systems. The chronic form of these worms causes a tumor-like formation in the affected organ, which doctors often confuse with cancer. Misdiagnosis is followed by similar treatment. If the surgical removal of the focus of echinococcus is not carried out in time, the disease will end in death. Favorite localization in the liver.

Why are worms dangerous in the human body?

It is dangerous to get worms into the brain, depending on the hit, they cause terrible diseases: meningitis, meningoencephalitis. The clinical picture may vary, focal symptoms appear. This indicates damage to the cranial nerves. Often there are symptoms of a brain tumor.

A more dangerous type of roundworm than roundworms is hookworms. The clinical picture is not as diverse as with ascariasis. The favorite breeding ground for these terrible worms is blood. Proceeding from this, it follows that they are localized in the heart. They cause mechanical damage to the myocardium, causing necrosis of various areas. As a result, cicatricial changes in the heart muscle are formed. Further, a bacterial infection can join this process and cause complications dangerous for a person in the form of: myocarditis, pericarditis, endocarditis.

Roundworm is especially dangerous for a child: it causes severe anemia, growth retardation and development.

Trichinella, another type of helminth dangerous to humans. All human organs and systems are affected. Symptoms of the disease directly depend on the localization of helminths. The most dangerous and terrible is the defeat of the heart and nervous system. Helminthiases mimic other diseases, making it difficult to prescribe the correct treatment. They can migrate everywhere, accumulate in the lymphatic ducts of the mammary glands. As a result, seals are formed. In this case, a terrible diagnosis of cancer is made.

In order not to become infected with helminths, it is necessary to observe the rules of personal hygiene, follow the preparation of food, use boiled water, thermally processed vegetables and fruits.

Helminthiasis manifests itself in different ways. One of the most common symptoms is an allergic reaction. For example, a person who has not previously suffered from any type of this disease notices that he has a runny nose from the dust, and his eyes are also watery and his throat swells. In this case, the probability of finding uninvited guests in the body after appropriate analyzes is very high.

This phenomenon is explained very simply: inflammation of the tissues begins from the worms, which leads to the fact that the usual food and environment cause an unusual reaction.

When the level of leukocytes in the body decreases, one can expect the appearance of rashes and a deterioration in general sensitivity.

Anemia and anemia

Gastrointestinal disorders

Digestive problems are another symptom of helminthiasis. Worms that have chosen the colon, liver or bile ducts as their habitat interfere with the natural process of ridding the body of toxins and toxins, causing constipation.

If a lot of toxic substances accumulate in the body, a person begins to suffer from diarrhea. So the body tries to get rid of them in the most gentle way.

Usually the latter option is typical for cases when tourists return from countries where everything is very bad with hygiene. Diarrhea caused by worms can cause dehydration because it is very long-lasting - at least a few days, but usually a month or more. If mucous secretions are observed in the stools, this is a sure sign of helminthiasis.

Weight loss

Attention! Sudden weight loss is an important and alarming symptom. Women should be especially careful - against the background of a diet, it can go unnoticed.

Decreased immunity

Since the body receives little of the substances it needs, it cannot maintain the immune system in proper order. Helminthiasis is often accompanied by colds and general soreness.

Grinding of teeth

What threat are worms

But all of the above are just symptoms, albeit rather unpleasant ones. Are worms dangerous for humans, and what are their consequences - we will consider in order:

1. As mentioned above, the presence of worms leads to damage to the immune system - due to a significant decrease in the level of vital white blood cells. And if in a mild form it manifests itself in allergies and colds, then under the condition of an improper lifestyle or special vulnerability, it can turn into a bactericidal infection, an unpleasant infection and other serious problems. The risk of contracting an incurable infectious disease increases, as does the risk of developing dormant cancer cells.

If the suspicions are not confirmed, fine, but if the worms are still detected, then the least damage to the body will be caused precisely at an early stage. Yes, and getting rid of them during this period is the easiest.

Cystidicola farionis

Trienophorus nodulosus

Diphyllobotrium latum

• thoroughly clean the fish;
• cut into pieces of 1 cm;
• boil for 30-40 minutes.

For salting infected fish, it is necessary to withstand it for 10-12 days at low temperatures, and then insist 7-8 days at room temperature in saline. Salt must be added in an amount of at least 3 parts by weight of the fish. Careful preparation and handling of infected fish does not guarantee that infestation will not occur. That is why, in order to exclude the development of serious diseases, infected fish meat should not be included in your diet.

Russian cuisine does not have dishes with raw fish. But in this case, one should not forget about the herring. This type of product is quite popular due to its taste and low cost. Not every manufacturer complies with the technology for making herring, therefore, infection with the use of this product is not completely excluded.

Among the dangerous helminthic invasions, ink-spotted disease can be distinguished, which is infected with fish that contain the causative agent of postodiplostomiasis in their bodies. This disease is not very dangerous, but experts recommend refraining from eating fish, on the body of which there are dark spots.

How to distinguish infected fish

An unusable product has certain differences, knowing which you can protect yourself from infection:

• Infected fish have damaged muscle structures. When pressed, the resulting hole is not leveled.
• The pupils of the fish are cloudy, and the mucous membrane is usually dry.
• The belly of the fish is sagging and swollen.
• The gills acquire a characteristic swampy hue, while the internal organs of the fish have a fetid odor during cutting.
• The anus protrudes above the main body of the fish and a viscous cloudy mucus flows out of it.

When cooking infected fish, the broth has quite specific characteristics. The decoction is usually cloudy. There is no fatty film on its surface. Instead, the broth contains a mass of dark particles and flakes of unknown origin.

source

The benefits of worms

Treatment of helminth infections remains a distant goal due to the lack of effective vaccines, the limited pharmacological efficacy of anthelmintic agents, emerging resistance to them, and rapid reinfection in environments where transmission cannot be interrupted. While nematodes and other types of worms are most common in poorer countries, in developed countries, thanks to hygiene and good medical care, they have practically disappeared.

But along with the obvious negative impact on the human body (and animals), in recent years, various theoretical and experimental studies have been conducted by Western scientists regarding the positive effects of infection with worms.

Worms and the formation of immunity

Some of the first observations about the relationship between human environmental conditions and the occurrence of allergic diseases date back to the 1970s. It was found that urban residents were exposed to the development of allergic diseases more often than the population of rural areas, in which the risk of viral, bacterial and helminthic diseases is much higher. A similar observation was made by British scientist David Strechan ten years later. He found that children with older siblings are less likely to suffer from allergic and autoimmune diseases (this is because the cohabitation of several children creates a so-called "microbial soup" that stimulates the development of the immune system).

Currently, the primary focus is on monitoring and establishing relationships between helminth infestation and the development of diseases such as asthma, multiple sclerosis, and chronic intestinal inflammation.

Modern treatment of worms

According to statistics, at least half of the globe is already infected with some type of helminthiasis, which has a huge number of species.

Each of them, in addition to causing harm and causing a lot of inconvenience, is capable of initiating various diseases, in some cases fatal.

Despite the fact that not every species is able to take root in the human body, this does not give a reason to feel more or less calm. The thing is that worms can find sources in the form of animals that can become an excellent temporary reservoir for the spread of various infections.

According to WHO, people most often become infected with such types of worms as:

• Vlasoglavy.
• Hookworm or necator.
• Hookworm duodenal, or hookhead.

Naturally, the concept most often cannot be characterized as the most dangerous.

To the question of why worms are dangerous, you can find at least a hundred answers, and one answer will become worse than the other.

For example, when the immune system is affected, the whole organism is harmed as a whole, and the point is not only in susceptibility to simple diseases, but in the occurrence of cancerous tumors.

These substances are quite harmful and are constantly initiating asthma and complex variations of asthma attacks.

Despite the fact that the disease lends itself quite easily to medical treatment, it is not so easy to detect.

Roundworms have a very property to multiply very quickly in the human body, and the harm they cause extends to almost all organs.

For example, getting into the intestines and forming a ball, an obstruction may occur, which is quite difficult to eliminate. And when it enters the brain, diseases such as meningitis and meningoencephalitis are provoked.

The most dangerous roundworm for children. Due to the presence of helminths in children, a developmental delay and anemia of a complicated form are formed.

They cause mechanical damage to the myocardium, causing neurotization of various areas. As a result, cicatricial changes in the heart muscle are formed.

In the future, a bacterial-type infection can join this process and cause serious complications for the human body in the form of: myocarditis, pericarditis, endocarditis.

Symptoms and signs of infection

The manifestation of symptoms that may indicate the presence of helminths depends on various factors, but first of all, you should pay attention to such signs:

In order to maximally protect yourself and your loved ones from possible infection, you need to understand everything that can be associated with them, for example, the most common ways of infection:

It should be understood that treatment is an extremely responsible process, and only the attending physician can prescribe this or that drug.

In any case, before making a decision on taking drugs, it is also worth getting a consultation with a specialist. The video in this article is also intended to help in choosing a drug.