Types of worms in humans and ways to infect them

Worms are representatives of the lower worms that live in the human body. The disease associated with the infection of a person with various types of worms is called helminthiasis. This disease is not uncommon and occurs in certain segments of the population. Children are susceptible to worm infection, hunters - trichinella, fishermen and lovers of Japanese cuisine (raw fish in the form of sushi) suffer from diphyllobothriasis. Many diseases, paradoxically, can occur in the human body due to helminthiasis infection. To date, the theory of the relationship between cancer and parasitic infections is one of the most relevant. In the presence of helminthiasis, symptoms do not always appear, and if, however, patients with this disease experience unpleasant and uncomfortable sensations, they are perceived as signs of other diseases. The patient has been treated for years for pancreatitis, gastritis or colitis, without suspecting that the cause of his illness is helminthiasis.

How does infection occur

Worms bring a lot of trouble to a person

parasites in the human body

Helminth infection occurs as follows:

  • Through unwashed hands
  • in contact with the ground
  • after insect bites
  • Because of dirty hands
  • When eating raw meat and fish
  • After eating unwashed fruits and vegetables
  • After contact with an animal
  • After contact with infected people

Mature parasite eggs can be found in soil, water, food (raw and poorly heat-processed meat or fish). Rare cases of the disease occur due to insect bites. The mechanism of infection with helminthiasis is oral-fecal. A person swallows parasite eggs with food, water. Home contact methods of infection also occur. They occur when, after contact with the soil or sand, the hands have not been washed well.

Vegetables and fruits that grow in the ground, which are not washed enough, are also a source of worm infection. Children who play in the yard and pets are at risk of becoming infected with worms. Pets roaming the streets freely can bring helminth eggs indoors. Flies and other insects, after contact with animal feces, sitting on food, can easily transfer helminth eggs. Surprisingly, human-to-human transmission is also possible. It goes like this: the female pinworm can crawl out of the intestines and lay eggs right in your underwear, causing intense itching. A person, after combing an itchy spot, may come into contact with other bathroom items and household items. These items fall into the hands of other family members, after which they become infected.

Infection through water is also possible. Many parasite eggs easily fall into bodies of water and open wells. Drinking unboiled well water is extremely dangerous.

types of helminthiasis

Helminthiases differ in the way they enter the human body:

  1. biohelminths
  2. geohelminths
  3. transmissible

Biohelminths are transmitted to humans through contact with animals. Geohelminths can be infected through the soil. Contagious infections arise from contact with an infected person. The disease manifests itself differently depending on the method of infection, the number of worms, the degree of adaptation in any human organ.

Stages of Helminthiasis

how does worm infestation happen

The most destructive effect on the body is not produced by adults, but by their larvae. Adult individuals have already chosen a cozy place for themselves in the human body, and the larva travels through the organs and leaves their lesions behind. The most common habitat for parasites is the gastrointestinal tract. Different types of parasites prefer different habitats. Thus, roundworms are located in the small intestine, and worms settle in the large intestine and the lower parts of the small intestine. According to the habitat of the parasites, helminthiases are:

  • translucent
  • tissue

Translucents are located in the lumens of Organs genitals and tissues - within the tissues. Depending on the growth, the parasites can change their habitat, going from a translucent to a tissue form. Helminthiasis develops in two stages:

  1. acute
  2. chronicle

The acute phase lasts from a week to a month, and the chronic phase continues until healing. The acute phase begins with the introduction of the egg and continues as the parasite matures and grows. The disease is manifested by allergic reactions to a foreign organism. During the chronic phase of the disease, various reactions of the body occur. During this period, the parasite moves through the body in search of shelter. The disease is accompanied by disturbances in the functioning of organs and systems of the human body. Having integrated the human body's immune system, parasites consume the substances necessary for their growth and development. This leads to metabolic disorders, disorders of the digestive system, difficulty in absorbing vitamins and minerals.

In addition to this damage, parasites expel their waste into the human body, poisoning the body, leading to intestinal disorders, reduced immunity, and the development of bacterial infections. Parasites contribute to the risk of developing cancer. This happens due to the negative impact on the immune system and stimulating the process of cell division. Often, a patient is examined by many specialists who find in him a lot of diseases. And in this case, only one doctor, a parasitologist, can replace all the specialists.

Classification of helminths

roundworm in humans

roundworms are quite common

Types of worms in humans:

  1. worms
  2. worms

Flatworms include:

  • Trematodes (opisthorchis, schistosomes, paragonim)
  • Cestodes (large tapeworm, tapeworm, echinococcus, alveococcus)
  • Roundworms or nematodes:
  • pinworm
  • ascaris
  • hookworm
  • Trichinella

Such a classification of helminths is presented in the medical literature. To successfully solve a problem like helminthiasis, it is necessary to discover a detailed description of the structure and life cycle of the parasites.

trematodes

Another name for flukes is worms. These parasites are flat, leaf-shaped or lanceolate with two suckers. One suction cup is in the mouth and the second, which serves for fixation, is in the peritoneum. All representatives of worms enter the body through an intermediate host. These parasites are mainly hermaphrodites.

opisthorchises

This worm is a worm up to 1. 3 cm long with two suction cups. Opisthorchis is a hermaphrodite, parasite in the liver, gallbladder, pancreas in humans and some predatory animals (foxes, dogs, cats). The eggs of opisthorchiasis leave the human or animal body with feces. When they enter the reservoir, these eggs are swallowed by freshwater molluscs, within which the larvae hatch and develop. The process of development and maturation of the larvae lasts two months. Then the larvae crawl out of the mollusk and penetrate under the skin to the carp. After six weeks, the larvae become full-fledged mature parasites. Opisthorchis enters the body of an animal or a person after eating infected fish. This worm can live in a living organism for up to 20 years. Symptoms of opisthorchiasis:

  1. Allergy
  2. Weakness
  3. Headache
  4. Dizziness
  5. Depression
  6. Loss of consciousness

The damage done to the body by opisthorchiasis:

  • Poisoning by parasite waste products
  • Liver tissue damage
  • gallbladder injury
  • Violation of the flow of bile
  • pancreas inflammation
  • Secretory dysfunctions
  • Decreased stomach motility
  • Thickening of the walls of some organs, the occurrence of tumors as a result.

The chronic course of the disease is characterized by:

  • weight after eating
  • pains
  • to vomit
  • Nausea

Habitats of opisthorchis in fish-rich rivers:

  1. Kame
  2. dnipro
  3. Neman Delta

Prevention of infection: To prevent opisthorchiasis infection, do not eat raw fish. Larvae die during the heat treatment of products. Dried fish can only be eaten if it has been previously salted. Also, the larvae die when the fish is frozen too long.

schistosomes

garlic for worms

These parasites are of different sexes, they look like a needle 0. 4 to 2. 6 cm long, females are longer than males and larger, they produce 3, 000 eggs a day. The method of reproduction, as in previous species of parasites, is through freshwater molluscs. The larva enters the human body through the skin, mucous membranes while swimming in a freshwater reservoir. It can also enter the body of a person who has accidentally swallowed water while swimming. After a day after penetration, the larva becomes an adult and enters peripheral veins, through which it is directed to the lungs and venous vessels. There, the schistosome reaches sexual maturity.

Schistosoma lays eggs in the intestines, mucous membranes, bladder. Then the eggs are excreted from the human body with urine or feces and start the developmental path again. Schistosoma has lived in the human body for several decades, causing damage and infecting new individuals. Of the problems that have arisen during schistosome infection, the human body is most caused not by the adults, but by their eggs. Only half of the eggs are excreted from the body, the rest accumulate in the organs. The eggs of this parasite have spikes that damage a person's internal organs, ulcers often occur in those infected. Patients with schistosomiasis have the following symptoms:

  • appetite disorder
  • Anemia
  • enlarged liver
  • altered spleen
  • Decreased intestinal peristalsis
  • Stomachache
  • constipation
  • diarrhea
  • Weight loss
  • intestinal bleeding
  • Pain when urinating
  • allergies
  • Weakness

When the genitourinary system is infected, patients experience:

  1. Menstrual irregularities and miscarriages in women
  2. Impotence and incomplete ejaculation in men

When eggs enter the central nervous system:

  • acute cerebral schistosomiasis
  • chronic brain damage
  • fatal result

Infected children experience a delay in growth and development, a decrease in school performance. Disease prevention includes avoiding swimming and avoiding walking barefoot in tropical waters.

paragonim

wash your hands against parasites

Paragonim is a 1 cm long lungworm with an ovoid body and red spines. This parasite multiplies in the lungs of animals and enters the human body by eating crayfish, freshwater crabs. The parasite infects the respiratory system. For patients with paragonimiasis, allergic reactions and decreased immunity are characteristic. Symptoms:

  • Temperature increase
  • Cough
  • Excretion of sputum from the lungs when coughing
  • dyspnea
  • In severe cases, blood and parasite eggs are present in the sputum.
  • In the patient's lungs, wheezing is clearly audible.
  • Prevention: exclude the use of raw crayfish and crabs.

Cestoids

Representatives of cestodes are tapeworms of various lengths. Some parasites reach gigantic sizes. In the head of these parasites there are suction cups, hooks or slits. These adaptations are necessary for the parasites to stick to the walls of the intestine. Cestodes affect the entire human body, they are more dangerous for children who develop anemia quickly.

echinococcus

These parasites reach 5 cm in length and are the causative agents of Echinococcus disease. A multichamber representative of this type of worm is the causative agent of a disease such as alveococcosis. The disease is transmitted by cattle and domestic animals. When caring for these animals, the eggs of the parasite fall from their skin into people's hands. Upon entering the human intestine, the parasites bite the mucous membrane. As the parasite matures, 4 sections appear, the last being stuffed with eggs. These departments come out and spread throughout the body, infecting it. The fourth section spreads the eggs throughout the body.

An infected organ in a patient enlarges, for example, the liver. Suppuration can form. An enlarged organ can even rupture the abdominal cavity. And this can lead to severe sepsis of the body and even death. Symptoms:

  • Weakness
  • Dizziness
  • Allergic reactions to parasite waste products.

Echinococcus affects:

  1. Brain
  2. Spinal cord
  3. Eyes
  4. thyroid gland
  5. Liver
  6. Lungs
  7. uterus

This parasite can cause the formation of tumors, including malignant ones. The most unpleasant thing is that the treatment of this disease is only possible surgically. Prevention: personal hygiene in contact with animals.

nematodes

These worms with elongated, round or cylinder-shaped bodies most often parasitize the body of children. These roundworms include pinworms, roundworms, hookworms.

earthworms

Giardia in the human body

These are little white worms. The length of the female is 1 cm, the male is 0. 5 cm. These parasites have a pointed tail, which is why they were called pinworms. The worm's habitat is the human intestine. The front end of the parasite has a suction cup, with the help of which the worm pierces the intestines, and the sharp end hangs down into the lumen and damages the walls. This disease is called enterobiasis. You can get infected from a person through dirty hands. There is a disease in preschool children who attend kindergarten. A symptom of a moth infection is itching around the anus. More often, itching is felt at night, when the female lays eggs, while releasing a special substance. Symptoms:

  1. Itch
  2. Diarrhea
  3. Stomachache
  4. Headache
  5. Lack of appetite
  6. Prevention
  7. handwashing

worm

These worms are the biggest. The length of the female is up to 0. 5 m. The female lays 200, 000 eggs a year, regardless of the male. The mechanism of infection is fecal-oral. Ascaris eggs enter the human body along with unwashed vegetables and fruits through dirty hands. The larva that entered the intestine is selected from the shell and penetrates the walls of the intestine, while migrating through the intestinal veins to the liver, through the hepatic veins to the heart, through the pulmonary arteries to the bronchi and then to the bronchi. trachea and in the mouth. A partial number of larvae die in the open, the rest are swallowed back. Symptoms:

  • Nausea
  • To vomit
  • Jaundice
  • pancreatitis
  • Frequent acute respiratory infections
  • Bronchitis
  • Pneumonia

Prevention:

  • handwashing
  • Wash vegetables and fruits
  • personal hygiene
  • Protect food from flies, cockroaches and other street vendors.

In conclusion, we can say that the cause of the disease is not always bacteria and viruses that have entered the body. Parasites can cause great harm to human health. In the case of unclear symptoms, it is not necessary to exclude the penetration of the parasite into the body, the patient should visit a parasitologist.