All kinds of parasites in the human body have a detrimental effect on your health. They infect organs, feed on the nutrients necessary for human life, and release harmful toxic substances. That is why it is so important to get rid of them in time.
The human body is affected by various parasites, some living inside the body, others on its surface. They differ in size, in access to 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 are discussed below.
Parasite classification
Human parasites are very common, divided into groups:
- Endoparasiteswe call organisms parasitizing humans. This group, in turn, is divided into protozoa (consisting of a single cell) and helminths (worms). The simplest in the human body, parasites are amoeba, lamblia, Trichomonas, toxoplasma. As far as worms are concerned, it is also divided into round worms (nematodes), flat worms and tapeworms.
- Ectoparasites- these are organisms that parasitize the surface of the human body - lice, ticks, fleas, bugs. In addition to feeding on human blood, they cause great discomfort (bites, burns, skin wounds), and carry quite dangerous diseases: typhus, anthrax, trypanosomiasis, and others.
Unicellular parasites:
- Giardia. . . Giardiasis infection is a fecal-oral mechanism. Once the cysts (parasites that have not yet formed, covered with a protective membrane) are removed from the patient’s anus, they spread to vegetables, fruits, and other food products. Cysts enter the human oral cavity through poorly washed hands, stagnant water, insufficiently washed fruits and vegetables, from where they safely reach the intestines, where they become adults again and reproduce again. The result is a vicious circle that continues until proper treatment is provided and hygiene measures are followed. Symptoms of the disease include weakness, fatigue, headache, diarrhea, abdominal pain and bloating. Itching of the rectum, skin rashes, bronchial asthma may occur. The pathology is characterized by weight loss, anemia, and a weakened immune system. Treatment is with protozoal drugs. The dose is prescribed by your doctor.
- Toxoplasma. . . Infection with these protozoa occurs through contact with infected pets. In this case, a person is an intermediate host because the cycle of sexual development of the parasite takes place in the body of the animal. The disease manifests itself with prolonged fever, subfebrile levels, general signs of intoxication, enlargement of the patient's lymph nodes, joint and muscle pain. In addition, the function of the gastrointestinal tract and vision is interrupted, the central nervous system may suffer, there are signs of heart disease and endocrine system. Complex treatment is prescribed - antibiotics of the tetracycline group and sulfonamides.
- Trichomonas. . . Trichomonas is sexually transmitted, the risk of contact infection is minimal but still present. Symptoms of the disease in women include itching, redness of the genitals, burning sensation and foamy discharge. Men have difficulty urinating and shedding. Treatment - anti-trichomonas drugs.
Pinworm is an intestinal parasite
The most famous internal parasites are pinworms. They live in the gut and cause a disease called enterobiasis. This type of parasite affects not only humans but also monkeys. Risk group - preschool children, according to statistics, enterobiasis is diagnosed in half of children aged 2-10 years.
Worms are transmitted from person to person, and can be infected through any object used by a patient or by handshake. The main condition for handing over 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 intestines, and are particularly comfortable in the thin part, colon, and appendix. For mating, the parasites secrete the ileum from which the female climbs out through the anus and lays eggs in the anus. Symptoms of pinworms in the body include rectal itching, allergies, fatigue, anemia, abdominal pain, fatigue.
Anthelmintics are prescribed to treat enterobiasis. Pinworm prevention is based on hand hygiene. Wash after visiting all public places.
Roundworms - roundworms
The length of an adult can reach 40 cm. Dirty hands and unwashed vegetables and fruits are ways to infect with roundworms. Nailworm eggs are covered with a shell that does not dissolve in the human stomach and allows roundworms to survive and enter the intestines where mature individuals develop.
Ascariasis can be asymptomatic for a long time. Symptoms then appear, depending on the location and stage of development of the parasite. In the first migratory stage of ascariasis, the patient may develop fever, sputum cough, skin rash, migraine, enlarged lymph nodes, liver and spleen. In the late stages, when the parasite enters the intestines, faecal disturbances (dysentery, cholera-like symptoms, signs of typhoid fever) may be observed. There are painful feelings in the abdomen, sharp weight loss and fatigue.
Wide tapeworm
The parasite is infected through fish. This is the intermediate host of the worm. There is no need to eat due to the infection, sometimes just contact with infected fish is enough. That is why it is so important to handle hands, knives and planks very carefully after cutting the fish.
Neither worms nor their larvae spread from patient to healthy. Symptoms of infection: nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, increased or decreased appetite, dyspeptic disorders. The first signs of the disease may appear one to two months after infection. Due to the long-term presence of the parasite in the human body, skin pallor, headache, increased heart rate, decreased blood pressure, weakness, anemia occur. The goal of the treatment is to kill the worm. Anthelmintics are used for this.
Cattle tapeworm
The bovine tapeworm can be up to 12 m long. It is a hermaphrodite capable of producing more than 100, 000 eggs that are excreted in the feces. The eggs fall into the soil and then onto the plants, these plants are consumed by cattle. In the body of an animal, eggs become larvae that localize in the muscles. When a person eats contaminated beef, the larvae get into the intestines. Larvae do not spread from person to person.
The head of adult worms has four suction cups, and its neck and body consist of segments. The number of segments is constantly increasing, mature segments can be separated from the worm and climb out of human intestines.
Symptoms of the disease: nausea, vomiting, dyspeptic disorders, increased salivation, dizziness, weakness, nervousness, fatigue, abdominal pain of uncertain location, allergies, fluctuations in appetite.
In order to remove bovine tapeworms from the body, there is a 3-stage scheme: preparation (cleansing the body), treatment with antiparasitic agents, healing (diet, herbal medicines).
Pig tapeworm
Man can become infected with swine tapeworm with dirty hands, poorly cooked meat, dirty water, and the infected person can excrete segments and larvae of a tapeworm into the environment with vomit and feces.
The worm can live in the human body for 15-17 years, adhere to the intestinal mucosa, and its larvae can spread through the bloodstream throughout the body and adhere to any organ. It is especially dangerous if the larvae enter the brain.
The pig is the intermediate host; people who come into frequent contact with raw meat are most at risk of infecting this parasite. The pork chain can also become infected through contact and the consumption of improperly heat-treated meat. In order for all larvae of pig tapeworms to die in the meat, the meat must either be cooked for a long time or frozen for 2-3 weeks.
Swine tapeworms can affect the small intestine, liver, brain, vision, muscles, and so on. If the tapeworm affects vital organs, one can experience paralysis or even death.
Symptoms of swine tapeworm: 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, as a result of which it cannot stay on the intestinal wall and quit. But at the same time, it emits large amounts of toxic substances that can cause anaphylactic shock in humans. Therefore, treatment should only be performed under medical supervision.
Parasites in the mouth
The most common types of parasites in the human mouth are:
- trichomonas;
- oral amoeba;
- Diptera larvae (oral myiasis).
The clinical picture may be as follows:
- allergy;
- weakness, weight loss;
- smelly smell from the mouth;
- feeling of mixing in the larynx;
- itching and sweating;
- nausea, loss of strength.
Worms in the mouth can destroy teeth, creating purulent deposits on the mucous membranes and tongue. Treatment should only be prescribed by a doctor who takes into account the existing symptoms as well as the types of parasites. A prerequisite for treatment is an examination of all people who come into contact with the patient.
In summary
Not all of the above are considered, even the most common parasites that can live in the human body. It is important to understand the great danger of the neighborhood: worms can have very serious consequences in humans and ultimately cause the death of its owner. Therefore, timely diagnosis and rid of parasites is very important. As far as preventive measures are concerned, they consist mainly of hygiene and good quality roasting of the meat consumed.