The cause of many diseases, poor health is infection with helminths. Various worms can enter the human body. Their sizes range from the smallest millimeters up to 16-18 meters. Parasitic on all organs and tissues, they cause great damage to health. To protect yourself from invasion (infection), it is desirable to know what worms are and to understand how you can become infected with parasites of each species.
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 several classes.
Classification of worms depending on the location in the human body:
- Intestinal- They are worms that live in the gastrointestinal tract, mainly in the small intestine. Sometimes they penetrate other organs. This group includes tapeworms and roundworms.
- extraintestinal- develop, live and multiply in various organs outside the intestines. They can be localized in the lungs, eyes, brain, liver. This group includes flatworms.
Classification of worms depending on how they enter the human body:
- adhesive- transmitted to a healthy person by an infected person during contact. Another source of infection are household items: towels, toys. Representatives of this species are dwarf tapeworms, red worms.
- Biohelmintiazat- transmitted through contact with an animal, as a result of consuming infected meat that has not undergone sufficient heat treatment. To become potentially dangerous to humans, these parasites must live for a certain period in the body of an animal that is an intermediate host. This species includes bovine and porcine worms.
- Geohelminthiases- part of the life cycle is carried out in the human body, and part - on earth. This is a necessary condition for their development. You can become infected through poorly washed vegetables and fruits. This group includes roundworms, trichomes.
Depending on the biological characteristics, helminths are divided into three types - round, striped, as well as flux.
Roundworms (nematodes)
Round worms 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:
- Red wormsParasitize in the large and small intestines. Their body length does not exceed 1 cm Most often, helminthic infestation by breast worms affects children. These parasites live 1-2 months. If you strictly observe personal hygiene, you can recover even without taking medication. If not noticed, re-infection is possible.
- Round worm- worms up to 45 cm long, which parasitize in the small intestine. They can move freely inside the intestines. Their lifespan 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 in the large part and in the 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 through meat that has undergone insufficient heat treatment. Helminths live in various organs, settling in the muscles of the eyes, heart and lungs. Shelf life - up to 2 years.
- hook and nectar worm- have the same biological characteristics, development cycle and method of parasitism, therefore combined with the same name "breast worms". These helminths 10-15 mm long are located in the duodenum 12. It penetrates the human body through the skin after contact with contaminated soil. They feed on blood by biting through blood vessels, which leads to iron deficiency anemia. This parasite is difficult to identify.
Tapeworms (cestode)
The bar has a flat body that is divided into segments. As the worm grows, the segments separate from the body and come out with the feces. These striped-like individuals are up to 20 m tall. They parasitize in the intestines, where it clings to its walls with the help of suckers.
To infect humans, tapeworms 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 Parasitizes in the small intestine causing severe dysfunction of the digestive tract. You can become infected by eating freshwater fish and lobster that have not undergone heat treatment.
- Bull tape- a 6–12 m tall helminth Lives in the small intestine, bound by suction to its mucosa. The source of infection is beef that has not undergone proper heat treatment.
- Pork ribbon- a parasite up to 2 m tall, which enters the body through raw or poorly processed pork. It sticks to the walls of the small intestine.
- Ekinokoku- 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 into tissues, into any organ and form echinococcal cysts. They are removed exclusively by surgery.
- Alveococcus- a type of echinococcus. Very dangerous helminths that can live in any organ, but mainly parasitize the liver. They grow and develop actively according to the principle of cancer metastases, gradually infecting the whole body. Worms can be removed surgically.
Flukes (trematoda)
Flukes are a type of worm that parasitizes every organ and tissue. They feed on epithelial cells. They reach a length of 1. 5 m The body has the shape of a leaf. The route of infection is the consumption of raw fish, seafood or after insufficient heat treatment. This type includes:
- liver stroke- a worm 7–20 mm long. Parasites in the liver and bile ducts. It provokes the development of serious diseases and functional disorders.
- Fluke- a worm 4-13 mm long, located in the gallbladder.
Symptoms - signs of worms in humans
How exactly helminthiasis manifests itself depends on the type of worms that have affected the body and their number. The main symptoms of helminthic infestation:
- diarrhea or constipation;
- bounce, bounce;
- muscle and joint pain;
- anemia;
- allergic reactions;
- dermatitis;
- weight problems - weight loss or obesity;
- sleep disturbance;
- irritability, irritability, depression;
- apathy, fatigue;
- cough, inflammation of the respiratory tract;
- weakened immunity.
How to determine if there are worms
If symptoms appear that may indicate the presence of worms, it is worth undergoing a diagnosis. The following tests will help identify the parasites:
- Study of feces.
- Blood test.
- Examination of duodenal secretions 12.
- Analysis of perianal and rectal mucus.
- Ultrasound, tomography, endoscopy.
You can be sure of the diagnosis result if you pass the test 3-4 times with an interval of several days. An analysis is not sufficient to confirm the absence of helminthic invasion.
The human body can be affected by one type of worm or several at a time. All of them, regardless of size, provoke serious health problems, are the cause of complex chronic diseases that can not be cured for years. To eliminate the risk of infection, it is necessary to periodically perform diagnostic and preventive treatments. This is especially true for pet owners.