Worms are parasitic worms that live in the intestines or tissues of humans. The vast majority of parasites have two hosts - intermediate and terminal. However, some helminths parasitize the body without leaving it and without entering the environment. Worms are ubiquitous. The largest number of them is present in places with warm and humid climates.
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 parasites
There are seven main types of parasitic worms:
Red worms
Red worms are small thread-like worms belonging to the category of nematodes. The size of an adult does not exceed 1 mm. In the human body, they live mainly in the colon, causing irritation, damage to the mucosa and enteritis. Enterobiasis caused by breast worms 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 reality, an independent solution of the disease does not occur, as with enterobiasis there is a mechanism of self-infection.
Note: the symptoms of enterobiasis are rarely pronounced. The disease often appears in vague form, there are no clear diagnostic signs. Suspicion of enterobiasis in children occurs if the child complains of itching in the perianal region.
Worm infection occurs when the rules of personal hygiene are not followed. The route of transmission is fecal-oral. A person who touches a contaminated surface and then does not wash his hands, swallows the helminth eggs. Similarly, re-infection with enterobiasis occurs. The patient, experiencing itching in the perianal region, scratches the disturbed area and then continues to eat. The eggs of worms that fall into the hands are swallowed. The parasite development cycle begins again.
Round worm
Roundworms are dioecious roundworms that live in the small intestine of humans and animals. The length of the female helminth is 40 centimeters. The male size is much smaller. Its length usually does not exceed 25 centimeters. The identifying characteristic of the male is the sharp edge 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 soil and contaminated objects. In the stomach, a young larva emerges from the egg, penetrating the bloodstream with the help of hooks. Here it grows and migrates. By the time the larva enters the lungs, it reaches a state that allows it to develop into a sexually mature individual. The patient coughs the larva, after which it is swallowed again, enters the intestines, turns into an adult round worm.
Vlasoglavy
Vlasoglav is a roundworm belonging to the group of nematodes. It is a parasite that lives in the colon of humans and pets. From the outside, the helminth looks like a thin gray thread of various thicknesses. The front of the whip is thin and long. The back is thickened and trimmed. Here are the internal organs. The body length of the whipworm does not change depending on the sex and is 3-5 centimeters.
Worm 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. The larvae of the whip enter the intestines, grow, feed on microflora and develop. Subsequently, young helminth individuals migrate to the colon. trichuriasis develops.
chain
Tapeworms are tapeworms, sometimes reaching 25 feet in length. The most famous representatives of this genus of parasites are:
- bull tape;
- pork ribbon;
- wide ribbon.
The body structure of all tapeworms is similar. They have a head, a neck and a body made up of many segments. The segments located closest to the end of the body have a uterus filled with eggs. They are separated from the tapeworm and excreted in the feces.
As a rule, the life cycle of tapeworms implies the presence of two hosts - intermediate and final. The intermediate host may vary depending on the type of worm. A person becomes infected by swallowing larvae found in uncooked meat or fish.
Ekinokoku
Echinococcus is the smallest tapeworm that exists. Its length is 2-8 mm. A mature individual has a scolex, a neck and 3-4 segments. Lives in the intestines of carnivorous animals of the dog family. Intermediate hosts can be herbivores or humans. Helminth eggs fall into the hands after contact with the final host or when wild berries planted with echinococcus eggs are collected.
When the eggs are swallowed, a person becomes an intermediate host. In his body, the larvae penetrate the blood vessels, with the flow of blood they are transferred to organs and tissues, where they settle and turn into a Finn - a bubble filled with fluid and 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 localization of echinococcal cysts in the brain, liver and lungs.
Schistism
Schistosomes are helminths of a dioecious species belonging to the flatworm category. They have oral and ventral suckers. The female is slightly taller than the male. The ultimate schistosome host are humans and mammals. The helminth is placed in the small vessels of the colon, small pelvis and bladder. The parasite's eggs are released into the bloodstream, filtered by the kidneys and excreted in the urine.
The larvae of parasites that have fallen into a reservoir of fresh water penetrate the bodies of mollusks, where they continue their development cycle. After 6-8 weeks, the embryos return to open water, where they return to the cercariae - tailed larvae that can penetrate the human body through intact skin. As a rule, infections in humans develop when swimming in open water, washing clothes in them or other contact with open water.
Filariae
Filariae are roundworm-like worms. There are about 8 types of filariasis that parasitize the human body. The host and intermediate carrier of the disease are blood-sucking insects. Human infection occurs when insect bites and helminth larvae enter the upper layers of the skin.
The distribution of larvae in the body of the final host occurs by the hematogenous route. 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 in the home
It is possible to assume the presence of worms in the body by one or another characteristic feature. In addition, for the rapid diagnosis of helminthiasis, a special test was conducted, 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, bloating, false urge to defecate.
- Ascariasis - vomiting, umbilical cord pain, dry cough, nausea, shortness of breath, roundworm or roundworm eggs in feces, shortness of breath, fever.
- Trichuriasis - bloating, vomiting, feces mixed with blood and mucus, mental retardation of the child, abdominal pain, weight loss, anemia.
- Invasion by tapeworms - for a long time is asymptomatic. Later, episodic abdominal pain, decreased hemoglobin in the blood, indigestion, diarrhea, and unexplained weight loss appear.
- Echinococcus - the symptoms of the parasitic infection that the Finns form depend on which organ is affected. 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, a general deterioration of well-being, and a violation of digestive processes.
- Schistosomiasis - weight loss, abdominal pain, dizziness, enlarged liver, spleen, blood in urine, fever, anemia, skin edema, urolithiasis, dry cough, impaired defecation.
- Filariasis - swollen lymph nodes, hyperthermia, weakness, headache, blood in the urine, stiffness of movements, growth in certain parts of the body, swelling of the skin, lacrimation.
Note: Most of the symptoms described are non-specific and can occur with many other diseases.
Parasite test
This test allows you to assess the possibility of infection with helminths. When switching, you should use such answer options as "yes", "no", "sometimes". For each answer "yes" are given 2 points, for the answer "no" - 0 points. The answer "sometimes" requires a point.
- Is there vomiting in the morning?
- Is there pale skin, gums?
- Is there persistent anemia that does not respond to drug therapy?
- Abdominal pain or discomfort?
- Are indigestion common?
- Stool disorders?
- Is there weight on the right side?
- Frequent headaches?
- Periodic cough?
- A tingling sensation in large joints?
- Sudden loss of vision?
- Cracking your teeth in your sleep?
- Eat large amounts of food while still feeling hungry?
- Frequent allergies?
- Does swelling occur?
- Decreased performance?
- Chronic disease?
- Persistent 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 are scored. The probability of invasion exists in those who have scored from 6 to 17 points. People who scored from 17 to 24 points on the test are almost certainly infected with one or another helminth. With an indicator of 24 to 42 points, one can speak of multiple invasion by helminths of different species, which happens extremely rarely.
Laboratory diagnosis
For an accurate diagnosis of helminthiasis, several types of laboratory tests are used:
Fecal 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 parasites are so large that they can be seen with the naked eye. If this does not happen, the biomaterial is stained using special techniques, planted in nutrient media, after which it is examined under a microscope. The lack of invasion can be talked about only after three or four studies, during which no signs of the presence of worms were detected. The technique is suitable for determining all helminths, whose eggs and segments are excreted in the feces.
Scraping, swab
Signs of the presence of worms and ascaris can be detected by taking an itch or swab from the patient's perianal folds. This method is important because of the peculiarities of helminth reproduction. The egg-laying needle worm leaves the intestine and emerges, where the laying process takes place. A stain should be taken in the morning, without prior hygienic procedures. Otherwise, the parasite eggs will be washed and the analysis will be false negative.
Blood test
In the diagnosis of helminthiasis, a general blood test is of indirect importance. Indisputable 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 the level of hemoglobin, 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 to the presence of helminths. This research method allows the diagnosis of the disease even if the helminth, for one reason or another, has not laid eggs. ELISA is most productive in the early stages of the invasion, when the worm has just begun to develop in the human body.
What to do if you become infected?
If there are signs of parasitic infection, no independent therapy efforts should be made. Regardless of the symptoms of the worms in adults, the best course of action is to visit a parasitologist or gastroenterologist. He will prescribe the necessary tests, will be able to accurately assess the risk of disease, will choose medications 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 when the presence of parasites has 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 every one of them has 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 after consulting a doctor.