All types of parasites in the human body have a detrimental effect on your health. They infect organs, feed on nutrients necessary for human life, and release harmful toxic substances. Therefore, it is very important to get rid of them in a timely manner.
The human body is affected by various parasites, some live inside the body, others on its surface. They differ in size, in the way they enter 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 topics will be discussed below.
Classification of parasites
Human parasites are very common, they are divided into groups:
- EndoparasitesThe organisms that parasitize inside a person are called. This group, in turn, is divided into protozoa (they consist of a single cell) and helminths (worms). The simplest, parasites of the human body, are amoeba, lamblia, Trichomonas, toxoplasma. As for worms, here again there is a division into roundworms (nematodes), flatworms and tapeworms.
- Ectoparasites- these are organisms that parasitize on the surface of the human body - lice, ticks, fleas, insects. In addition to feeding on human blood, they cause great discomfort (bites, burns, skin wounds), they carry quite dangerous diseases: typhus, anthrax, trypanosomiasis and others.
Unicellular parasites:
- Giardia. . . Giardiasis infection is a fecal-oral mechanism. After the cysts (not yet formed parasites, covered with a protective membrane) are removed from the anus of a sick person, they spread to vegetables, fruits and other food products. Through poorly washed hands, stagnant water, insufficiently washed fruits and vegetables, cysts enter the human oral cavity, from where they safely reach the intestines, where they again become adults and multiply again. The result is a vicious cycle that will continue until proper treatment is provided and hygiene measures are followed. Symptoms of the disease are weakness, fatigue, headache, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and bloating. May cause itchy anus, skin rashes, bronchial asthma. The pathology is characterized by weight loss, anemia, and a weakening of the immune system. Treatment consists of antiprotozoal drugs. The dose is prescribed by the doctor.
- Toxoplasma. . . Infection with these protozoa occurs through contact with infected pets. In this case, a person is an intermediate host, since the parasite's cycle of sexual development occurs in the animal's body. The disease is manifested by a prolonged increase in temperature to subfebrile levels, general signs of intoxication, the patient has enlarged lymph nodes, joint and muscle pains appear. In addition, the functions of the gastrointestinal tract and sight are disrupted, the central nervous system may suffer, there are signs of heart disease and the endocrine system. Complex treatment is prescribed - antibiotics from the group of tetracyclines and sulfonamides.
- Trichomonas. . . Trichomonas is transmitted sexually, the risk of infection from contact is minimal, but it is still there. Symptoms of the disease in women are itching, redness of the genitals, burning sensation, and frothy discharge. Men may have trouble urinating and have a discharge. Treatment: anti-trichomonas drugs.
The roundworm is an intestinal parasite
The most famous internal parasites are pinworms. They live in the intestines 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 2-10 years old.
The worms are transmitted from person to person, you can become infected through any object that a sick person has used or through a handshake. The main condition for the transfer of 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, they are especially comfortable in the thin section, in the colon and the cecum. For mating, the parasites select the ileum, from where the female exits through the anus and lays eggs in the anus. Symptoms of pinworms in the body are itchy anus, allergies, fatigue, anemia, abdominal pain, exhaustion.
For the treatment of enterobiasis, anthelmintics are prescribed. Pinworm prevention is based on hand hygiene. They should be washed after visiting any public place.
Pinworms - Pinworms
The length of an adult can reach 40 cm. Pinworms live in the human intestine, their eggs hatch naturally, then continue their development in the soil, where they remain until they enter the human body again. Dirty hands and unwashed vegetables and fruits are forms of pinworm infection. Pinworm eggs are covered with a shell that does not dissolve in the human stomach and allows pinworms to survive and reach 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 phase of ascariasis, the patient is worried about fever, cough with sputum, skin rashes, migraines, enlarged lymph nodes, liver and spleen may appear. In the late phase, when the parasite already enters the intestines, stool disorders are observed (dysentery, cholera-like symptoms, signs of typhoid fever may appear). There are painful sensations in the abdomen, sudden weight loss and fatigue.
Had wide
Infection with this parasite occurs through fish. This is the intermediate host of the worm. It is not necessary to eat for infection, sometimes contact with infected fish is enough. That is why it is so important to handle your hands, the knife, the board very carefully after cutting the fish.
Neither worms nor their larvae are transmitted from a sick person to a healthy one. Symptoms of infection are nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, increased or decreased appetite, dyspeptic disorders. The first signs of the disease may appear a month or two after infection. As a result of the long-term presence of the parasite in the human body, pale skin, headache, increased heart rate, decreased blood pressure, weakness and anemia occur. The treatment aims to kill the worm. For this, anthelmintics are used.
Beef tapeworm
The bovine tapeworm can grow up to 12 m in length, it is a hermaphrodite that can produce more than 100, 000 eggs, which are excreted in the feces. The eggs fall to the ground, then to the plants, these plants are eaten by livestock. In the body of an animal, the eggs hatch into larvae, which are located in the muscles. If a person eats contaminated beef, the larvae enter the intestines. The larvae are not transmitted from person to person.
Adult worms have a head with four suckers, a neck, and a body consisting of segments. The number of segments is constantly growing, the mature segments can separate from the worm and exit the human intestine.
Symptoms of the disease are nausea, vomiting, dyspeptic disorders, increased salivation, dizziness, weakness, nervousness, fatigue, abdominal pain of uncertain location, allergies, fluctuations in appetite.
To remove the bovine tapeworm from the body, there is a scheme consisting of 3 stages: preparatory (cleansing the body), treatment with antiparasitic drugs, recovery (diet, herbal drugs).
Pork tapeworm
A person can become infected with pork tapeworms through dirty hands, undercooked meat, dirty water, an infected person can excrete tapeworm segments and larvae into the environment with vomit and feces.
The worm can live in the human body up to 15-17 years, it attaches itself to the intestinal mucosa, and its larvae can spread throughout the body with the bloodstream and adhere to any organ. It is especially dangerous if the larvae enters the brain.
Pigs are the intermediate host; people who have frequent contact with raw meat are at higher risk of contracting this parasite. The pig chain can become infected both by contact and by ingestion of insufficiently heat-treated meat. In order for all larvae of the pork tapeworm to be destroyed in the meat, the meat must be cooked for a long time or frozen for 2-3 weeks.
The pork tapeworm can affect the small intestine, liver, brain, visual organs, muscles, etc. If the tapeworm affects vital organs, then a person can experience paralysis or even death.
Symptoms of the pork tapeworm: the appearance of 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 those of enteritis.
Treatment consists of taking medications that have a paralyzing effect on the worm, so it cannot stay on the intestinal walls and outlets. But at the same time, it emits a large number of toxic substances, which can provoke anaphylactic shock in a person. Therefore, treatment should only be carried out under the supervision of a doctor.
Parasites in the mouth
Parasites in the human mouth can most often be represented by the following types:
- trichomonas;
- oral amoeba;
- Diptera larvae (oral myiasis).
The clinical picture may be the following:
- allergies
- weakness, weight loss;
- foul odor from the mouth;
- a feeling of agitation in the larynx;
- itching and perspiration;
- nausea, loss of strength.
Worms that live in the mouth can destroy teeth and create purulent deposits on the mucous membrane and tongue. Treatment is prescribed only by a doctor who takes into account the existing symptoms, as well as the types of parasites. A prerequisite for treatment is the examination of all persons in contact with the patient.
summarizing
Above, not all were considered, even the most common parasites that can live inside the human body. It is important to understand the great danger of such a neighborhood - worms in a person can cause very serious consequences and ultimately lead to the death of their owner. Therefore, it is very important to diagnose parasites in time and get rid of them. As for preventive measures, these consist mainly of hygiene and high-quality roasting of the meat consumed.