All kinds of parasites in the human body have a detrimental effect on his health. They infect organs, feed on nutrients that are necessary for human life, and release harmful toxic substances. Therefore, it is so 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 issues will be discussed below.
Classification of parasites
Human parasites are very common, they are divided into groups:
- Endoparasitesorganisms that parasitize within a person are called. This group, on the other hand, is divided into protozoa (consisting of a single cell) and helminths (worms). The simplest parasites in the human body are amoebae, lamblias, 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, bugs. In addition to the fact that they feed on human blood, cause great inconvenience (bites, burns, skin wounds), they carry quite dangerous diseases: typhoid, anthrax, trypanosomiasis and others.
Single cell parasites:
- Giardia. . . Giardiasis infection is a fecal-oral mechanism. Once cysts (parasites still unformed, 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 turn into an adult and multiply again. The result is a vicious cycle that will continue until adequate treatment is ensured and hygienic measures are followed. Symptoms of the disease are weakness, fatigue, headache, diarrhea, abdominal pain and bloating. Itching may appear in the anus, skin rash, bronchial asthma. The pathology is characterized by weight loss, anemia and weakening of the immune system. Treatment is with antiprotozoal drugs. The dosage 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, as the cycle of sexual development of the parasite occurs in the body of the animal. The disease is manifested by a prolonged rise in temperature to subfebrile levels, general signs of intoxication, the patient has enlarged lymph nodes, joint and muscle pain appear. Also, the functions of the gastrointestinal and visual tract are disrupted, the central nervous system may suffer, there are signs of heart disease and the endocrine system. Treatments is a complex treatment - antibiotics of the tetracycline group and sulfonamides.
- Trichomonas. . . Trichomonas is sexually transmitted, the risk of infection from contact is minimal, but still exists. Symptoms of the disease in women are itching, redness of the genitals, burning and foamy discharge. Men may have difficulty urinating and have discharge. Treatment - anti-trichomoniasis medication.
Pinworm is an intestinal parasite
The most famous indoor parasites are peg worms. 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 from 2 to 10 years old.
Worms are transmitted from person to person, you can be infected through any item that a sick person has used, or through a handshake. The main condition for the transfer of worm eggs is not washing hands after contact, especially before eating. Worms, or rather their eggs, can be transmitted by flies and cockroaches.
Stinging worms can only live in the intestine, they are particularly comfortable in the small intestine, colon and large intestine. For mating, the parasites select the ileum, from where the female crawls through the anus and lays eggs in the anus. Symptoms of worms on the body are itching in the anus, allergies, fatigue, anemia, abdominal pain, exhaustion.
For the treatment of enterobiasis, anthelmintics are prescribed. Worm prevention is based on hand hygiene. They should be washed after visiting public places.
Round worms - round worms
The length of an adult can reach 40 cm. Roundworms live in the human gut, their eggs are laid naturally, then they continue their development on the ground, where they stay until they re-enter the human body. Dirty hands and unwashed vegetables and fruits are ways of infection with roundworms. Roundworm eggs are covered with a shell that does not digest in the human stomach and allows roundworms to survive and enter the gut, where mature individuals develop.
Ascariasis can be asymptomatic for a long time. Then the symptoms appear, which depend on the location and stage of development of the parasite. In the first, migratory stage of ascariasis, the patient is concerned about fever, cough with saliva, skin rash, migraine, enlarged lymph nodes, liver and spleen. In the late stage, when the parasite already enters the intestine, bowel disorders are observed (dysentery, cholera-like symptoms, signs of typhoid fever may appear). There are painful sensations in the abdomen, a sharp weight loss and fatigue.
Wide bar
Infection with this parasite occurs through fish. This is the intermediate host of the worm. It is not necessary to eat for infection, sometimes just contact with infected fish is enough. This is why it is so important to handle with your hands, knife, board very carefully after cutting the fish.
From a sick person to a healthy one, neither worms nor their larvae are transmitted. Symptoms of infection are nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, increased or decreased appetite, dyspeptic disorders. The first signs of the disease may appear one or two months 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, anemia. The treatment aims to kill the worm. For this, anthelmintics are used.
Cattle tape
The bovine strip can grow up to 12 m long. It is a hermaphrodite that can produce over 100, 000 eggs, which are excreted in the feces. The eggs fall to the ground, then over the plants, these plants are eaten by the cattle. In an animal's body, eggs become larvae, which are localized in the muscles. If a person eats contaminated beef, the larvae enter the gut. The larvae are not transmitted from person to person.
Adult worms have a head with four suction cups, a neck and a body composed of segments. The number of segments is constantly increasing, mature segments can be separated from the worm and crawled from the human intestines.
Symptoms of the disease are nausea, vomiting, dyspeptic disorders, increased salivation, dizziness, weakness, irritability, fatigue, abdominal pain with uncertain localization, allergies, fluctuations in appetite.
In order to remove bovine tapeworm from the body, there is a scheme consisting of 3 stages: preparatory (cleansing the body), treatment with antiparasitic drugs, cure (diet, herbal medicine).
Pork ribbon
A person can be infected with pork strips through dirty hands, poorly cooked meat, dirty water, an infected person can excrete segments and larvae of a tape into the environment with vomit and feces.
The worm can live in the human body for up to 15-17 years, it attaches to the intestinal mucosa and its larvae can spread throughout the body with blood flow and attach to any organ. It is especially dangerous if the larva enters the brain.
Pigs are the intermediate host; people who have frequent contact with live meat are more at risk of contracting this parasite. The pork chain can be infected both by contact and by eating insufficiently heat-treated meat. In order for all the larvae of the pig to be destroyed in the meat, the meat must either be cooked for a long time or frozen for 2-3 weeks.
Pork tapeworm can affect the small intestine, liver, brain, visual organs, muscles, etc. If the worm affects vital organs, then a person may experience paralysis or even death.
Symptoms of swine fever: 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 enteritis.
Treatment consists of taking medicines that have a paralyzing effect on the worm, as a result of which it can not stay on the walls and exits of the intestines. But at the same time, it releases a large amount of toxic substances, which can cause anaphylactic shock in a person. Therefore, treatment should be performed only under the supervision of a physician.
Parasites in the mouth
Parasites in the human mouth can most often be represented by the following types:
- trikomona;
- oral ameba;
- Dipter larvae (oral myasis).
The clinical picture may be as follows:
- allergies;
- weakness, weight loss;
- bad breath;
- a feeling of stimulation in the larynx;
- itching and sweating;
- nausea, loss of strength.
Worms that live in the mouth can destroy teeth, create purulent deposits in the mucosa and tongue. Treatment is prescribed only by a doctor who takes into account existing symptoms as well as types of parasites. A prerequisite for treatment is the examination of all people in contact with the patient.
summarizing
Above it, not all were considered, even the most common parasites that can live inside the human body. Importers It is important to understand the great danger of that neighborhood: worms in a person can cause very serious consequences and ultimately cause the death of their owner. Therefore, it is very important to diagnose parasites in time and get rid of them. As for preventive measures, they mainly consist of hygiene and high quality roasting of eaten meat.