Today, diseases caused by numerous species of protozoa and helminths are prevalent. The risk of such diseases is explained not only by the complications and malfunctions in the body, to which protozoa and worms lead in humans, but also by the complexity of diagnosing the disease due to the similarity of symptoms with different non-parasitic diseases.
Helminths and protozoa cause:
- gastrointestinal tract dysfunction (constipation, diarrhea, vomiting);
- allergic skin reactions;
- general intoxication of the body;
- muscle and joint pain;
- dehydration.
To avoid a diagnostic error and assign an inadequate course of treatment, which, at best, will simply be ineffective, and at worst, may cause complications, it is necessary to accurately determine the type ofhelminths and the degree of infection. of the body with them.
Ways of infection with protozoan helminths
All worms enter the body from the outside. The same is true with the simplest helminths. In the environment, they live on land, water bodies. In addition to unwashed hands, eating poor quality products, you can become infected with them at home, through contact with a carrier.
The main mechanism of any infection is most often oral-fecal, that is, a person simply swallows the worm eggs along with food, water, less often some helminthic infections occur when bitten by infected insects.
The simplest worms that live in humans belong to the class of unicellular organisms. The infection is called protozoan. Depending on the type and degree of invasion, the course of the disease can be severe, even causing the death of the patient.
Which helminths are called protozoa?
The simplest helminths can have a body of a constant shape (ciliate and flagellate) and a variable one - a bright representative of the amoeba. Their dimensions are very small and range from 4-5 micrometers to 1-3 millimeters. Often the cell of these microorganisms has several nuclei. The pseudopod, cilia and flagella act as organs of movement. The process of reproduction, depending on the species, occurs by splitting in half or by a complex sexual method.
To protect themselves from adverse external conditions, as well as for further spread, the simplest helminths can turn into cysts, which are cells covered with a protective membrane. This allows them to transform from a stationary cyst into an active state if they enter a favorable environment.
There are frequent situations when the carrier body does not notice even the simplest helminths that parasitize on it. In other cases, the invasion leads to the death of the host. For example, some species of antelope in Africa are permanent "masters" of trypanosomatides. And a human bite from the Tsetse fly, which carries these helminths, can infect them and cause sleep disorders, which are known to be life-threatening.
The most studied protozoan helminths
Parasites in the human body belonging to the class of flagella:
- Giardia is a parasite that usually lives in the intestines, bile ducts, liver of vertebrates (humans and animals). They can be transmitted through food, water and other factors. This group of protozoa is the cause of a disease such as giardiasis - a functional disorder of the gastrointestinal tract, namely the small intestine. Many Giardia infected patients do not experience obvious symptoms.
- Leishmania are the simplest helminths carried by mosquitoes. After being bitten by insects, a person is more likely to get leishmaniasis. Signs of the disease are damage to the skin, mucous membranes and some internal organs, often fever and anemia become signs of the disease.
- Trypanosomatides are protozoa transmitted by insects. When infected, they cause trypanosomiasis. This disease has a long course. Depending on the type of trypanosomatide, different systems and organs are affected.
- Amoebic dysentery parasitizes the intestines. The invasion is performed in the form of a 4-nuclear cyst. Although dysentery amoebae are found almost everywhere, the most common cases of infection have been reported in tropical countries. Ameba is the cause of such an infectious protozoan disease in humans as amoebiasis. The clinical picture of the disease is ulcerative colitis, which is characterized by relapses and exacerbations. There are also cases of an extra-intestinal form of amoebiasis - these protozoan helminths pass from the intestines to other organs and even to the skin. The last form of the disease is called cutaneous amoebiasis - in the buttocks and perineum, there are obvious ulcerative-necrotic signs.
- Trichomonas cause trichomoniasis. Currently, several subspecies of Trichomonas have been studied. Intestine, the area of parasitism of which is in the colon and helminth does not cause much harm to the intestines. The parasitic area of Trichomonas genitourinary, as can be seen from the name - the genitourinary system. The infection is sexually transmitted. This subgroup of protozoa is the cause of a disease such as trichomoniasis. This infectious disease is manifested by inflammation in the genitourinary system. Oral Trichomonas parasitizes the oral cavity, poses no danger to humans.
Sporophyte species of protozoa are represented by Plasmodium malarial and Coccidia:
- Plasmodium malarial, transmitted by mosquitoes and causing malaria, is the simplest microorganism. Parasitizes in the blood. Malaria in an infected person with this parasite manifests itself with the following symptoms: hypochromic anemia, fever, enlargement of organs such as the liver and spleen.
- Coccidia are protozoa that live in the intestinal epithelial tissue of many animals. A number of types of coccidia are the causative agents of a disease such as coccidiosis. In humans this disease manifests itself with a slight intoxication and with the occurrence of gastroenteritis or enteritis.
Ciliates: balantidia. This detachment of protozoa living in the colon is the cause of a disease such as infusion dysentery (balantidiasis).
Diagnosis and treatment of protozoan helminths
Very often, when the presence of helminths in the body occurs without symptoms, the disease is not diagnosed for a long time. Invasion can be suspected by specific symptoms and can be detected only with the help of laboratory tests of feces, urine, blood, fluids obtained by drilling from various organs and systems.
In medical practice, there are general principles for treating protozoan invasion:
- antiparasitic drugs;
- non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs;
- detoxification drugs;
- with the onset of a secondary bacterial infection, closely targeted antibiotics.
Specific treatment is prescribed by a physician, based on the type of protozoan helminth and the degree of invasion.