Worms are parasitic worms that live in the intestines or human tissues. A large number of parasites have two hosts - middle and end. However, some helminths are parasitic in the body without leaving it and without entering the environment. Worms are everywhere. The largest numbers of them are found in countries with warm and humid climates.
The symptoms of worms in the intestine depend not only on the type of invasion, but also on the characteristics of its course.
The most common type of parasite
There are seven main types of parasitic worms:
cream worms
Pinworms are small thread -like worms that belong to the nematode category. Adult size does not exceed 1 mm. In the human body, they live primarily in the large intestine, causing irritation, damage to the mucous membranes, and enteritis. Enterobiasis caused by cream worms has an incubation period of about 15 days. Further, the clinical picture of the feature develops. The duration of the disease is 2 months, which is equal to the lifespan of the worm. In fact, disease -free solution does not occur, because with enterobiasis there is a mechanism of self -infection.
Note: symptoms of enterobiasis are rarely expressed. The disease often occurs in a vague form, having no obvious diagnostic signs. Suspicion of enterobiasis in children occurs if the child complains of itching in the perianal area.
Cream worm attacks occur when the rules of personal hygiene are not followed. The route of transmission is fecal-oral. Someone who touches a contaminated surface, and then does not wash his hands, swallows a helminth egg. Similarly, re -infection with enterobiasis occurs. The patient, experiencing itching in the perianal area, scratches the disturbed area, and then resumes eating. Worm eggs that fall on the hand are swallowed. The parasite development cycle begins again.
Bracelet worm
Ringworms are dioecious ringworms that live in the small intestines of humans and animals. The length of the female helminth is 40 centimeters. The size of the male is much smaller. Its length usually does not exceed 25 centimeters. The identifying feature of men is the pointed tip of the body.
The life cycle of a ringworm is somewhat more complex than that of a cream worm. The route of infection is fecal-oral. Helminth eggs fall into someone’s hands when working with earth and dirty objects. In the stomach, young larvae emerge from the eggs, penetrating into the bloodstream with the help of hooks. This is where it grows and migrates. When the larva enters the lungs, it reaches a state that allows it to develop into a sexually mature individual. Patients cough the larvae, after which they are re -swallowed, enter the intestine, turning into adult ringworms.
Vlasoglavy
Vlasoglav is a roundworm that belongs to the group of nematodes. It is a parasite that lives in the large intestines of humans and pets. Externally, the helminth looks like a thin gray thread of various thicknesses. The anterior part of the whiplash is thin and long. The back is thickened and shortened. Here are the internal organs. The body length of the whip worm does not vary depending on sex and 3-5 centimeters.
Whip worm eggs, already parasites in the host organism, enter the environment with feces. Here they mature and become invasive. A person is infected through the fecal-oral route, if the rules of personal hygiene are not followed. Whipworm larvae enter the intestine, grow, feed on the microflora, and develop. Thereafter, young individuals of helminth migrate into the large intestine. trichuriasis develops.
chain
Tapeworms are tapeworms, sometimes reaching 25 meters in length. The most famous representatives of this genus of parasites are:
- bull tapeworms;
- pig tapeworm;
- wide ribbon.
The body structure of all tapeworms is similar. They have a head, neck and body consisting of many segments. The segment located closer to the tip of the body has a uterus filled with eggs. They are separated from the tapeworms and come out with feces.
As a rule, the life cycle of tapeworms implies the presence of two hosts - the middle and end. Intermediate hosts may vary depending on the type of worm. A person becomes infected by ingesting larvae contained in undercooked meat or fish.
Echinococcus
Echinococcus is the smallest tapeworm that exists. Its length is 2-8 mm. Mature individuals have scolex, neck and 3-4 segments. It lives in the intestines of carnivorous animals of the canine family. Intermediate hosts can be herbivores or humans. Helminth eggs fall on the hands when in contact with a definitive host or when collecting wild berries seeded with echinococcus eggs.
When an egg is swallowed, one becomes an intermediate host. Inside its body, the larvae penetrate into the bloodstream, with their bloodstream being carried to organs and tissues, where they settle and turn into Finn - a bubble filled with fluid and containing the parasitic scolex. In this case, the Finns 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.
Schistisomy
Schistisomes are dioecious helminths that belong to the category of flatworms. They have mouth and stomach suckers. Females are slightly longer than males. The definitive hosts of schistosomes are humans and mammals. Helminths settle in the small ducts of the large intestine, small pelvis and bladder. Parasite eggs are released into the bloodstream, filtered by the kidneys and excreted in the urine.
The parasitic larvae that have fallen into the freshwater reservoir penetrate the body of the mollusk, where they continue their developmental cycle. After 6-8 weeks, the embryos again enter open water, where they transform into cercariae tail larvae that can penetrate into the human body through intact skin. As a rule, attacks on humans develop when swimming in open water, washing clothes in it, or other contact with open water.
Filariae
Filariae are thread -like round worms. There are about 8 types of filaria that become parasites in the human body. The intermediate host and carrier of this disease are blood -sucking insects. Human infection occurs when insect bites and helminth larvae enter the top layer of the skin.
The distribution of larvae in the body of the last host occurs via the hematogenous route. The worms spread throughout the body, settling in organs and tissues, causing 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 with one or another characteristic feature. In addition, for the rapid diagnosis of helminthiases, special tests have been developed, consisting of several questions.
Signs of the presence of parasites in the body
The signs of worms in the adult body directly depend 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 desire to defecate.
- Ascariasis - vomiting, pain in the center, tuberculosis, nausea, shortness of breath, ringworm or worm eggs in the stool, wheezing, fever.
- Trichuriasis - bloating, vomiting, stools mixed with blood and mucus, mental retardation of children, abdominal pain, weight loss, anemia.
- Invasion by tapeworms - for a long time it shows no symptoms. Later, episodic abdominal pain, decreased hemoglobin in the blood, indigestion, diarrhea, and unexplained weight loss occur.
- Echinococcus - symptoms of infection with parasites that make up Finland depend on which organ is affected. With the development of echinococcal cysts in the brain, neurological symptoms occur. With liver damage, patients complain of pain in the right side, yellowing of the skin, general deterioration in well -being, and violation of the digestive process.
- Schistosomiasis - weight loss, abdominal pain, dizziness, enlarged liver, spleen, blood in the urine, fever, anemia, skin edema, urolithiasis, tuberculosis, impaired bowel movements.
- Filariasis - an increase in lymph nodes, hyperthermia, weakness, headache, blood in the urine, stiffness of movement, increase in certain parts of the body, swelling of the skin, lacrimation.
Note: Most of the symptoms described are nonspecific and can occur with many other diseases.
Parasite test
This test allows you to assess the possibility of infection with helminths. When presenting it, you should use answer choices such as "yes", "no", "sometimes". For each answer "yes", 2 points are awarded, for the answer "no" - 0 points. The "sometimes" answer requires a point.
- Is there morning sickness?
- Is there pale skin, gums?
- Is there persistent anemia that does not respond to drug therapy?
- Pain or discomfort in the abdomen?
- Is indigestion normal?
- Stool disorders?
- Is there a sense of heaviness on the right side?
- Frequent headaches?
- Periodic cough?
- Intermittent tingling in large joints?
- Sudden loss of vision?
- Brushing your teeth while sleeping?
- Eating in large quantities while still feeling hungry?
- Frequent allergies?
- Does swelling occur?
- Decreased performance?
- Chronic disease?
- Intermittent stomach ache?
- 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 have been scored. The probability of aggression exists in those who score from 6 to 17 points. People who score from 17 to 24 points on a test are almost certainly infected with one or another helminth. With an indicator of 24 to 42 points, one can talk about various invasions by helminths of various types, which are rare.
Laboratory diagnostics
For accurate diagnosis of helminthiases, several types of laboratory tests are used:
Unclean analysis
Sampling of biological material for analysis was carried out in the morning. A small amount of feces taken from the center of the total portion is sent to the laboratory. Here, the obtained material is inspected 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 is not the case, the biomaterial is stained using a special technique, sown on nutrient media, after which it is examined under a microscope. It is possible to talk about the absence of invasion only after three or four studies, in which no signs of the presence of worms were detected. This technique is suitable for the determination of all helminths whose eggs and segments are excreted with feces.
Scrape, sweep
Signs of the presence of pinworms and ascaris can be detected by taking scraps or swabs from the patient’s perianal folds. This method is relevant because of the uniqueness of the breeding of helminths. Pin worms to lay eggs leave the intestine and exit, where the spawning process takes place. Smears should be taken in the morning, without an initial hygiene procedure. Otherwise, the parasite eggs will be washed away, and the analysis will be a false negative.
Blood analysis
In the diagnosis of helminthiases, general blood tests are important indirectly. Indisputable signs of the presence of parasites in the blood with this research method were not detected. As a rule, the long-term presence of parasitic worms in the body leads to some decrease in hemoglobin levels, the appearance of nonspecific signs of inflammatory processes (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 to diagnose the disease even if the helminth, for one reason or another, does not lay eggs. ELISA is most productive in the early stages of invasion, when new worms begin to grow in the human body.
What to do if you are infected?
If there are signs of parasitic infection, independent trials for therapy should not be made. Regardless of the symptoms of worms in adults, the best course of action is to visit a parasitologist or gastroenterologist. He will prescribe the necessary tests, be able to correctly assess the dangers of the disease, choose drugs that will quickly and completely eliminate parasites from the body.
Despite the simplicity of the disease, helminthiases can have very serious consequences. There are cases when the presence of parasites leads to intestinal penetration, its obstruction, peritonitis and sepsis. Modern medicines allow you to quickly and reliably get rid of worms. However, almost each of them has some contraindications and recommendations for use, which only an expert knows. That is why any anthelmintic or traditional medicine should be used only after consulting a doctor.