Parasites are constantly present in the human body.These can be pathogenic worms and amoebas, and protozoa that do not cause diseases, and sometimes help to cope with the bacterial flora.Health hazards are represented by parasites that feed on the host, damage internal organs and disrupt the functions of vital systems.
Classification of human parasites
Human parasites can be of several types.Protozoa, arthropods and helminths live mainly inside the body and on its surface.Some organisms are constant companions of people, others use them as a temporary reservoir to move to the next stage of development.
True parasites cannot live without a host and die in a free environment.Fake ones can be felt in the same way in the human body, on the ground, in water and on surrounding objects.There are also hyperparasites that inhabit similar creatures and live off them.Depending on the location, parasites are divided into:
- Internal.These are endoparasites that feed on intestinal juices, organ tissues, blood and lymph.
- External.They are called ectoparasites, they live on the body, in the hair and in the folds of the skin.
- Factory.Their habitat is the internal organs (liver, heart, lungs, gall bladder, brain).
- A cavity.These parasites live, feed and reproduce in the intestines and stomach.
- Intracellular or blood.They are usually microscopic in size and are found in biological fluids.
Note!
In addition to the general classification, there is also an individual division of all types of parasites into species and classes.Protozoa can be represented by ciliates, sarcoda and amoebae.Worms are divided into flukes, tapeworms and roundworms.Arthropods include insects, spiders and bloodsuckers.
What parasites do people have?
Humans are equally often infected with protozoa and helminths.Insects are diagnosed mainly in socially vulnerable people.Adults, unlike children, can be infected with all known parasites.This is due to the variety of diet and the possibility of travel.Many are misled into the mistaken belief that parasitic diseases are mostly diagnosed in childhood.They are actually more often detected at an early age, but adults do not get sick any less often than children;their clinical signs of invasion can simply be erased.
Protozoa and their localization
These single-celled parasites live in the body of adults for decades;they are studied by the science of protozoology.They can cause both specific infections and general diseases.Active individuals are called trophozoites and usually have flagella for locomotion.To continue the life cycle, protozoa have the ability to enclose themselves in capsules (cysts).These forms are immobile and survive for a long time in the external environment and unfavorable conditions.
Many species of flagellates parasitize adults.They have microscopic sizes and different localizations:
- Trichomonas affects the genitourinary system, oral cavity and prostate in men;
- intestinal balantidia live in the lumen of the large intestine;
- Giardia parasitizes the liver, bile ducts and intestines;
- malarial plasmodia destroy blood cells;
- toxoplasma spreads through the bloodstream to all organs, including the brain;
- trypanosomes attack the brain and cause "sleeping sickness";
- Leishmania settles in lymph nodes, spleen, liver and bone marrow;
- Dysenteric amoebae live in the colon.
All protozoan parasite species have a similar life cycle, which occurs with the transition from the vegetative stage to the cyst stage.Reproduction in unicellular organisms takes place both sexually and asexually.
Note!
Protozoa are true parasites and cannot exist in the trophozoite stage without a permanent or intermediate host.
Diseases caused by parasites of the class of worms
The presence of round and flatworms is often detected in the body of adults.They differ in size, functioning characteristics and degree of negative impact on organs and systems.
Nematodes
There can be several types of these parasites in humans.They belong to the class of roundworms and are similar in appearance to a spindle.Worms feel free in the host's body and in the open environment.Common nematode pathogens include:
- Ascaris.It lives in the small intestine, is 20 to 40 cm long and reproduces sexually.
- Pinworm.A small worm, no more than 12 mm long.It affects the intestines and can lay up to 15,000 eggs per day.The male dies after mating, and the female after laying the larvae.
- Hookworm.It lives in the jejunum and duodenum.This parasite inside a person can suck up to 0.3 ml of blood per day, damaging the intestinal wall with sharp teeth.
- Whipworm.The worm, up to 5 cm long, lives in the intestines and, thanks to its unique body structure, sucks juices from the thickness of the walls.
- Trichinella.This is an intramuscular parasite up to 4 mm in size that causes the dangerous disease trichinosis in humans.Trichinella looks like a spiral and is a living helminth.
- Guinea worm.This parasite in the human body reaches 1 meter in length and looks like a thin white thread.The location of the worm can be in the subcutaneous layer of the legs, back or lower abdomen.
- Filaria.They enter the body through the bite of infected mosquitoes, midges and horseflies.The habitat of filaria is the entire circulatory and lymphatic system.They clog the blood vessels of the heart, lungs and other organs, causing obstruction.
- Toxocara.Worm larvae migrate throughout the body and infect the heart, lungs, liver and brain.The size of adult helminths reaches 18 cm.
- Intestinal eel.The causative agent of strongyloidiasis lives in the intestines in the mature phase.Eel larvae can spread throughout the human body through the bloodstream.
Important!
The negative impact on the body of roundworms is due to their mechanical and toxic action.
Trematodes
These are parasites that live in humans and have another name, flukes.There are several types of these flatworms.They cause different diseases, but have similar structures.All flukes have a leaf-shaped body with two teats.Trematodes do not have an anus;digested food is expelled through the mouth.
Trematode parasites affect the body depending on the location.Liver, javelin, and cat flukes affect the liver, gallbladder, and bile ducts.The lung fluke lives in the lungs, the blood fluke lives in the blood vessels.
Note!
Butterflies always have an intermediate host in the form of various molluscs.
Cestodes
This species includes helminths from the class of tapeworms or tapeworms.They have a special structure and look like a chain of their individual fragments (strobilus).Cestodes parasitize the intestines and release large amounts of toxins into the body.
Among the worms of this class common in adults are:
- Wide band.The largest parasite, up to 15 meters long, absorbs nutrients throughout the body and poisons the body with its toxins.
- Pork tapeworm.It is the causative agent of taeniasis, reaches 3 meters in length and is "armed" with several hooks.
- Bull tapeworm consists of more than a thousand segments and grows up to 10 meters.
- Dwarf tapeworm.The size of the worm is not more than 5 cm;it lives in the human body for about 2 months and then dies.
- Echinococcus and alveococcus.Helminths cause liver and lung diseases and can form larvae in internal organs.
Note!
Cestodes are particularly dangerous because of their ability to parasitize in the form of cysticerci.These are encapsulated larvae that are carried to all organs through the bloodstream, causing a massive invasion.
External parasites
The most common ectoparasite that lives on the human body is the louse.It lives in the scalp, armpits, groin, chin, and even eyelashes and eyebrows.The disease caused by parasites is called pediculosis.Depending on the location, body louse, pubic louse and head louse are distinguished.You can get rid of insects with external means in the form of shampoos, ointments and solutions.
Important!
The danger of lice lies in their ability to transmit typhus, a severe infectious disease, through their saliva.
Symptoms of parasites in the human body
With external insects such as lice and fleas, everything is clear;manifest as local itching and formation of sores at the bite sites.Internal parasites cause a more diverse clinical picture.It depends on the location of the alien organisms, their size and the scale of the invasion.
Hundreds of worms and protozoa of the same or different species can simultaneously parasitize humans.Parasites can live in humans unnoticed for several years and do not cause specific symptoms.Common signs of infection usually include:
- nausea;
- vomiting;
- constipation or diarrhea;
- weakness;
- headache;
- changes in appetite according to its increase or decrease;
- anemia for no apparent reason;
- increased nervousness;
- sleep disorders;
- stomach pain;
- perversion of taste.
In case of liver damage, the clinical picture is complemented by pain in the right hypochondrium, yellowing of the skin and bitterness in the mouth.Filariasis is manifested by signs of heart and respiratory failure, toxoplasmosis is accompanied by disturbances in the work of the central nervous system.In trichinosis, the muscles are affected.
When the genitourinary system is affected by protozoa, signs of infection in women are manifested by frequent urination, discharge from the vagina and urethra, and itching.In intestinal infestations, the symptoms of infection in adults may not appear for years, and during that time the parasites reproduce and weaken the human immune system, which contributes to the development of chronic and systemic diseases.
Symptoms of the presence of protozoa in the body often include fever, headache and allergic reactions.Often one of the first signs of parasites in the body is a rash on the body and itching of the skin.This is due to the human body's reaction to foreign proteins.
Important!
General signs of the presence of parasites in the body in the first stages can be similar to an intestinal infection, dermatitis and indigestion.
Why are parasites dangerous?
In humans, parasite infection can cause various reactions and complications.If the invasion is provoked by small helminths, then the risk of complications is quite small.When infected with large species of worms or highly pathogenic protozoa, the damage to health can be unpredictable.
In addition to specific diseases, which sometimes have a severe course, foreign individuals cause serious dysfunctions of vital systems.Toxins released by parasites into the blood affect the central nervous system and poison the body.Large helminths have a negative mechanical effect on organs.Many doctors believe that such tissue injury leads to oncology and tumors.In addition, parasites cause ulcerative lesions of the intestines and stomach, bronchitis and pneumonia, cystitis and pancreatitis, cholecystitis and colitis.
Important!
Sometimes the symptoms of large worms in adults can manifest in the form of acute abdomen.This happens when the worms damage the intestinal lining and develop peritonitis.
Sources of possible infection and preventive measures
There are many ways to get infected with parasites.People are exposed to infection every day.When you eat undercooked meat and fish, there is a risk of infection with helminths such as flukes and trichinella.If you don't wash your hands or fruits and vegetables well enough, you can put the eggs of pinworms, roundworms, toxocar and other worms in your mouth.When you visit exotic countries, you can become infected with rare parasites such as guinea worm, malaria plasmodium and trypanosomes.
Carriers of infection are domestic and wild animals, blood-sucking animals, crustaceans and molluscs, as well as ants.Prevention consists in reducing the risk of infection by maintaining hand hygiene and proper thermal processing of meat and fish products.
Important!
Lovers of tourism should first study the ways of infection with parasites living in a certain country.
Diagnostics
Sometimes it is possible to detect an invasion in the body simply by providing biological fluids and feces for analysis, as well as by studying the anamnesis.But not all parasites show clinical symptoms and form larvae.Therefore, PCR and ELISA are recognized as the best diagnostic methods.These are immunological tests that can detect parasite DNA and antibodies to them in venous blood.
Computer diagnostics are also popular now, but they only help to establish the fact of infection, without identifying a specific pathogen.Now blood hemoscanning is also required, which is carried out by multiplying the biological material.
Duodenal intubation helps to find out everything about the parasites in the liver.During the procedure, bile is collected, followed by laboratory tests.In the case of echinococcosis in the stage of formation of bubbles in the liver and lungs, the body is diagnosed by ultrasound, MR and X-ray.Samples of the bowel can be seen during a colonoscopy.
Important!
Modern techniques make it possible to detect invasion already when the first signs of infection appear, therefore, in order to prevent the development of complications, you should consult a doctor as soon as possible.
Methods of therapy
To fight against invasions, they use medical treatment of parasites in the human body, a diet that limits flour, sweets, alcohol, as well as proprietary techniques.The collection with cloves, tansy and wormwood helps against diseases.A method based on drinking sweet tea with cognac (1 tablespoon per glass) on an empty stomach, followed by the use of laxatives, has also been shown.
Pharmaceutical drugs for parasites are available in the form of suspensions, tablets, suppositories and solutions for injections.For protozoa, adults are prescribed antiprotozoal drugs.
Parasites need to be treated for up to 5 days.
To eliminate worms such as roundworms with the help of drugs, sometimes only one use of anthelmintic tablets is enough.They destroy the worms from the inside, paralyzing their muscular system.It is more difficult to cure a person from flukes, echinococcus and alveococcus.The course of treatment for the body sometimes lasts up to 6 months.
To get rid of parasites forever, you need to take medication according to the regimen prescribed by your doctor.
Important!
Self-medication with pharmaceutical drugs is strongly discouraged due to the possible worsening of the condition.Sometimes the first signs of parasite death are manifested by the release of toxins into the blood, which requires additional detoxification therapy.
Treatment with folk remedies
If parasites appear in the body that cause specific infections such as malaria, toxoplasmosis or trichomoniasis, treatment with home recipes is out of the question.In these cases, qualified medical assistance is required.
Note!
Traditional medicine can be used for preventive purposes or as adjuvant therapy.
Natural remedies based on herbs, flowers and products with a high content of essential oils are used to remove infestations.
You can be treated for parasites:
- infusion of wormwood (a spoon per liter of boiling water);
- tansy decoction (20 grams of the plant per 500 ml of boiling water);
- garlic milk (head of garlic in 250 ml of hot milk);
- onion mash (chop two onions and mix with vegetable oil);
- pumpkin seed dessert (mix a cup of seeds with half a cup of honey);
- pumpkin puree (1 kg pulp steamed in the oven for an hour and pureed).
Natural remedies should be consumed for at least 10 days, one spoonful before each full meal.
Parasite treatment reviews
- "I feed the whole family pumpkin seeds. I dry them at room temperature, mix them with any jam, condensed milk or honey and serve them with tea. As a result, no one suffers from parasites."
- "My husband had stomach pains near the navel for a year, he suffered from nausea, he did many tests and found nothing. Recently, a doctor at a paid clinic wrote me a prescription for a broad-spectrum anthelmintic, my husband took one pill and after a week the pain stopped."
- "For the purpose of prevention, I drink an anthelmintic every autumn, because at the dacha I sometimes eat vegetables directly from the bush. The suspension is cheap, tastes good and is well tolerated."