Worms are parasitic worms that live in the intestines or tissues of humans. The vast majority of parasites have two hosts - an intermediate and a definitive host. However, some helminths parasitize inside the body without leaving it and without entering the environment. Worms are everywhere. Their greatest number is 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 features of its course.
The most common types of parasites
There are seven main types of parasitic worms:
pinworms
Pinworms are small threadlike worms that belong to the nematode category. The size of an adult does not exceed 1 mm. In the human body, they live mainly in the large intestine and cause irritation, mucosal damage and intestinal inflammation. Enterobiosis caused by pinworms has an incubation period of about 15 days. Furthermore, a characteristic clinical picture develops. The duration of the disease is 2 months, which corresponds to the lifespan of the worm. In reality, there is no independent resolution of the disease, since there is a mechanism of self-infection in enterobiasis.
Note: the symptoms of enterobiasis are rarely pronounced. The disease often occurs in a blurred form, has no clear diagnostic signs. Suspect enterobiasis in children if the child complains of itching in the perianal region.
Pinworm infestation occurs when personal hygiene rules are not followed. The route of transmission is fecal-oral. A person who touches a contaminated surface and then does not wash their hands is swallowing worm eggs. Similarly, re-infection with enterobiasis occurs. The patient, feeling itching in the perianal region, scratches the offending area, and then proceeds to eat. Worm eggs that fall on hands are swallowed. The development cycle of the parasite begins again.
roundworm
Roundworms are dioecious roundworms that live in the small intestines of humans and animals. The length of the female worm is 40 centimeters. The size of the male is much smaller. Its length usually does not exceed 25 centimeters. The distinguishing feature of the male is the pointed end of the body.
The life cycle of roundworms is slightly more complex than that of pinworms. The route of infection is fecal-oral. Helminth eggs fall on a person's hands when working with soil and polluted objects. In the stomach, a young larva emerges from the egg, which penetrates the bloodstream with the help of hooks. Here it grows and wanders. When the larva enters the lungs, it reaches a state that allows it to develop into a sexually mature individual. The patient coughs up the larva, after which it is swallowed again, getting into the intestine and turning into an adult roundworm.
Vlasoklavy
Vlasoglav is a roundworm from the group of nematodes. It is a parasite that lives in the large intestines of humans and pets. Externally, the helmet looks like a thin grayish thread of varying thickness. The front part of the whiplash is thin and long. The back is thickened and shortened. Here are the internal organs. The length of the body of the whipworm does not differ depending on the sex and is 3-5 centimeters.
Whipworm eggs, which are already parasitic in the host organism, are released into the environment with the feces. Here they mature and become invasive. A person becomes infected through the fecal-oral route if the rules of personal hygiene are not observed. Whipworm larvae penetrate the intestines, grow, feed on microflora and develop. Young individuals of the worm then migrate to the large intestine. developed trichuriasis.
chains
Tapeworms are tapeworms that sometimes reach 25 meters in length. The most well-known representatives of this genus of parasites are:
- bull tapeworm;
- pork tapeworm;
- wide band.
The body structure of all tapeworms is similar. They have a head, a neck, and a body made up of many segments. The segments closer to the end of the body have a uterus filled with eggs. They are separated from the tapeworm and get out with feces.
As a rule, the life cycle of tapeworms implies the presence of two hosts - intermediate and definitive. The intermediate host can vary depending on the worm species. A person becomes infected by swallowing the larvae contained in undercooked meat or fish.
Echinococcus
Echinococcus is the smallest tapeworm there is. Its length is 2-8 mm. A mature individual has a scolex, a 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 hands upon contact with the definitive host or when collecting wild berries seeded with Echinococcus eggs.
When eggs are ingested, humans become intermediate hosts. In its body, the larvae penetrate the blood vessels, with the blood flow they are transported to the organs and tissues, where they settle and turn into a fin - a fluid-filled bladder containing the scolex of the parasite. In this case, the fin can reach large sizes, which leads to compression of organs and tissues. The localization of hydatid cysts in the brain, liver and lungs is particularly dangerous.
schistosomy
Schistisomes are dioecious helminths belonging to the flatworm category. They have oral and ventral suckers. The female is slightly longer than the male. The ultimate host of the schistosome are humans and mammals. Helminth settles in small vessels of the colon, small pelvis and bladder. The parasite's eggs are released into the bloodstream, filtered out by the kidneys, and excreted in the urine.
Parasitic larvae, having fallen into a freshwater reservoir, penetrate the bodies of molluscs, where they continue their development cycle. After 6-8 weeks, the embryos return to open water, where they turn into cercaria - tail larvae that can penetrate the human body through intact skin. Typically, human infestation develops from swimming in open water, washing clothes in it, or other contact with open water.
filaria
Filaria are round, thread-like worms. There are about 8 species of filaria that parasitize in the human body. The intermediate host and carrier of the disease are blood-sucking insects. Human infection occurs when insect bites and helminth larvae penetrate the upper layers of the skin.
The distribution of the larvae in the body of the definitive host occurs through the hematogenous route. Worms spread throughout the body, settle in organs and tissues, cause allergic reactions, swelling of the affected area, lymphostasis, proliferation of endothelial cells.
How to recognize worms at home
It is possible to assume the presence of worms in the body by one or another characteristic feature. In addition, for the rapid diagnosis of worm diseases, a special test has been developed, which consists of several questions.
Signs of the presence of parasites in the body
Signs of worms in the body of an adult 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, flatulence, false urge to defecate.
- Ascariasis - vomiting, pain in the navel, dry cough, nausea, shortness of breath, roundworm or roundworm eggs in the stool, wheezing, fever.
- Trichuriasis - flatulence, vomiting, feces mixed with blood and mucus, mental retardation of the child, abdominal pain, weight loss, anemia.
- Invasion by tapeworms - asymptomatic for a long time. Later, episodic abdominal pain, a decrease in hemoglobin in the blood, indigestion, diarrhea, and causeless weight loss appear.
- Echinococcus - the symptoms of infection with parasites that form fins depend on which organ was affected. With the development of a hydatid cyst in the brain, neurological symptoms appear. With liver damage, patients complain of pain in the right side, yellowing of the skin, a general deterioration in well-being and a violation of the digestive processes.
- Schistosomiasis - weight loss, abdominal pain, dizziness, enlarged liver, spleen, blood in the urine, fever, anemia, skin edema, urolithiasis, dry cough, disturbed bowel movements.
- Filariasis - an increase in the lymph nodes, hyperthermia, weakness, headache, blood in the urine, rigidity of movement, increase in certain parts of the body, swelling of the skin, lacrimation.
Note: Most of the symptoms described are non-specific and can occur with many other diseases.
parasite test
This test allows you to estimate the probability of infection with helminths. If you pass, you should use answer options such as "yes", "no", "sometimes". Each "yes" answer is worth 2 points, and a "no" answer is worth 0 points. The "sometimes" answer requires one point.
- Is there morning sickness?
- Is there pale skin, gums?
- Is there persistent anemia that is unresponsive to drug therapy?
- Abdominal pain or discomfort?
- Are indigestion common?
- stool disorders?
- Is there heaviness on the right side?
- Regular headaches?
- Periodic cough?
- Intermittent tingling in large joints?
- Sudden vision loss?
- Grinding your teeth in your sleep?
- Do you eat large amounts of food while still hungry?
- Common allergies?
- Does swelling occur?
- underperformance?
- Chronic illness?
- Intermittent abdominal pain?
- Signs of inflammation in the blood?
- itching in the anus?
- Do family members have similar symptoms?
A negative test is a test in which no more than 6 points are scored. The probability of an invasion is given to those who have scored 6 to 17 points. People who scored between 17 and 24 in the test are almost certainly infected with one or the other helminth. With an indicator from 24 to 42 points, one can speak of multiple invasion by helminths of different types, which happens extremely rarely.
laboratory diagnostics
For an accurate diagnosis of helminthiasis, several types of laboratory tests are used:
fecal analysis
Sampling of biological material for analysis is carried out in the morning. From the middle of the total portion, a small amount of stool is sent to the laboratory. Here the material obtained is visually examined 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 does not happen, the biomaterial is stained using special techniques, sown on culture media and then examined under the microscope. It is possible to talk about the absence of an invasion only after three or four studies in which no signs of the presence of worms were found. The method is suitable for determining all helminths, the eggs and segments of which are excreted with feces.
Scratch, dab
Signs of the presence of pinworms and Ascaris can be detected by taking a swab or swab from the patient's perianal folds. This method is relevant due to the peculiarities of the reproduction of helminths. The egg-laying pinworm exits the intestine and exits, where the laying process takes place. A swab should be taken in the morning without prior hygiene measures. Otherwise, the parasite's eggs will be washed away and the analysis will be false negative.
blood analysis
In the diagnosis of worm diseases, a general blood test is of indirect importance. Indisputable signs of the presence of parasites in the blood are not detected with this research method. As a rule, the long-term presence of parasitic worms in the body leads to a certain decrease in the level of hemoglobin, the appearance of nonspecific signs of the inflammatory process (increased ESR, leukocytosis).
ELISA blood test
The method of enzyme immunoassay (ELISA) is based on the detection of antibodies to parasite toxins and the body's enzymatic reaction to the presence of helminths. This research method makes it possible to diagnose the disease even if, for one reason or another, the worm did not lay eggs. ELISA is most productive in the early stages of invasion, when the worm is just beginning to develop in the human body.
What to do if you are infected?
If there are signs of a parasitic infection, no independent therapy attempts should be undertaken. Regardless of the symptoms of worms in adults, it is best to see a parasitologist or gastroenterologist. He will prescribe the necessary tests, correctly assess the danger of the disease and select drugs that will quickly and completely remove parasites from the body.
Despite the seeming simplicity of the disease, worm diseases can have very serious consequences. There are cases when the presence of parasites led to perforation of the intestine, its obstruction, peritonitis and sepsis. Modern medicines allow you to quickly and reliably get rid of worms. However, almost each of them has a number of contraindications and recommendations for use that only a specialist knows. For this reason, any anthelmintic or traditional medicine should be used only after consulting a doctor.