When a cough occurs due to parasites, almost all people think of viral or infectious diseases that affect various parts of the respiratory system. However, there are parasites that cause coughs with the same symptoms. Laboratory tests and instrumental examination methods performed by a therapist or infectious disease specialist help to understand the diseases.
Types of parasites that cause cough
Main types of parasitic infections:
- Giardia;
- leeches;
- Toxocara;
- Roundworms.
Most often, the infection is localized in the lower digestive tract, but without treatment it spreads to other organs and systems, including parts of the respiratory system.
Ways parasites can migrate:
- with blood flow through the vessels (some worms are small and penetrate the bloodstream through the endothelial wall);
- fecal-oral method (after defecation, people forget to wash their hands, so bacteria enter the oral cavity when eating);
- through food or water.
Many people do not realize that parasites and coughs are compatible concepts. Pathogens can invade anywhere in the body and cause symptoms of inflammation.
Leeches
The structure of the pathogen resembles a coffee bean. There are small spines on its body. There are suction cups on the underside that it uses to move and feed. All individuals are hermaphrodites, i. e. H. they can reproduce independently. But there are also possibilities for cross-fertilization.
Going through the main phases of the life cycle:
- pond snail;
- Larva;
- Metacercaria.
It takes no more than 2 days for the helminth to go through all stages and cause infection. This is because the membrane of the respiratory tract provides a favorable environment for the development of flukes.
When the parasite enters the body, the symptoms are not immediately recognized. First, microorganisms multiply and spread throughout the tissue.
Giardia
Giardia is a parasite that most commonly causes coughs in children. Pathologies also occur in adults, but rarely.
Giardia are single-celled microorganisms that have flagella that are necessary for movement through tissue. Reproduction occurs through division; Within a day of infection, their number increases many times over.
If the pathogen is outside the body, its body is covered with a membrane that makes it easier for it to survive in the environment. With its help, it can exist on various objects for up to 12 hours. When fed with dairy products, survival time is extended to 3 months.
The main route of entry into the human body is the oral route. The main vectors are animals and birds. Giardia diseases often occur in schools and kindergartens. Microorganisms settle on all household items, but only for a short time.
Roundworms and how they affect the respiratory system
The parasite enters the host's body fecal-orally via contaminated products - this can be food or water. The larva is located in the digestive tract and is not affected by gastric juice and other unfavorable factors. Eggs then emerge with appendages that attach to the intestinal mucosa.
Small worms drill holes in the mucous membranes and penetrate the blood through the vascular endothelium. Through them they spread to the heart, the alveoli and the bronchi. In the respiratory tract they go through developmental stages over a period of 3 weeks.
Cause of cough:
- damage to alveolar tissue;
- strong sensitizing effect, the immune system is activated and sends many lymphocytes to the site of inflammation, forming an infiltrate;
- Bronchial obstruction, areas of infiltration and accumulation of helminths lead to obstruction of various parts of the bronchi;
- When you cough, helminths spread from the bronchi into the pharynx and finally reach the digestive tract again.
This is how a chronic illness develops. The larvae constantly invade the respiratory and digestive tracts, causing repeated infection.
Toxocara and its effects on the human body
Toxocara is the causative agent of the disease toxocariasis. The disease affects people and animals. Children who go to school get sick more often. The epidemiological peak is observed in summer.
The worm has an egg-larva-adult life cycle. Parasites enter the human body through food and contaminated water and spread in the intestines. As they enter the circulatory system, they travel to various organs, including the lungs. They lay eggs in the tissue, from which repeated helminth infestations form.
Eggs and larvae enter the environment through animal feces and can even spread into the water from there. The parasite is stable in the environment and survives in the soil. Therefore, it remains contagious for years.
The main danger of the pathogen is the possibility of penetration through the placenta from a pregnant woman to the fetus. The infection also spreads through breast milk.
Enterobiasis
Enterobiasis occurs due to the penetration of helminths into the body. The disease only occurs in humans because pinworm larvae enter the esophagus. Children are most often susceptible to the disease due to weak immune systems.
Nematodes, roundworms, invade the child's body. The maximum length of the parasite is 1 cm. In the body, they spread through the intestines and lay eggs in the anus. Then the adults die. Parasites get on the child's underwear and under the nails when scratching the anus. Contaminated hands result in a repeating cycle of infection.
Symptoms:
- Itching in the anal area, most severe at night;
- redness and inflammation of the anus;
- in complicated cases, eczema and dermatitis appear in the anus;
- sleep disorder;
- Bruxism (teeth grinding);
- urinary incontinence;
- cutting pain in the abdomen like contractions;
- loss of appetite;
- periodic stool changes (diarrhea, constipation);
- nausea, vomiting, weight loss;
- in severe cases - developmental disorders;
- emotional instability, increased fatigue and loss of concentration.
If a pathogen enters the respiratory tract,The condition is complicated by symptoms:
- cough, asthma attacks;
- bronchial asthma;
- frequent viral diseases due to suppression of the immune system.
The parasite spreads not only in the digestive tract and pulmonary system. It can penetrate the urogenital tract. Therefore, girls are often diagnosed with vulvitis and vulvovaginitis.
Opisthorchiasis
The pathogen is a worm from the trematode group. It penetrates the pulmonary system and liver through the digestive tract and causes clinical symptoms.
The pathogen does not transmit to humans immediately. The first host is shellfish, the second is fish. Only then can it migrate to mammals. The larvae enter freshwater bodies and become infected there.
Symptoms:
- increase in body temperature;
- Malaise in the form of weakness, tiredness, sleepiness, stomach pain;
- intoxication of the body, manifested by pain in muscles and joints;
- hepatosplenomegaly;
- dyspeptic disorders;
- Bronchial asthma with severe cough and asthma attacks;
- toxic-allergic damage to the brain and heart;
- Inflammation of various parts of the gastrointestinal tract, gallbladder, pancreas;
- Pneumonia, pleurisy.
Lack of treatment leads to death.
Paragonimiasis
The pathogens are trematodes. This is a pulmonary fluke that is mainly localized in the respiratory tract (bronchi, lungs, trachea). It goes through a complex development cycle. It does not reach humans immediately, but first develops in the organs of animals. The transmission mechanism is fecal-oral. The eggs fall into the soil with the feces and then end up in the water.
Symptoms (no symptoms in the first 3 weeks):
- inflammation of the esophagus and liver;
- acute stomach;
- rash and itching;
- tracheitis, bronchitis, pneumonia;
- increase in body temperature to critical values;
- suffocation, cough, hemoptysis;
- increased heart rate, cardiac arrhythmias;
- If the pathogen is in the central nervous system, this is accompanied by meningitis and encephalitis.
A few months after the pathogen enters the human body, the symptoms subside. A chronic disease develops that can develop with exacerbations over many years.
Respiratory complications due to parasitic infestation
If cough and infection are not treated, the condition gradually worsens and complications arise:
- Bleeding of the mucous membranes of the digestive and respiratory tract;
- in the lungs, tissue necrosis, empyema, cyst, abscess are possible, which can only be accompanied by a dry cough;
- If the pathogen enters the upper parts of the respiratory tract and completely blocks them, suffocation and death occur;
- Invasion of the central nervous system, accompanied by paralysis, intracerebral hemorrhage, epilepsy;
- In the gastrointestinal tract, intestinal obstruction, appendicitis, cholangitis and hepatitis occur.
Necessary diagnostics
The therapist or infectious disease specialist determinesWhat diagnostic methods are sufficient to make a diagnosis:
- general clinical analysis of urine and blood, blood biochemistry;
- bacteriological and PCR analysis of sputum;
- scraping from the anus followed by microscopy;
- extended coprogram;
- X-ray light;
- Ultrasound of the abdominal cavity.
An increased number of immune cells is detected in the blood. X-rays of the lungs may show nodules that could be mistaken for tuberculosis or cancer. Analysis of sputum and swabs from the anus reveals helminths.
Treatment and preventive measures
The main method of treatment is antiparasitic drugs, which are taken in several steps.
Carry out symptomatic therapy with the following means:
- antihistamines;
- antipyretics;
- Painkiller;
- corticosteroids;
- Bronchodilators.
After the first completion of taking anthelmintics, the course is repeated. This is because some eggs and larvae could survive by turning back into worms.
If parasites cause coughing, using syrups to suppress the cough is not recommended - this can cause suffocation. To prevent this, you should wash your hands and vegetables and fruits frequently.
clinical picture
Most often the patient is worried about:
- Stomach pain;
- dyspeptic disorders (nausea, vomiting, changes in stools);
- itching in the anus;
- increased body temperature;
- Signs of respiratory infection with dry or wet cough;
- Rash, itching on the skin.
Parasites that cause cough in children and adults show an atypical pattern in the development of the disease. It can easily be confused with appendicitis, intestinal infection, bronchitis, pneumonia.
What doctors say about parasites
Doctors advise to be particularly careful in summer. At this time, parasites are actively developing and enter the soil and water. Therefore, it is recommended not to drink liquids from water bodies and to wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly.
Experts tell us which parasites cause cough: Toxocara, lamblia, leeches. They all cause a symptom in the form of a cough when they enter the respiratory tract.