Parasites are constantly present in the human body.These can be both pathogenic worms and amoebae, as well as protozoa that do not cause disease and sometimes help to cope with the bacterial flora.A threat to health are parasites that feed on the host, injure internal organs and disrupt the functions of vital systems.
Classification of human parasites
Human parasites can be of many types.Protozoa, arthropods and helminths live mainly inside the body and on its surface.Some organisms are constant companions of man, others use them as a temporary reservoir for the transition to the next stage of development.
True parasites cannot live without a host and die in a free environment.Fakes can feel the same on the human body, ground, water and surrounding objects.There are also superparasites that take up residence inside similar creatures and live off them.Depending on the location, pests are divided into:
- Interior.These are endoparasites that feed on intestinal juices, organ tissues, blood and lymph.
- External.Called ectoparasites, they live in the body, hair and skin folds.
- Fabric.Their habitat is the internal organs (liver, heart, lungs, gall bladder, brain).
- Cavity.These parasites live, feed and reproduce in the intestines and stomach.
- Intracellular or blood.They are usually tiny in size and found in biological fluids.
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In addition to the general classification, there is an individual division of all types of parasites into species and classes.Protozoa can be represented by ciliates, carnivores and amoebae.Worms are divided into puffers, tapeworms and roundworms.Arthropods include insects, arachnids and bloodworms.
What parasites do people have?
Humans are infected equally often with protozoa and helminths.Insects are mainly diagnosed in socially disadvantaged people.Adults, unlike children, can be infected with all known parasites.This is due to the variety of diets and the opportunity to travel.Many are misled by the misguided belief that parasitic diseases are mainly diagnosed in childhood.In fact, they are more often found at a young age, but adults get sick no less often than children.Clinical signs of their invasion may simply disappear.
Protozoa and their identification
These single-celled parasites live in the body of adults for decades.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 persist in the external environment and adverse conditions for a long time.
Many flagellate species parasitize adults.They have tiny sizes and different localizations:
- Trichomonas affects the genitourinary system, the oral cavity and the prostate gland in men.
- Intestinal balantidia live in the lumen of the colon.
- Giardia parasitizes the liver, bile ducts and intestines.
- The malaria plasmodium destroys the blood cells.
- Toxoplasma spreads through the bloodstream to all organs, including the brain.
- Trypanosomes attack the brain and cause 'sleeping sickness'.
- Leishmania settles in the lymph nodes, spleen, liver and bone marrow.
- Dysenteric amoebae live in the large intestine.
All protozoan parasite species have a similar life cycle, which occurs by transitioning from the vegetative stage to the cyst stage.Reproduction in unicellular organisms occurs both sexually and asexually.
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Protozoa are true parasites and in the trophozoan stage cannot exist without a permanent or intermediate host.
Diseases caused by parasites of the class of worms
The presence of round and flat worms is often detected in the body of adults.They differ in size, functional characteristics and the degree of negative impact on organs and systems.
Nematodes
There can be several types of these parasites in humans.They belong to the category of roundworms and look like 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 in length.It affects the intestines and can lay up to 15,000 eggs per day.The male dies after mating, the female after laying the larvae.
- Pinworm.It lives in the jejunum and duodenum.This parasite inside a person can absorb up to 0.3 ml of blood per day, destroying the intestinal wall with sharp teeth.
- Whip.The worm, up to 5 cm long, lives in the intestines and, thanks to the unique structure of its body, sucks juices from the thickness of its walls.
- Trichinella.It 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 life-giving helminth.
- Guinea worm.This parasite on the human body reaches 1 meter in length and looks like a thin white thread.The localization of the tapeworm can be in the subcutaneous layer of the legs, on the back or in the lower abdomen.
- Friends.They enter the body through the bites of infected mosquitoes, midges and horseflies.The habitat of filariae is the entire circulatory and lymphatic system.They block the blood vessels of the heart, lungs and other organs, causing blockage.
- Archer.The larvae of the worm 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 at the stage of maturity.Eel larvae can spread throughout the human body through the bloodstream.
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The negative effect on the body of roundworms is due to their mechanical and toxic effects.
Tremorous
These are parasites that live in humans and have the second name of flukes.There are several types of these flatworms.They cause different diseases, but have a similar structure.All puffins have a leaf-shaped body with two whorls.Trematodes do not have an anus.digested food is thrown out of the mouth.
Trematode parasites affect the body depending on the location.The cat's liver, lancets, and necks affect the liver, gall bladder, and bile ducts.The pulmonary lung lives in the lungs, the pulmonary hole lives in the blood vessels.
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Flukes always have an intermediate host in the form of a variety of molluscs.
Cestodes
This type includes helminths from the category of films or tapes.They have a special structure and resemble a chain of their individual fragments (strobilus).Cestodes parasitize the intestines and release large amounts of toxins into the body.
Among the worms in this category that are common in adults are:
- Wide film.The largest parasite, up to 15 meters long, absorbs nutrients throughout the body and poisons the body with its toxins.
- Pig movie.It is the causative agent of the spread, reaches 3 meters in length and is "armed" with many hooks.
- The bull tape consists of more than a thousand segments and grows up to 10 meters.
- Dwarf movie.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 alveolar.Helminths cause liver and lung disease and can form larval blisters in internal organs.
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Cestuds are particularly dangerous because of their ability to parasitize in the form of cysts.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, beard, even eyelashes and eyebrows.The disease caused by parasites is called pediculosis.Depending on the location, body louse, pubic louse and head louse can be distinguished.You can get rid of insects using external means in the form of shampoos, ointments and solutions.
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The danger of lice lies in their ability to transmit typhus, which is a serious infectious disease, through saliva.
Symptoms of parasites in the human body
With external insects such as lice and fleas, everything is clear.manifest as local itching and wound formation at the bite sites.Internal parasites cause a more varied 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 sites of attack usually include:
- nausea?
- vomiting;
- constipation or diarrhea;
- weakness;
- headache;
- changes in appetite to increase or decrease it;
- anemia for no apparent reason.
- increased nervousness;
- sleep disorders;
- stomach ache;
- perversion of taste.
With liver damage, the clinical picture is complemented by pain in the right hypochondrium, yellowing of the skin and bitterness in the mouth.Filariasis manifests itself with signs of heart and respiratory failure, toxoplasmosis is accompanied by disturbances in the functioning of the central nervous system.With 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.With intestinal infections, symptoms of infection in adults may not appear for years, during which the parasites multiply 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, headaches and allergic reactions.Often one of the first signs of parasites in the body is a rash on the body and itchy skin.This is due to the human body's response to foreign proteins.
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The general signs of the presence of parasites in the body in the early stages can be similar to intestinal infection, dermatitis and digestive disorders.
Why are pests dangerous?
In humans, infection with parasites can cause various reactions and complications.If the invasion is caused by small helminths, then the risk of complications is quite small.When infected with large species of worms or highly pathogenic protozoa, damage to health can be unpredictable.
In addition to specific diseases, which sometimes have a serious course, foreign people cause serious malfunctions of vital systems.The toxins that the parasites release 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 intestine and stomach, bronchitis and pneumonia, cystitis and pancreatitis, cholecystitis and colitis.
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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 contamination and preventive measures
There are many ways to get infected with parasites.People are exposed to contamination every day.When you consume unblemished meat and fish, there is a risk of contracting helminths, such as trichinella.If you don't wash your hands or your fruits and vegetables well enough, you can put eggs from pinworms, roundworms, roundworms and other worms into your mouth.When you visit exotic countries, you can become infected with rare parasites such as tapeworm, malaria plasmodium and trypanosomes.
The vectors of infection are domestic and wild animals, blood-sucking animals, crustaceans and molluscs, as well as ants.Prevention consists in reducing the risk of contamination by maintaining hand hygiene and proper heat treatment of meat and fish products.
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Tourism enthusiasts should first study the ways of infection by parasites living in a particular country.
Diagnostics
Sometimes it is possible to detect an invasion of the body by simply submitting biological fluids and feces for analysis, as well as by studying the history.But not all parasites manifest clinical symptoms and do not 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 determining the specific pathogen.A blood smear is now also required, which is carried out with repeated magnification of the biological material.
Duodenal intubation helps to learn all about liver parasites.During the procedure, bile is collected and laboratory testing follows.In the case of echinococcosis at the stage of blistering in the liver and lungs, the organism is diagnosed using ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging and X-ray.Samples of bowel can be seen during colonoscopy.
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Modern techniques make it possible to detect the invasion already when the first signs of infection appear, therefore, to prevent the development of complications, you should consult a doctor as early as possible.
Treatment methods
To combat the invasions, they use medicinal treatment of parasites in the human body, a diet that limits flour, sweets, alcohol, as well as proprietary techniques.A collection of cloves, tansy and wormwood helps against diseases.The method based on drinking sweet tea with brandy (1 tablespoon per glass) on an empty stomach, followed by the use of a laxative, has also been proven.
Pharmaceutical drugs for parasites are available in the form of suspensions, tablets, suppositories and injectable solutions.For protozoa, adults are prescribed antiprotozoal drugs.
Parasites require treatment for up to 5 days.
To remove worms such as roundworms with medication, a single use of anthelmintic tablets is sometimes sufficient.They destroy the worms from the inside, paralyzing their muscular system.It is more difficult to cure a person from pustules, echinococci and blisters.The course of treatment for the body sometimes lasts up to 6 months.
To get rid of parasites for good, you must take medicines according to the regimen prescribed by your doctor.
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Self-medication with pharmaceutical drugs is not highly recommended due to the possible worsening of the condition.Sometimes the first signs of death from a parasite are manifested by the release of toxins into the blood, which requires additional detoxification treatment.
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 excluded.In these cases, specialized medical assistance is required.
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Traditional medicine can be used for preventive purposes or as an adjunctive treatment.
Natural remedies based on herbs, flowers and products with a high content of essential oils are used to get rid of infestations.
You can get treatment for parasites:
- wormwood infusion (one tablespoon per liter of boiling water).
- tansy decoction (20 grams of herb per 500 ml of boiling water).
- garlic milk (one head of garlic per 250 ml of hot milk).
- onion porridge (chop two onions and mix with vegetable oil).
- pumpkin seed dessert (mix a glass of kernels with half a glass of honey).
- pumpkin puree (steam 1 kg of pulp in the oven for an hour and mash).
Natural remedies should be consumed for at least 10 days, one tablespoon before each full meal.
Pest treatment reviews
- "I feed my 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 pests."
- "My husband had stomach pain near his navel for a whole year, he suffered from nausea, he did many tests and found nothing. Recently, a doctor in a paid clinic wrote a prescription for a broad-spectrum anthelmintic drug, my husband took one tablet and after a week the pain stopped."
- "For preventive purposes, every autumn I take an anthelmintic drug, since at the dacha I sometimes eat vegetables directly from the bush. The suspension is cheap, tastes good and is well tolerated."