Types of parasites in the human body.

Scientists suggest that approximately 2/3 of the world's population is affected by this or that parasitic disease. Among the various parasites of the human body are the most dangerous, which not only cause discomfort to the patient, but can also lead to the appearance of dangerous complications, even death. In our article we will tell you all about parasites, that is, we will describe the most terrible parasites and list the symptoms of the most dangerous helminthiases.

Varieties of parasites

There are different types of worms and protozoa that live in the human body:

1. Helminths. These worms most often live in the intestines, but they may settle in the liver, brain, lungs, heart, kidneys, muscles, and other organs. Worms cause dangerous diseases and complications.
2. Parasitic and multicellular protozoa (protozoan parasites). These pests are common in different latitudes. These human protozoan parasites can infect the intestines, eyes, brain, esophagus, heart, muscles, as well as nerves, liver, skin, and even the genitourinary system. The most common protozoan parasites that live in humans are lichens, lamblia, toxoplasma, Trichomonas, blastocysts, etc.
3. Other organisms that are also parasitic to humans include lice, insects, ticks, and fly larvae. Its name is ectoparasites. They can parasitize not only on the surface of the skin, but also on wounds, hair follicles, and eyelashes.
4. Other parasites are species that most commonly affect the subcutaneous tissue, but can parasitize the urethra and nasopharynx. These are the larvae of some flies, mosquitoes, sand fleas.

We have listed the main types of parasites in humans. But if we talk about what types of parasites live in the human body in our latitudes, then the most terrible are the following:

• pork tapeworm;
• wide ribbon;
• pinworms;
• Chinese chance;
• roundworm;
• chance;
• Trichinella;
• alveococcus;
• whip
• dwarf tapeworm;
• was bullish;
• liver fluke;
• lung parasite;
• Echinococcus.

The diseases they cause

The most dangerous parasites that live in the human body can cause a variety of diseases. Very often, an ailment caused by a particular parasite bears the same name as it. Therefore, various types of parasites in the human body can cause the following diseases:

• certain parasites inside a person (trematodes) cause trematodes;
• Cestodoses occur when tapeworms are affected;
• if an adult or child has pinworms, nematodes are diagnosed;
• leeches cause hirudinosis;
• Anthocephalosis is caused by scratching.

However, parasites in the human body can infect more than one organ. Depending on the location of the parasites in the human body, the following parasitic diseases are distinguished:

1. If the eyes are affected, onchocerciasis, demodicosis, cysticercosis and myiasis can occur;
2. Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, which are caused by unicellular parasites and helminths, - ascariasis, trichinosis, hookworm, enterobiasis, intestinal myiasis and metagonimiasis;
3. Diseases of the brain: echinococcosis, toxoplasmosis, alveococosis and cysticercosis;
4. Dermatological diseases: demodicosis, lice, scabies, pulicosis, thrombidiasis, phthiriasis;
5. Pulmonary pathologies: echinococcosis, ascariasis, acariasis, alveococosis, tominxosis, etc. ;
6. Liver diseases: opisthorchiasis, alveococcosis, echinococcosis, clonorchiasis;
7. In the mouth, ears and mouth, parasites can cause different types of myiasis;
8. Cardiac pathologies: heartworm and echinococcosis;
9. Diseases of the genitourinary system: alveococcosis, urate myiasis, echinococcosis;
10. Vascular pathologies: filariasis and schistosomiasis.

Symptoms

What are the parasites in the human body? We have considered. Now let's look at the main symptoms caused by the simplest human parasites and various types of worms. It is worth noting that pathogenic and protozoal worm cysts often become the cause of infection, which can remain in the external environment for a long time, waiting for the right time. When in favorable conditions of the internal environment of a person, the larvae emerge from the cysts, which actively develop into adults.

Separately, it is worth explaining what cysts are. Most often, cysts form the simplest single-celled organisms, bacteria, and protists. Protozoan cysts are a temporary form of existence of an organism under adverse conditions. In fact, it is a protective shell. Cyst formation occurs at a certain stage in the parasite's life cycle or under unfavorable conditions.

Ascariasis

The disease is caused by roundworms. These parasites can live exclusively in the human intestine. The symptom complex depends on the intensity of the invasion and the age of the patient. Common signs of the disease are:

• itchy allergic rash (such as a vesicular or urticarial rash);
• feverish state;
• general malaise;
• excessive sweating;
• weakness;
• enlarged liver;
• in the migratory stage: shortness of breath, cough, wheezing in the lungs;
• loss of appetite;
• diarrhea and constipation;
• nausea;
• on the central nervous system side: irritability, impaired sleep and memory, seizures, meningitis;
• Liver abscess, obstructive jaundice, appendicitis, pancreatitis, and obstruction with massive invasion may develop.

Teniarinhoz

This disease causes bovine tapeworm. In the initial stage, the disease is asymptomatic and can last for years. Sooner or later, the following symptoms appear:

• heaviness in the epigastrium;
• nausea, heartburn;
• increased salivation;
• nausea;
• appendicitis, intestinal obstruction, bile duct blockage;
• loss of body weight against the background of increased appetite;
• vitamin deficiency;

• allergic reactions;
• dizziness, weakness, sleep disturbances, increased nervousness and irritability;
• arterial hypertension and tachycardia.

Enterobiasis

Pinworms cause this disease. This is the most common parasitic disease. Its symptoms are as follows:

• itching in the anus, worse at night;
• scratching and redness in this area;
• sleep suffers, bruxism, drowsiness, lethargy appear;
• loss of appetite;
• abdominal pain, urinary incontinence in children;
• unstable stools, nausea, flatulence, vomiting;
• allergic reactions.

Toxocariasis

Toxocara worms can parasitize on various tissues and organs of a person. But regardless of the place of localization, they always cause allergic reactions in the body, proceeding according to the following type:

1. Skin rash that resembles mosquito bites. The rash can appear on various parts of the body.
2. Bronchial asthma, which manifests as a persistent dry cough with a small amount of sputum.
3. Quincke's edema. A person has swelling of the skin on the face and neck, which can lead to suffocation and death.

With exacerbation of toxocariasis, the patient's temperature rises, symptoms of intoxication with loss of appetite and headaches appear, lymph nodes increase.

Necatorosis (hookworm)

This disease is caused by helminths called nekators and hookworms. Invasion is manifested by the following symptom complex:

1. When the larvae are introduced through the skin, dermatitis, hives and various eruptions appear. At the site of penetration, there is swelling, itching, and burning. The invasive period lasts up to 12 days.
2. The migratory stage is also accompanied by allergic manifestations. In this case, the respiratory tract is injured and bronchitis, pneumonia, tracheitis, and laryngitis occur. The patient has a fever, cough, shortness of breath, and a hoarse voice.
3. In a couple of months, the intestinal stage of the disease begins. At this stage, symptoms of iron deficiency anemia and duodenitis develop. The patient presents increased irritability, fatigue and sleep disturbances. Women have menstrual irregularities.

Important! In childhood, hookworm can cause mental and physical retardation.

Giardiasis

Giardia is a protozoal parasitic disease. A quarter of the population has an asymptomatic carrier of this microorganism. In the acute stage, the following signs appear:

• malfunction in the gastrointestinal tract;
• the patient is tormented by pain in the right upper quadrant and the area around the navel;
• there is flatulence, decreased appetite, belching, nausea;
• diarrhea alternates with constipation, there may be frequent foamy stools (up to 5 times);
• with a subacute course, intestinal symptoms persist, the patient loses weight;
• with massive invasion intoxication and fever;
• children have itching, hives and fainting spells;
• During the coprogram, protozoan cysts are found in the stool.

Amebiasis

The disease is caused by a histological amoeba. The disease can be asymptomatic or symptomatic. There are two forms of the disease: extraintestinal and intestinal. These protozoa can affect the brain, lungs, skin, and genitourinary system. But the most common is intestinal amebiasis. Its symptoms are as follows:

• At the beginning of the disease, diarrhea with abundant and foamy stools appears, then gelatinous stools, like raspberry jelly, appear. Its frequency is up to 20 times a day;
• severe pain is localized to the right side of the abdomen;
• mild subfebrile condition;
• after 6 weeks, the acute process may subside;
• Examination may reveal protozoa in stool.

Important! Amoebiasis never goes away on its own and often relapses. If left untreated, an amoeba forms, leading to a bowel obstruction.

Diphyllobothriasis

Broad tapeworm is the culprit of this disease. This representative of cestodes causes the following clinical picture of the disease:

• weight loss, erratic stools, decreased appetite;
• low temperature;
• fatigue;
• cramping abdominal pain;
• anemia, weakness, dizziness, increased heart rate;
• fragments of the worm can be found in feces;
• painful cracks appear in the mouth;
• depression and increased irritability.

Teniosis

The disease is caused by the pork tapeworm. The parasite is located in the small intestine and causes the following symptoms:

• constipation, vomiting, diarrhea, nausea;
• vomit and feces may contain segments (proglottids) of the parasite;
• anal itching, abdominal pain;
• sleep suffers, dizziness appears.

Echinococcosis

Echinococcus can remain asymptomatic for a long time. Then pains appear in the area of formation of an echinococcal cyst. Symptoms are usually characteristic of neoplasms of a particular organ. When the cyst ruptures, general intoxication, anaphylactic shock and hives appear.

Types of parasites that live in the human body

All types of parasites in the human body have a detrimental effect on your health. They infect organs, feed on nutrients necessary for human life, and release harmful toxic substances. Therefore, it is very important to get rid of them in a timely manner.

The human body is affected by various parasites, some living inside the body, others on its surface. They differ in size, in the way they enter the body, in the characteristics of their vital functions.

What parasites live in the human body? How to get rid of them? What preventive measures are there? These topics will be discussed below.

Parasite Classification

Human parasites are very common, they are divided into groups:

1. Endoparasitesare organisms that parasitize inside a person. This group, in turn, is divided into protozoa (consisting of a single cell) and helminths (worms). The simplest parasites of the human body are amoeba, lamblia, Trichomonas, toxoplasma. As for worms, here again there is a division into roundworms (nematodes), flatworms and tapeworms.
2. Ectoparasitesare organisms that parasitize on the surface of the human body: lice, ticks, fleas, bed bugs. In addition to feeding on human blood, they cause great discomfort (bites, burns, skin wounds), they carry quite dangerous diseases: typhus, anthrax, trypanosomiasis and others.

1. Giardia.Giardiasis infection is a fecal-oral mechanism. After the cysts (not yet formed parasites, covered with a protective membrane) are removed from the anus of a sick person, they spread to vegetables, fruits and other food products. Through poorly washed hands, stagnant water, insufficiently washed fruits and vegetables, cysts enter the human oral cavity, from where they safely reach the intestines, where they again become adults and multiply again. The result is a vicious cycle that will continue until proper treatment is provided and hygiene measures are followed. Symptoms of the disease are weakness, fatigue, headache, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and bloating. May cause itchy anus, skin rashes, bronchial asthma. The pathology is characterized by weight loss, anemia, and a weakening of the immune system. Treatment: metronidazole, furazolidone, tinidazole. The dose is prescribed by the doctor.
2. Toxoplasma.Infection with these protozoa occurs through contact with infected pets. In this case, a person is an intermediate host, since the parasite's cycle of sexual development occurs in the animal's body. The disease is manifested by a prolonged increase in temperature to subfebrile levels, general signs of intoxication, the patient has enlarged lymph nodes, joint and muscle pains appear. In addition, the functions of the gastrointestinal tract and sight are disrupted, the central nervous system may suffer, there are signs of heart disease and the endocrine system. Complex treatment is prescribed - antibiotics from the group of tetracyclines and sulfonamides.
3. Trichomonas.Trichomonas is sexually transmitted, the risk of infection from contact is minimal, but it is still there. Symptoms of the disease in women are itching, redness of the genitals, burning sensation, and frothy discharge. Men may have trouble urinating and have a discharge. Treatment: anti-trichomonas drugs.

Pinworms is an intestinal parasite

The most famous internal parasites are pinworms. They live in the intestines and cause a disease called enterobiasis. This type of parasite affects not only humans, but also monkeys. Risk group: preschool children, according to statistics, enterobiasis is diagnosed in half of children 2-10 years old.

Worms are transmitted from person to person, they can be infected through any object that a sick person has used or through a handshake. The main condition for the transfer of pinworm eggs is not to wash your hands after contact, especially before eating. Worms, or rather their eggs, can be carried by flies and cockroaches.

Pinworms can only live in the intestines, they are especially comfortable in the thin section, in the colon and the cecum. For mating, the parasites select the ileum, from where the female exits through the anus and lays eggs in the anus. Symptoms of pinworms in the body are itchy anus, allergies, fatigue, anemia, abdominal pain, exhaustion.

Levamisole, mebendazole, albendazole, and other anthelmintic drugs are prescribed for the treatment of enterobiasis. Pinworm prevention is based on hand hygiene. They should be washed after visiting any public place.

Roundworms - Roundworms

The length of an adult can reach 40 cm. Pinworms live in the human intestine, their eggs hatch naturally, then continue their development in the soil, where they remain until they enter the human body again. Dirty hands and unwashed vegetables and fruits are forms of pinworm infection. Pinworm eggs are covered with a shell that does not dissolve in the human stomach and allows pinworms to survive and enter the intestines, where mature individuals develop.

Ascariasis can be asymptomatic for a long time. Symptoms then appear, depending on the location and stage of development of the parasite. In the first migratory phase of ascariasis, the patient is worried about fever, cough with sputum, skin rashes, migraines, enlarged lymph nodes, liver and spleen may appear. In the late phase, when the parasite already enters the intestines, stool disorders are observed (dysentery, cholera-like symptoms, signs of typhoid fever may appear). There are painful sensations in the abdomen, sudden weight loss and fatigue.

Wide ribbon

Infection with this parasite occurs through fish. This is the intermediate host of the worm. It is not necessary to eat for infection, sometimes contact with infected fish is enough. That is why it is so important to handle your hands, the knife, the board very carefully after cutting the fish.

Neither worms nor their larvae are transmitted from a sick person to a healthy person. Symptoms of infection are nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, increased or decreased appetite, dyspeptic disorders. The first signs of the disease may appear a month or two after infection. As a result of the long-term presence of the parasite in the human body, pale skin, headache, increased heart rate, decreased blood pressure, weakness and anemia occur. The treatment aims to kill the worm. To do this, use praziquantel, niclosamide.

Bull tapeworm

The bovine tapeworm can grow up to 12 m in length, it is a hermaphrodite that can produce more than 100, 000 eggs, which are excreted in the feces. The eggs fall to the ground, then to the plants, these plants are eaten by livestock. In the body of an animal, the eggs hatch into larvae, which are located in the muscles. If a person eats contaminated beef, the larvae enter the intestines. The larvae are not transmitted from person to person.

Adult worms have a head with four suckers, a neck, and a body consisting of segments. The number of segments is constantly growing, the mature segments can separate from the worm and exit the human intestine.

Symptoms of the disease are nausea, vomiting, dyspeptic disorders, increased salivation, dizziness, weakness, nervousness, fatigue, abdominal pain of uncertain location, allergies, fluctuations in appetite.

To eliminate bovine tapeworm from the body, there is a scheme consisting of 3 stages: preparatory (cleansing the body), treatment with antiparasitic drugs (Biltricid, Praziquantel, Niclosamide), recovery (diet, herbal medicine).

Pork tapeworm

A person can get infected with pork tapeworm through dirty hands, undercooked meat, dirty water, an infected person can release tapeworm segments and larvae into the environment with vomit and feces.The worm can live in the human body up to 15-17 years, it attaches itself to the intestinal mucosa and its larvae can spread throughout the body with the bloodstream and adhere to any organ. It is especially dangerous if the larvae enters the brain.

Pigs are the intermediate host; people who have frequent contact with raw meat are at higher risk of contracting this parasite. The pig chain can become infected both by contact and by ingestion of insufficiently heat-treated meat. In order for all larvae of the pork tapeworm to be destroyed in the meat, the meat must be cooked for a long time or frozen for 2-3 weeks.

The pork tapeworm can affect the small intestine, liver, brain, visual organs, muscles, etc. If the tapeworm affects vital organs, then a person can experience paralysis or even death.

Symptoms of pork tapeworm: allergic reactions, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, weakness, dizziness, headache, weight loss, itchy anus. The worm infects the intestinal mucosa, so the symptoms are very similar to those of enteritis.

Treatment consists of taking drugs that have a paralyzing effect on the worm, so it cannot stay on the intestinal walls and exit. But at the same time, it emits a large number of toxic substances, which can provoke anaphylactic shock in a person. Therefore, treatment should only be carried out under the supervision of a doctor.

Parasites in the mouth

Parasites in the human mouth can often be represented by the following species:

• Trichomonas;
• amoeba mouth;
• Diptera larvae (oral myiasis).

The clinical picture may be the following:

• allergies;
• weakness, weight loss;
• foul odor from mouth;
• sensation of movement in the larynx;
• itching and sweating;
• nausea, loss of energy.

Worms that live in the mouth can destroy teeth and create purulent deposits on the mucous membrane and tongue. Treatment is prescribed only by a doctor who takes into account the existing symptoms, as well as the types of parasites. A prerequisite for treatment is the examination of all persons in contact with the patient.

Summary

Above, not all of them were considered, even the most common parasites that can inhabit the human body. It is important to understand the great danger of such a neighborhood - worms in a person can cause very serious consequences and ultimately lead to the death of their owner. Therefore, it is very important to diagnose parasites in time and get rid of them. As for preventive measures, these consist mainly of hygiene and high-quality grilling of the meat consumed.