There are many different ways to infect humans with parasites.Statistics say that the common causes of death in humans are the presence of parasites in the body and infectious diseases.
Scientists have found fungi, bacteria and even algae in blood plasma.The most common are intestinal helminths.
Parasites can live inside a person for a long time.In 60% of cases, chronic diseases and cancer are caused by their vital activity.With prolonged exposure to microorganisms, internal organs and the entire immune system are affected.
Methods of parasitic infection
Methods of infection with parasites are different.Parasites are microorganisms that live off another organism and are related to it biologically and ecologically.Parasites can feed on juices, tissues, and food consumed by humans, remaining in the body temporarily or permanently.
You can become infected with helminths in the following ways:
- Through dirty hands.
- When in contact with the ground.
- For insect bites.
- If you eat a piece of undercooked meat or fish.
- If you do not wash fruits and vegetables before eating.
- If you are illiterate in contact with animals.
- When coming into contact with people with helminths.
Worm eggs can be found in soil, water, dirty fruits and vegetables, as well as in meat or fish that have not been adequately heat-treated.
In some cases, infection can occur due to insect bites, but this is extremely rare because helminth eggs mainly enter the body through food.Dirty hands can also become a source of helminth infection.
You can also get infected from a sick person who is a carrier of pinworms.Pinworms crawl out through the anus and lay eggs in the anus.On the contrary, they can remain on underwear, eventually falling into a person's hands.Larvae can be left on toilets, front door handles, and other objects.If personal hygiene rules are not followed, they will enter the bodies of other family members.If helminths are found in one of the family members, all family members must be treated.
Waterborne infections occur from drinking unboiled water or swimming.
What types of helminths are there?
The most common group of intestinal worms includes nematodes.These include hookworms, roundworms, pinworms, heartworms and trichinella.
The second largest group includes protozoa or single-celled parasites.These are amoeba, lamblia, neospores, cryptosporidium, etc.
Entamoeba histolytica infection can occur from drinking dirty water.In this case, loose stools appear, severe abdominal pain and vomiting appear.Sometimes in severe cases, such manifestations cause complications in the liver.People often confuse amoebic dysentery with a viral infection.
Millions of single-celled parasites can survive and grow on the stomach wall, preventing nutrients needed by the body from being properly absorbed.
Characteristic signs of giardiasis
Symptoms of parasitic infection are as follows:
- Accumulation of gas in the stomach.
- Uneven stools with undigested food particles.
- Chills.
- Increased sweating.
- Frequent stomach pain.
- Loose stools.
In the absence of parasite treatment, over time a person will begin to lose weight and become sick more often due to a weakened immune system.Of course, one should not rely solely on symptoms to identify parasites.A series of stool and blood tests are needed to detect helminths.Treatment largely depends on the severity of the infection.In folk medicine, there are many recipes for treating helminths;In difficult cases it is better to resort to medication.
Classification of helminths
Worms are divided into flat and round.
Flat view:
- Trematodes, including schistosomiasis, opisthorchis, etc.
- Cestodes - echinococcus, pork tapeworm, alveoli.
Roundworms or nematodes:
- Pinworms.
- Roundworm.
- Trichinella.
- Hookworm.
The most common types of helminths are:
schistosomiasis
This type of worm has many different sexes;Outwardly it resembles a needle with a length of 0.4 to 2.6 cm.The females are considered large and can produce up to 300 larvae per day.
The main route of transmission is through swimming in contaminated water.Infection occurs through human mucous membranes and by accidentally drinking dirty water while bathing.Once inside the body, the larvae will transform into adults within a day, capable of giving birth to hundreds of similar creatures.
Schistosomes reach sexual maturity after entering the human venous system via the bloodstream.Individual eggs can be in the intestines, urine, and mucous membranes.After defecation, schistosomiasis begins its journey in the same way.
This parasite can exist in the human body for decades, causing irreparable harm to the patient.The danger is not the schistosomes themselves but their eggs.They accumulate on internal organs and use their spines to damage and injure tissues, often causing various ulcers.
There are symptoms by which a person can determine the presence of schistosomiasis in the body:
- poor appetite;
- anemia;
- enlarged liver and changes in the spleen;
- poor bowel movements;
- stomachache;
- diarrhea or constipation;
- sudden weight loss;
- bleeding in the intestines;
- pain when urinating;
- allergic reaction;
- general weakness.
Cestodes
Cestodes are tapeworms that can reach enormous lengths.Thus, the length of an average adult is 0.5 cm.A female is capable of laying up to 200 thousand eggs over the course of a year.
Thanks to special devices on the head in the form of suction cups, the cestode is tightly attached to the intestinal wall.In this case, the whole body is affected.Such worms are especially dangerous for young children, because their vital activity depletes the body and causes anemia in a short time.
The route of infection is through the fecal-oral route, i.e. dirty hands, fruits and vegetables.Larvae entering the intestines will spread through veins throughout the body, penetrating the liver, heart and even the oral cavity.A certain number of larvae die, the rest are swallowed.
The main signs of parasitic invasion:
- nausea and vomiting;
- yellowness of the skin;
- pancreatitis;
- frequent colds;
- the development of bronchitis and pneumonia.
Prevent parasitic infections
Since there are many ways to get infected with parasites, it is necessary to follow some rules to protect yourself and your family members from infection with worm larvae.
- Comply with personal hygiene rules.Washing your hands regularly will prevent parasites from entering the human body.Children especially need to be taught this because they often put their hands and various objects in their mouths.
- Wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly with running or boiled water.
- Kill flying and crawling insects (flies, cockroaches) in residential areas because they are carriers of helminth eggs.
Many experts believe that every person, to one degree or another, is a carrier of parasites, so it is necessary to clean the body regularly.