Which parasites can live in the human body and how can you properly fight them?

Before starting treatment for parasites, it is important to determine exactly which type is present in the body.This is necessary for the selection of effective treatment methods, since most drugs are designed specifically to eliminate a specific type of helminths.

Are worms protozoa?

Sometimes you can hear the phrase that the patient is infected with protozoan worms.You need to understand that protozoa are exclusively single-celled microorganisms and, in extreme cases, organize colonies.But they are never multicellular like worms and helminths.

In protozoa, all processes take place within the cellular cytoplasm and cell nuclei, while in worms the anatomical organization is much more complex: they have differentiated organs that perform special physiological functions.Therefore, it is fundamentally wrong to classify worms as protozoa.

Sometimes helminths are called protozoan parasites in comparison with insects: bedbugs, lice, etc., since the latter are much higher on the evolutionary ladder.In this interpretation, calling worms protozoa is acceptable.

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The most common parasites

Of course, the most common endoparasites are helminths (worms), which, according to various sources, infect more than 80% of the world's population.

A large number of these parasites are divided into the main types:

• Nematodes – roundworms (roundworms, pinworms, trichinae, whipworms, etc.);
• Cestodes – tapeworms (tapeworms, pork and beef tapeworms, echinococci, etc.);
• Trematodes – worms (liver, blood, lungs and also worms that live in the intestines).

Sometimes you can find a more general classification according to which all types of human parasites are divided into:

• luminal (intestinal), parasitic in the intestine;
• Tissue, localized in other organs and tissues.

Let's look at a brief description of the most common types of helminths.

Roundworms (nematodes)

• Roundworms are the most common roundworms, 20 to 40 cm long, parasitic in the small intestine, but first migrate into the human body and affect the circulatory and respiratory systems.In addition to the intestines, these parasites are also found in the liver, gallbladder, heart and lungs.A common symptom of ascariasis is an allergic reaction.
• Pinworms are small worms up to 1 cm that infect the intestines and cause enterobiasis with gastrointestinal disorders, exhaustion, sleep disorders, etc.A characteristic sign of the presence of pinworms is itching in the anus, where they lay eggs.
• Trichinella - these microscopic worms (their size is only a few millimeters) lead to serious illness - trichinosis, which can lead to death if left untreated.Adult species live in the muscles of the human body (respiratory system, face, etc.) and cause muscle pain, fever, swelling and allergic rashes.
• Whipworms are small worms (up to 4.5 cm long, with front part of the body).

in the form of threads), the larvae of which cause trichuriasis with diarrhea, acute abdominal pain and other symptoms similar to appendicitis.Due to intoxication of the body, anemia develops.

Tapeworms (cestodes)

• The wide tapeworm, whose body length reaches 10 m, leads to the development of diphyllobothriasis with nausea, weakness, vomiting, unstable stools, asthenia and anemia.
• The pork tapeworm has a length of 3 to 8 m, parasitizes mainly in the small intestine and causes two diseases at the same time: taeniasis with dyspeptic, astheno-neurotic and abdominal syndromes and cysticercosis with intoxication, intestinal, allergic and respiratory syndromes.Depending on the location of the cysticerci, muscles, brain, heart, eyes, etc. are affected.
• The beef tapeworm, which can reach a length of up to 18 m, causes teniahrynchiasis and is considered one of the most dangerous worm species.If deworming is not done, it can live in the human body for up to 18-20 years!Localized in the large intestine, it causes severe poisoning with waste products, as well as diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, anemia, allergic reactions and problems with the nervous system.
• The dwarf tapeworm, which is only 1.5-5 cm long, is a source of hymenolepiasis with dyspeptic, painful and astheno-neurotic syndromes, affecting primarily the digestive and nervous systems of the body as well as the liver.
• Echinococcus is considered the smallest tapeworm - its length is only 2.5 to 8, rarely 9 mm, but infection with it has dire consequences in the form of damage to the liver and lungs, where cysts and tumors form, leading to dysfunction of these organs.

Fluke worms (trematodes)

• The liver fluke or liver fluke is shaped like a leaf, 30–50 mm long and 8–13 mm wide, and has suckers.It damages the liver lining and can completely block the flow of bile by blocking the bile ducts.May lead to liver cirrhosis, jaundice and liver cancer.
• The cat leech or cat leech is a flatworm 4 to 13 mm long.Localization - ducts of the gallbladder, liver and pancreas.It causes opisthorchiasis with the development of gastritis, ulcers, pancreatitis, cholecystitis and even liver cancer, which can be fatal.
• The lung fluke has an ovoid shape, a reddish-brown body with small spines 7.5 to 12 mm long and 4 to 8 mm wide.It affects the lungs, causing inflammation, exudative pleurisy, focal fibrosis, and lung cancer.Penetrating the brain, it causes encephalitis and meningoencephalitis.
• Schistosomes (bloodworms) are dioecious worms 1 to 2 cm in size, whose eggs cause enlargement of the liver, spleen and lymph nodes, the formation of polyps in the intestines, diarrhea and granulomatous inflammation, and lead to bladder cancer.

diseases they cause

The most dangerous parasites living in the human body can cause a variety of diseases.Very often a disease caused by a particular parasite has the same name.So, different types of parasites in the human body can cause the following diseases:

• certain parasites in humans (leeches) trigger trematodes;
• When infected with tapeworms, cestodoses occur;
• if an adult or child has roundworms in the intestines, nematodes are diagnosed;
• Leeches cause hirudinosis;
• Anctocephalosis is caused by acanthocephalans.

However, parasites in the human body can affect 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 may occur;
2. Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract caused by protozoan parasites and helminths include ascariasis, trichinosis, hookworm, enterobiasis, intestinal myiasis and metagonimiasis;
3. Brain diseases – echinococcosis, toxoplasmosis, alveococcosis and cysticercosis;
4. Dermatological diseases – demodicosis, pediculosis, scabies, pulicosis, thrombidiasis, phthiriasis;
5. Lung pathologies – echinococcosis, ascariasis, acariasis, alveococcosis, tominxosis, etc.;
6. Liver diseases – opisthorchiasis, alveococcosis, echinococcosis, clonorchiasis;
7. In the mouth, ears, and oral cavity, parasites can cause various types of myiasis;
8. Heart diseases – dirophyllariasis and echinococcosis;
9. Diseases of the genitourinary system – alveococcosis, urate myiasis, echinococcosis;
10. Vascular pathologies – filariasis and schistosomiasis.

Flatworms

Parasitic flatworms or leeches (leeches) have a characteristic leaf-shaped body shape.Their structure is quite organized - they have a digestive, excretory and nervous system.They change hosts during their life cycle.

The following types have prevailed:

1. Siberian fluke (cat fluke) or Opisthorchis.Most often, infection occurs through raw fish, which leads to the appearance of a rather dangerous disease - opisthorchiasis.Parasites multiply very quickly, which can have serious consequences.The worms are yellowish in color and can reach a length of more than 12 m.By gaining a foothold in the human body, these parasites trigger internal bleeding, disrupt the flow of bile and cause pancreatic dysfunction.Dangerous consequences: purulent cholangitis, achyly, cholangiocarcinoma.

2. Liver fluke.The intermediate host is cattle, and humans become infected by eating poorly processed meat from affected animals.As a result of an infection, the disease fascioliasis develops.These worms are relatively small (no larger than 5-6 cm), but can cause dangerous pathologies: liver abscesses, cholangitis, hepatitis.The parasite larvae can spread throughout the body via the blood.
3. Schistosoma.The worm can lodge in blood vessels and consume blood components.Due to its vital activity, the development of varicose veins and tumor formation is possible.The main symptom is severe general intoxication.

A large number of different parasitic worms are found in the human body and can establish themselves in various internal organs.All of them cause chronic diseases that can provoke serious pathologies.If signs of helminthiasis of any kind appear, you should consult a doctor to initiate appropriate treatment.

Bull tapeworm

The beef tapeworm can reach a length of up to 12 m.It is a hermaphrodite that can produce more than 100,000 eggs, which are excreted in the feces.The eggs fall into the ground and then onto plants, and these plants are eaten by cattle.In the animal's body, the eggs turn into larvae, which are localized in the muscles.When 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 segmented body.The number of segments is constantly growing;Mature segments can detach from the worm and crawl out of the human intestine.

Bull tapeworm

Symptoms of the disease are nausea, vomiting, dyspeptic disorders, increased salivation, dizziness, weakness, nervousness, fatigue, abdominal pain of unclear localization, allergies, changes in appetite.

To remove the beef tapeworm from the body, there is a scheme consisting of three stages: preparation (cleansing the body), treatment with antiparasitic drugs, recovery (diet, herbal medicine).

Tapeworms

Tapeworms or cestodes include a variety of flatworms that can range in length from 2 mm to 10–12 m.The body of such parasites has a specific structure - numerous segments, a neck and a head with suction cups (hooks) for attachment to the walls.The cestode is a hermaphrodite and the eggs are located in the segments.The worm absorbs nutrients across the entire body surface.

The following common types of tapeworms are distinguished:

1. Alveococci.They can cause cholangitis and abscesses and can spread to the spleen, muscles and brain.
2. Tapeworms or tapeworms.Bovine tapeworms cause the disease teniarhynchosis and are mostly found in the small intestine.Serious complications - cholecystitis, intestinal obstruction, appendicitis.This worm can lead to the following consequences: atrophy of the intestinal mucosa, Gunther's glossitis, leukopenia.

Protozoan parasites

Toxoplasma gondii is a species of parasite whose main host is cats.They can also be worn by warm-blooded animals and humans.The disease caused by Toxoplasma is called toxoplasmosis.The course of the disease is mild, with the exception of damage to the fetus in the womb during pregnancy, which has serious consequences for the mother and fetus, including death.

Amoeba is a simple single-celled organism that is considered one of the first living things to live on Earth.The disease caused by amoeba is called amebiasis.Intestinal infection, with predominantly ulcerative lesion of the colon with occurrence of bloody diarrhea, possible formation of secondary intestinal lesions, with a tendency to become chronic.

Malaria plasmodium is the simplest single-celled organism, in the development cycle of which humans are temporary hosts and mosquitoes are permanent hosts.In the human body, the parasitic Plasmodium is represented by 4 species:

• P. malarie – four-day malaria;
• P.vivax – three-day malaria;
• P.ovale – three-day oval malaria;
• P.falciparum – tropical malaria;

The duration of the interval between outbreaks depends on the type of pathogen.In addition, anemia develops because Plasmodium affects red blood cells.

Giardia is a pear-shaped protozoan with two nuclei and four pairs of flagella.The main sources are pigs and humans.Giardiasis is a common disease that primarily affects the liver and small intestine.The disease can occur in both mild and severe forms.

Trichomonas are flagellated, single-celled, pear-shaped organisms that cause the disease trichomoniasis, are sexually transmitted, and affect the genitourinary system.It is noticeable that both men and women are affected, but in men the disease is usually asymptomatic.

Trypanosomes are a genus of unicellular flagellated protozoa.Trypanosomiasis causes serious illness and sleeping sickness is fatal to humans.Trypanosomes are transmitted by bed bugs and tsetse flies.In the host's body, the parasite multiplies under the skin and then invades the lymphatic system and blood.Most pathogens are located in the spinal cord and brain, where they destroy cells and release their toxins.