What parasites can live in the human body and how to fight them correctly?

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

Are worms protozoa?

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

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

Sometimes helminths are called protozoan parasites in relation to insects: bedbugs, lice, etc., since the latter are much higher on the evolutionary scale.In this interpretation, naming the worms as protozoa is acceptable.

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The most common parasites

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

Many of these parasites are divided into main types:

• nematodes - roundworms (roundworms, pinworms, Trichinella, whipworms, etc.);
• cestodes – tapeworms (tapeworms, porcine and bovine tapeworms, echinococci, etc.);
• trematodes - fluke worms (liver, blood, lungs, as well as flukes 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 intestines;
• 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, measuring 20 to 40 cm long, parasitic on the small intestine, but first migrate into the human body, affecting the circulatory and respiratory systems.Besides the intestines, these parasites can be found in the liver, gallbladder, heart and lungs.A common symptom of ascariasis is an allergic reaction.
• Pinworms are small worms reaching 1 cm, affecting the intestines and causing enterobiasis with gastrointestinal disorders, exhaustion, sleep disorders, etc.A characteristic sign of the presence of pinworms is itching in the anus, where they lay their eggs.
• Trichinella - these microscopic worms (their size is only a few millimeters) lead to serious diseases - trichinosis, which can lead to death if not treated.Adult species live in the human body in the muscles (respiratory, facial, etc.), causing muscle pain, fever, swelling and allergic skin rashes.
• Whipworms are small worms (up to 4.5 cm long, with the front part of the body

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

Tapeworms (cestodes)

• The large tapeworm, the body length of which 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 once: taeniasis with dyspeptic, astheno-neurotic and abdominal syndromes, and cysticercosis with intoxication, intestinal, allergic and respiratory syndromes.Depending on the location of the cysticerci, the muscles, brain, heart, eyes, etc.are affected.
• The bovine tapeworm, which can reach a length of up to 18 m, causes taeniahrynchiasis and is considered one of the most dangerous types of worms.If deworming is not carried out, it can live in the human body for up to 18 to 20 years!Located in the large intestine, it causes serious poisoning by waste, as well as diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, anemia, allergic reactions and nervous system problems.
• The dwarf tapeworm, measuring only 1.5 to 5 cm long, is a source of hymenolepiasis with dyspeptic, painful and astheno-neurotic syndromes, which mainly affect the digestive and nervous systems of the body, as well as the liver.
• Echinococcus is considered the smallest tapeworm - its length is only 2.5-8, rarely 9 mm, but its infection has disastrous consequences in the form of damage to the liver and lungs, where cysts and tumors are formed, causing dysfunction of these organs.

Fluke worms (trematodes)

• The liver fluke, or liver fluke, is leaf-shaped, 30 to 50 mm long and 8 to 13 mm wide, and has suckers.It damages the liver lining and, by obstructing the bile ducts, can completely block the flow of bile.May lead to cirrhosis, jaundice and liver cancer.
• The cat fluke (Siberian), or cat fluke, is a flatworm 4 to 13 mm long.Location - 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 red-brown body with small spines measuring 7.5 to 12 mm in length and 4 to 8 mm in width.It affects the lungs, causing inflammation, exudative pleurisy, focal fibrosis and lung cancer.When it enters the brain, it causes encephalitis and meningoencephalitis.
• Schistosomes (blood flukes) are dioecious worms measuring 1-2 cm, the eggs of which cause enlargement of the liver, spleen and lymph nodes, the formation of polyps in the intestines, diarrhea, granulomatous inflammation, leading to bladder cancer.

Diseases they cause

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

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

However, parasites present in the human body can affect multiple organs.Depending on the location of parasites in the human body, the following parasitic diseases are distinguished:

1. When the eyes are affected, onchocerciasis, demodicosis, cysticercosis and myiasis can occur;
2. Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract caused by single-celled parasites and helminths are ascariasis, trichinosis, hookworm, enterobiasis, intestinal myiasis, and metagonimiasis;
3. Brain diseases - echinococcosis, toxoplasmosis, alveococcosis and cysticercosis;
4. Dermatological diseases – demodicosis, pediculosis, scabies, pulicosis, thrombidosis, phthiriasis;
5. Pulmonary 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 different types of myiasis;
8. Cardiac pathologies – dirophyllarosis and echinococcosis;
9. Diseases of the genitourinary system – alveococcosis, uratic myiasis, echinococcosis;
10. Vascular pathologies – filariasis and schistosomiasis.

Flatworms

Parasitic flatworms, or flukes (flukes), 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 become widespread:

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 lead to serious consequences.The worms have a yellowish tint and their length can exceed 12 m.Having gained a foothold in the human body, these parasites cause internal bleeding, disrupt the flow of bile and cause pancreatic dysfunction.Dangerous consequences: purulent cholangitis, achylia, cholangiocarcinoma.

2. Liver fluke.The intermediate host is livestock, and humans become infected by eating poorly processed meat from affected animals.As a result of infection, fascioliasis disease develops.These worms are relatively small in size (no more than 5-6 cm), but they can cause dangerous pathologies: liver abscess, cholangitis, hepatitis.Through the blood, the larvae of the parasite can spread throughout the body.
3. Schistosome.The worm is able to settle in blood vessels and consume blood components.Due to its vital activity, the development of varicose veins and tumor formations is possible.The main symptom is intense general intoxication.

In the human body, you can find a large number of different parasitic worms that can settle in various internal organs.All cause chronic diseases that can cause serious pathologies.If signs of helminthiasis of any type appear, you should consult a doctor to begin adequate treatment.

bull tapeworm

The bovine 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 feces.The eggs fall into the soil, then onto plants, and these plants are eaten by livestock.In the animal's body, the eggs become larvae 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 made up of segments.The number of segments is constantly increasing;mature segments can separate from the worm and exit the human intestine.

bull tapeworm

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

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

Tapeworms

Tapeworms, or cestodes, include a variety of flatworms that can vary in length from 2 mm to 10-12 m.The body of these parasites has a specific structure - many segments, a neck and a head with suckers (hooks) for attaching to the walls.The cestode is hermaphroditic and the eggs are located in the segments.The worm absorbs nutrients from the entire surface of the body.

The following common types of tapeworms are distinguished:

1. Alveococcus.They can cause cholangitis and abscess, as well as spread to the spleen, muscles and brain.
2. Tapeworms, or tapeworms.The bovine tapeworm causes the disease taeniarrhynchosis and is usually located in the small intestine.Serious complications - cholecystitis, intestinal obstruction, appendicitis.This worm can cause the following consequences: atrophy of the intestinal mucosa, Gunther glossitis, leukopenia.

Protozoan parasites

Toxoplasma gondii is a type of parasite whose main host is cats.They can also be carried by warm-blooded animals and humans.The disease caused by toxoplasma is called toxoplasmosis.The course of the disease is benign, with the exception of damage to the fetus inside the mother's womb during pregnancy, which leads to serious consequences for both the mother and the fetus, even death.

The amoeba is a simple single-celled organism that is considered one of the first creatures to live on Earth.The disease caused by the amoeba is called amoebiasis.Intestinal infection, with a predominant ulcerative lesion of the large intestine with the appearance of bloody diarrhea, possible formation of secondary intestinal lesions, with a tendency to be chronic.

Malaria plasmodium is the simplest single-celled creature, in the development cycle of which a person is a temporary host, and a mosquito is a permanent host.In the human body, the parasitic plasmodium is represented by 4 species:

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

The length of the interval between bursts depends on the type of pathogen.In addition to all this, anemia develops, because plasmodium affects red blood cells.

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

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

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