Not everyone knows which parasites are most common in the human body.Parasites are creatures that live in the human body and live at the expense of the host.Some of them are very dangerous.For example, trichinosis, alveococcosis and cysticercosis can lead to dangerous complications and even death.
Varieties
Parasites occur in adults and children.Almost every person encounters them at least once in their life.The group of parasites includes helminths (roundworms, tapeworms, flukes), protozoa, fungi, mites and lice.The protozoa living in the human body include the following single-celled organisms:
- Amoeba;
- Balantidia;
- Giardia;
- blastocysts;
- Cryptosporidium;
- leishmania;
- trypanosomes;
- Trichomonas;
- Toxoplasma;
- Malaria Plasmodium.
This is not the entire list of protozoa.At home you can become infected with helminths.They are divided into nematodes (roundworms), trematodes (flukeworms) and cestodes (tapeworms).Trematodes are represented by flukes, schistosomes, pulmonary flukes and fascioles.Human parasites include roundworms.
Roundworms include pinworms, roundworms, trichinella and hookworms.Tapeworms often colonize the body.These parasites are characterized by the fact that they can live in organs for decades.Cestodes include bovine, dwarf and pork tapeworms, broadband worms, alveococci and echinococci.These parasitic worms cause diseases such as taeniasis, teniarinchiasis, hymenolepiasis, diphyllobothriasis, echinococcosis, alveococcosis of the liver, brain and lungs.
Protozoa
Protozoan parasites of humans are very widespread.Most of them cannot be seen with the naked eye.The most commonly detected diseases are giardiasis, malaria, amoebiasis, cryptosporidiosis and balantidiasis.Each year, more than 500 million people in the world develop symptoms of giardiasis.
Children under 14 years of age predominate among these patients.Giardia are small parasites that live in the intestines and liver.The prevalence of giardiasis in adults is 5%.In children this value exceeds 30%.Giardia can live for a long time in the form of spores (cysts).
A sick person is a source of infection.These parasites appear in the patient's body when he consumes infected water or food.Infection through soil and household objects (dishes, toys) is possible.The mechanism of infection is fecal-oral.Children who attend kindergartens and schools get sick more often.
Against the background of giardiasis, dysbiosis and enteritis (duodenitis) develop.Symptoms of the presence of parasites in the body include stool instability, frequent bowel movements, pain near the navel or in the right hypochondrium, weight loss, fatigue, sleepiness, bruxism (involuntary contractions of the chewing muscles).The skin is often affected.
Parasites such as malaria Plasmodium are commonly found in humans.They cause malaria.These protozoa attack blood cells (red blood cells), causing severe anemia and hemolysis.This disease is more common in regions with hot climates.The vectors are mosquitoes.A person becomes infected when bitten by infected insects.
Signs of malaria parasites include fever, chills, profuse sweating, nausea, muscle pain, headache, flushing of the skin, thirst, enlarged liver and spleen, and seizures.Cryptosporidium is an intestinal parasite.A person becomes infected through water and food (milk).Contact with infected animals is dangerous.Cryptosporidiosis manifests itself as diarrhea, cramp-like pain in the upper abdomen, nausea, vomiting, thirst and dry skin.
Helminths
According to the WHO, 50% of the population will contract one of three infections during their lifetime: trichuriasis, enterobiasis or hookworm.A person becomes infected with parasitic worms through contact or fecal-oral mechanisms.The following risk factors for the development of helminthiases have been identified:
- drink unboiled water;
- Failure to comply with personal hygiene rules;
- contact with the patient;
- contact with wild and domestic animals;
- stay in children's groups;
- swimming in polluted water;
- Consumption of insufficiently thermally processed fish, meat, sushi, sliced meat, shellfish;
- constant contact with the ground;
- Walking barefoot on the ground (for tropical countries).
Children most often develop enterobiasis and ascariasis.The causative agent of enterobiasis is the pinworm.This is a small, up to 1 cm large parasite from the group of roundworms that lives in the small and large intestine.Enterobiasis, together with hymenolepiasis, is a contact helminthiase.This means that infection is possible through direct physical contact with the patient (his hands).
Children who don't wash their hands before eating, don't bite their nails, or don't put toys in their mouths are more likely to get sick.Adult parasites emerge from the intestines at night and lay eggs on the skin of the perianal area.They cause itching and when scratching, the eggs get onto the child's hands and then into the mouth.
Enterobiasis is manifested by anal itching, scratching of the skin, irritability, sleep disturbances, bruxism, urinary incontinence, pelvic pain, and stool changes.
Ascariasis is more dangerous.Around 1 billion people are infected with it.Roundworms are long, round, thin worms that live in the small intestine.Massive penetration through them is dangerous for the development of intestinal obstruction.Signs of parasites in the body are not always clearly visible.Ascariasis is manifested by eczema, asthenic syndrome, cough (in the migratory phase), sweating, fever (in the acute stage), nausea, vomiting, flatulence, delayed development of the child, stool disorders such as diarrhea or constipation.If such complaints are present, parasite control should be carried out.
Treatment
To get rid of parasites in the human body, you need to see a doctor and undergo an examination.Not everyone knows how to determine the presence of parasites in the body.The examination includes a stool test for worm eggs and Giardia cysts, a blood test, curettage for enterobiasis, ELISA or PCR, ultrasound, tomography, muscle biopsy (for trichinosis) and allergy tests.The epidemiological story is of great importance.
You can find out whether parasites are present in the body even without symptoms of illness.Cleansing the body of parasites is carried out using medications prescribed by a specialist.
Folk remedies (watermelon and pumpkin seeds, onion infusion) also help get rid of parasites.The doctor selects the medication depending on the underlying disease.To get rid of parasites, conservative therapy is not always enough.
Surgical treatment is often required (for echinococcosis and alveococcosis).Cleansing the body can also be carried out as a preventive measure.It is better to treat the patient with broad-spectrum drugs that are effective against several diseases.
Don't forget about parasites such as lice, mites and fungi.It is necessary to treat not only sick people, but also contact persons.Eliminating parasites does not protect against reinfection.It is necessary to prevent the development of the disease.Prevention of parasitic diseases includes regular washing of hands after using the toilet, contact with soil, traveling on public transport, walking and before eating, boiling water, proper heat treatment of meat and fish, limiting contact with animals, deworming pets, avoiding barbecue, stroganina, sushi and rolls.Therefore, protecting yourself from parasites is quite difficult, but possible.