Not everyone knows which parasites are most common in the human body.Parasites are living organisms 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, including death.
varieties
Parasites are found in adults and children.Almost every person meets them at least once in his life.The group of parasites includes helminths (roundworms, tapeworms, tapeworms), protozoa, fungi, mites and lice.Protozoa that live in the human body include the following unicellular organisms:
- amoeba;
- balantidia;
- Giardia;
- blastocyst;
- cryptosporidium;
- leishmania;
- trypanosomes;
- Trichomonas;
- toxoplasma;
- malarial plasmodia.
This is not the entire list of protozoa.At home you can get infected with helminths.They are divided into nematodes (roundworms), trematodes (flukes) and cestodes (tapeworms).Trematodes are represented by flukes, schistosomes, pulmonary fluke and fasciola.Human parasites include roundworms.
Roundworms include roundworms, roundworms, trichinella and hookworms.Tapeworms often lodge in the body.These parasites are distinguished by the fact that they can live in organs for decades.Cestodes include bovine, dwarf and porcine roundworms, tapeworms, alveococcus and echinococcus.These parasitic worms cause diseases such as taeniasis, teniarynchiasis, hemolepiiasis, diphyllobothriasis, echinococcosis, alveococcosis of the liver, brain and lungs.
protozoan
Protozoan parasites of humans are very widespread.Most of them cannot be seen with the naked eye.The most detected diseases are giardiasis, malaria, amebiasis, cryptosporidiosis and balantidiasis.Each year, more than 500 million people worldwide develop symptoms of giardiasis.
Children under the age of 14 predominate among such patients.Giardia are tiny parasites that live in the intestines and liver.The prevalence of giardiasis in adults reaches 5%.In children, this figure 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 they consume infected water or food.Infection through soil and household items (dishes, toys) is possible.The mechanism of infection is fecal-oral.Children who go to kindergartens and schools get sick more often.
Against the background of giardiasis, dysbacteriosis and enteritis (duodenitis) develop.Symptoms of the presence of parasites in the body include stool instability, frequent stools, pain near the navel or in the right hypochondrium, weight loss, fatigue, drowsiness, bruxism (involuntary contractions of the masticatory muscles).The skin is often affected.
Parasites such as malaria plasmodia are often found inside 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 a hot climate.The carriers are mosquitoes.A person becomes infected when bitten by infected insects.
Signs of malaria parasites include fever, chills, heavy sweating, nausea, muscle aches, headache, skin rash, thirst, enlarged liver and spleen, and convulsions.Intestinal parasites include cryptosporidium.A person is infected through water and food (milk).Contact with infected animals is dangerous.Cryptosporidiosis is manifested by diarrhea, cramping pain in the upper abdomen, nausea, vomiting, thirst and dry skin.
helminths
According to the WHO, 50% of the population will suffer from 1 of 3 infections during their lifetime: trichuriasis, enterobiasis or pinworm.A person becomes infected with parasitic worms by contact or fecal-oral mechanism.The following risk factors for the development of helminthiasis are identified:
- drinking unboiled water;
- non-compliance with personal hygiene rules;
- contact with the patient;
- contact with wild and domestic animals;
- staying in groups of children;
- swimming in polluted water;
- consumption of fish, meat, sushi, planned meat, shellfish insufficiently thermally processed;
- continuous 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 worm.This is a small parasite up to 1 cm from the group of roundworms that lives in the small and large intestines.Enterobiasis, along with hymenolepiiasis, belongs to contact helminthiasis.This means that infection is possible through direct physical contact with the patient (his hands).
Children who do not wash their hands before eating, do not bite their nails and 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 scratched the eggs end up on the child's hands and then in the mouth.
Enterobiasis is manifested by anal itching, skin itching, nervousness, sleep disturbance, bruxism, urinary incontinence, pain in the iliac region and changes in stool.
Ascariasis is more dangerous.About 1 billion people are infected with it.Roundworms are long, round, thin worms that live in the small intestine.Mass invasion by them is dangerous for the development of intestinal obstruction.Signs of parasites in the body are not always clearly expressed.Ascariasis manifests as eczema, asthenic syndrome, cough (during the migration phase), sweating, fever (in the acute phase), nausea, vomiting, flatulence, delayed development of the child, stool disorders such as diarrhea or constipation.If there are such complaints, parasite control should be done.
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 helminth eggs and Giardia cysts, a blood test, scraping for enterobiasis, ELISA or PCR, ultrasound, tomography, muscle biopsy (for trichinosis) and allergy tests.Epidemiological history is of great importance.
You can find out if there are parasites in the body even in the absence of symptoms of the disease.Cleansing the body of parasites is carried out with medications prescribed by a specialist.
Folk remedies (watermelon and pumpkin seeds, onion infusion) will also help get rid of parasites.Medicines are chosen by the doctor 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).Body cleansing can also be performed for preventive purposes.It is better to treat the patient with broad-spectrum drugs that are effective against several diseases.
Don't forget about parasites like lice, mites and fungus.It is necessary to treat not only sick people, but also contact people.Clearing the parasites does not protect against re-infection.It is necessary to prevent the development of the disease.Prevention of parasitic diseases includes regular hand washing after using the toilet, contact with soil, riding public transport, walking and before eating, boiling water, proper heat treatment of meat and fish, limiting contact with animals, deworming pets, avoiding grill, stroganina, sushi and rolls.Thus, protection from parasites is quite difficult, but possible.