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
The parasites are found in adults and children.Almost everyone encounters them at least once during their life.The group of parasites includes helminths (roundworms, tapeworms, trematodes), protozoa, fungi, mites and lice.Protozoa living in the human body include the following single-celled organisms:
- amoeba;
- balantidia;
- Giardia;
- blastocysts;
- cryptosporidium;
- leishmania;
- trypanosomes;
- Trichomonas;
- toxoplasma;
- Malaria plasmodia.
This is not the complete list of protozoa.At home you can become infected with helminths.They are divided into nematodes (roundworms), trematodes (trematodes) and cestodes (tapeworms).Trematodes are represented by trematodes, schistosomes, lung flukes and fasciola.Human parasites include intestinal worms.
Nematodes include pinworms, roundworms, trichinella, and hookworms.Tapeworms often take up residence in the body.These parasites are distinguished by the fact that they can live in organs for decades.Cestodes include bovine, dwarf and swine tapeworms, broad tapeworms, alveococci and echinococci.These parasitic worms cause diseases such as taeniasis, taenarynchiasis, hymenolepiasis, diphyllobothriasis, echinococcosis, alveococcosis of the liver, brain and lungs.
Protozoa
Protozoan parasites of humans are widespread.Most of them cannot be seen with the naked eye.The most frequently detected diseases are giardiasis, malaria, amoebiasis, cryptosporidiosis and balantidiasis.Each year, more than 500 million people worldwide develop symptoms of giardiasis.
Among these patients, children under 14 years of age predominate.Giardia are small parasites that live in the intestines and liver.The prevalence of giardiasis among adults reaches 5%.In children this figure exceeds 30%.Giardia can live 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 infection mechanism is fecal-oral.Children who attend daycares 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 instability of stool, frequent bowel movements, pain near the navel or in the right upper quadrant, weight loss, fatigue, drowsiness, bruxism (involuntary contractions of the chewing muscles).The skin is usually 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 hot climates.The carriers are mosquitoes.A person becomes infected when they are bitten by infected insects.
Signs of malaria parasites include fever, chills, heavy sweats, nausea, muscle aches, headaches, redness of the skin, thirst, enlarged liver and spleen, and seizures.Intestinal parasites include cryptosporidium.A person becomes infected through water and food (milk).Contact with infected animals is dangerous.Cryptosporidiosis is manifested by diarrhea, cramps 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 throughout their lives: trichuriasis, enterobiasis or hookworm.A person becomes infected with parasitic worms through contact or by a fecal-oral mechanism.The following risk factors for the development of helminthiasis are identified:
- drink water without boiling;
- non-compliance with personal hygiene rules;
- contact with the patient;
- contact with wild and domestic animals;
- stay in groups of children;
- swimming in polluted waters;
- consumption of insufficiently thermally processed fish, meat, sushi, brushed meat and seafood;
- constant contact with the ground;
- walking barefoot on the ground (for tropical countries).
Children more often develop enterobiasis and ascariasis.The causative agent of enterobiasis is pinworm.It is a small parasite, up to 1 cm, from the group of nematodes that lives in the small and large intestine.Enterobiasis, along with hymenolepiasis, belongs to contact helminthiases.This means that infection is possible through direct bodily contact with the patient (their hands).
Children who do not wash their hands before eating, 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 in 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 scratching, irritability, sleep disturbances, bruxism, urinary incontinence, pain in the iliac region and changes in stool.
Ascariasis is more dangerous.About a billion people are infected with it.Nematodes are long, round, thin worms that live in the small intestine.Their massive invasion is dangerous for the development of intestinal obstruction.Signs of parasites in the body are not always clearly expressed.Ascariasis manifests itself as eczema, asthenic syndrome, cough (during the migratory phase), sweating, fever (in the acute phase), nausea, vomiting, bloating, delayed development of the child, stool disorders such as diarrhea or constipation.If there are such complaints, parasite control should be carried out.
Treatment
To get rid of parasites in the human body, you need to consult 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 testing.The epidemiological history is of great importance.
You can tell 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.
Home remedies (watermelon and pumpkin seeds, onion infusion) will also help eliminate parasites.Medications are selected 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).Cleansing the body can also be done 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 such as lice, mites and fungi.It is necessary to treat not only the sick, but also the contact persons.Removing parasites does not protect against reinfection.It is necessary to prevent the development of the disease.Prevention of parasitic diseases includes regular hand washing after using the toilet, contact with the ground, traveling by public transport, walking and before eating, boiling water, properly heat treating meat and fish, limiting contact with animals, deworming pets, avoiding barbecue, stroganin, sushi and buns.Therefore, protecting yourself from parasites is quite difficult, but possible.