Based on statistics, it has been proven that more than one billion people are infected with helminths, which are popularly called worms. However, these indicators are conditional, as they were determined based on the number of people who sought help from specialists who diagnosed helminth infestation.
In life, every person encounters worms at least once in his life (regardless of age and gender), but many are simply unaware of their infection and continue to transmit worms to other people. In the initial stages, infections do not cause discomfort, but in the case of mass infestations, they can lead to toxic poisoning and even death. Therefore, you should know what worms are, what they look like in the body and how to overcome the acquired disease.
Doctors have already studied many "uninvited guests" in the body of animals and humans that overload the immune system and are able to make holes in blood vessels by biting them. This causes serious consequences in the form of erosions and other diseases, so helminthic infestations must be treated first.
Types of worms
Among the numerous types of helminths, 3 classes of worms can cause the greatest damage to the body: flukes, roundworms and tapeworms. Let's see what these worms look like in humans.
Roundworms
The class of roundworms is commonly called nematodes. This is one of the most common types of worms that infect the human body. However, in addition to parasitic nematodes, there are also free-living nematodes, so they are not found in the human body.
The photo shows the body of nematodes, which is characterized by a round shape, which is why they have been added to the class of roundworms. They have a thin and elongated body, and the ends are pointed on both sides.
During examination, the following worms of this class are most often found in the human body: whipworms, roundworms, trichinella (Trichinella) and pinworm. These types of worms in humans can be seen in the photo.
Male roundwormsthey have a shorter body length than females. Females can grow up to 40 centimeters. Roundworms are localized in the intestines, poisoning the body with toxic substances. When there is a large accumulation of parasites within this cavity, they are able to close the lumen of the intestine and obstruct the passage. If you refuse treatment, the invasion can lead to death, because unnecessary substances in the body will no longer be eliminated, and toxic poisoning will reach its limit.
PinwormsThey bark less compared to roundworms. The length of their body does not exceed 1 cm. These representatives reproduce actively, because living in the small intestine and rectum they have access to the anus, and crawling out of it, the females lay larvae on the intrafemoral part, the anus, between the buttocks. At one time, one pinworm can lay up to 15, 000 eggs, causing skin irritation. Then the infected person begins to scratch the irritant, contributing to the spread of helminths to others. Most often, pinworms are found in children, therefore, in preschool and school institutions, institutions with a large number of people, an examination of worm eggs is required.
Whipwormis an equally dangerous parasite, because the females of this helminth lay 3, 000-4. 000 eggs per day. When the worm reaches sexual maturity, it has a thread-like front end, which makes up 2/3 of the body length, and a thick grey-pink rear end, with transverse stripes. The average length of helminths is 3-5 cm. The tails of female and male representatives differ: in females, it is characterized by bending, and in males, it is spiral-shaped.
The danger of whipworm infection is that this worm penetrates the mucous membrane and deep layers. It can affect smooth muscle and feed on tissue fluid.
Trichinais a particularly dangerous parasite that lives inside the muscles and intestinal walls of humans. Visually, the worm looks like a long, twisted thread, reaching 4. 5 mm and 1. 6 mm in diameter. The vital activity of such a helminth can lead to the death of the carrier if therapeutic measures are not taken in time.
Flukes
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Many people are interested in what parasites in the human body (photo) of the fluke class look like. In medical practice, they are nicknamed trematodes, but the most interesting thing is that they do not suck anything from the body, but feed on mucus, blood and what the worms pass through the affected area. Trematodes can grow up to 1. 5 meters in length, and are found not only in the intestines, but also in other organs (even in the conjunctival sac).
However, fluke worms are able to cling to the walls of the intestine and thus resist accidental excretion along with feces. These parasites have a functional digestive tract and reproductive system, but the respiratory and circulatory systems function at a minimal level.
Tapeworms
Tapeworms- a class of flatworms, which is divided into tapeworms and tapeworms. These individuals rarely enter the human body directly. Most often, infection with them occurs because a person eats fish infected with these parasites, but in animals they appear only in the larval stage, and they reach maturity inside an individual that has a backbone.
Parasites of this class have a special anatomical structure of the body, so that the head of the worm serves only to attach to the intestinal wall, and this worm feeds on the whole body. The food of their host serves as food for tapeworms, but the helminth is not digested by gastric juice, it releases a substance called antikinase.
Despite the similarity of these worms, it is necessary to distinguish between them when making a diagnosis in order to establish the correct method of treatment.
Tapeworms have 2 teats on their heads, which allows them to securely attach to the intestinal wall, unlike tapeworms, which have 4 attached teeth. The length of the tapeworm's body can reach 18 meters, and it occupies the entire length of the small intestine.
How can you get infected with these worms?
The spread of helminths begins with stage 1, which is characterized by the entry of helminth eggs into the human body. They then hatch, becoming larvae (stage 2), and move around the body until they settle in organs or systems, but most often remain in the intestines. In stage 3, the worms are no longer able to migrate throughout the body, but are quite capable of multiplying and infecting a healthy population.
Despite the variety of worms and their characteristics, infestations can be combined. This indicates the possibility of simultaneous stay in the digestive tract or organs of different types of worms, without interfering with each other.
Worm infection can happen in 3 ways:
- From person to person.
- Across the country.
- When you follow a raw diet and eat poorly processed foods, especially vegetables and fruits, herbs.
Signs of infection
The signs of infection with helminths can be very different, but first of all, you should start with the stage of infection:
- Acute. It lasts no longer than 20 days. In this case, extensive allergic reactions of unknown origin are observed. This is due to the response of the immune system to the stimulus. Allergy causes a skin rash, and clinical blood tests show that the level of eosinophils is higher than normal.
- Acquired. The disease in this stage can develop during 2-3 years. In this case, the symptoms depend on the organ in which the parasites live, their number and how much they have damaged the tissue walls or body systems. In severe situations, they cause inflammation, and fast-growing species can have fatal consequences.
It is very important to know what parasites of any kind look like, because sometimes dead adults can be transmitted along with feces, and then, based on the description of their appearance, you can speed up the diagnosis and quickly choose a treatment method.
Timely detection of helminths plays an important role in human life, because not all parasites are able to exist practically harmlessly in the body. It is recommended that the whole family be examined by a doctor at least 1-2 times a year, wash their hands before eating, eat only well-processed food and use folk antihelmintic drugs for prevention: clove powder or wormwood, walnut bark tincture.