Based on statistics, it has been proven that more than a billion people are infected with helminths, popularly called worms. However, these indicators are conditional, as they were established based on the number of people who sought help from specialists who diagnosed helminth infestation.
In life, everyone encounters worms at least once in their life (regardless of age and gender), but many are simply not aware of their infection and continue to transmit worms to others. In the initial stages of infection, they do not cause discomfort, but in 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 studied many "unwanted guests" in the bodies of animals and people who overload the immune system and are capable of gnawing holes in blood vessels. This causes serious consequences in the form of erosions and other diseases, which is why helminthic infestations must be treated first.
Types of worms
Among the numerous varieties of helminths, the greatest damage can be caused to the body by 3 classes of worms: pinworms, roundworms and tapeworms. Let's see what these worms look like in humans.
Roundworms
The roundworm class 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, therefore they are not found in the human body.
In the photo you can see the body of nematodes, which is characterized by a round shape, which is why they were added to the roundworm class. They have a thin and elongated body, and their ends are pointed on both sides.
During examination, the following worms of this class are most often found in the human body: whipworm, roundworm, 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 located 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 intestinal lumen and prevent permeability. If you refuse treatment, the invasion can lead to death, as unnecessary substances from the body will no longer be eliminated and toxic poisoning will reach its limit.
EarthwormsThey bark in smaller size compared to roundworms. The body length does not exceed 1 cm. These representatives actively reproduce, since living in the small intestine and rectum, they have access to the anus and, crawling out of it, the females deposit larvae in the intrafemoral part, the anus, between the buttocks. At one time, an individual moth can lay up to 15, 000 eggs, creating skin irritation. Then the infected person begins to scratch the irritant, contributing to the spread of helminths to other people. Most often, pinworms are found in children, therefore, in preschool and school institutions, institutions with large crowds of people, an examination for worm eggs is necessary.
WhipwormIt is an equally dangerous parasite, because females of this helminth lay 3, 000 to 4, 000 eggs daily. When the worm reaches sexual maturity, it has a thread-like anterior end, making up 2/3 of the body length, and a thick, gray-pink posterior end with transverse stripes. The average length of a helminth is 3 to 5 cm. The tails of female and male representatives differ: in females it is characterized by a curve, and in males it is in the form of a spiral.
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 this helminth can lead to the death of the carrier if therapeutic measures are not taken in time.
Worms
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Many people are interested in knowing what the parasites of the human body (photo) from the chance class look like. In medical practice, they are called trematodes, but the most interesting thing is that they do not suck anything from the body, but feed on mucus, blood and whatever passes through the area affected by the worms. Trematodes can grow up to 1. 5 meters in length and are located not only in the intestines, but also in other organs (even in the conjunctival sac).
However, worms from the pinworm class are able to adhere to the intestinal walls and thus resist accidental excretion along with feces. These parasites have a functional digestive tract and reproductive system, but their 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 due to the consumption of fish infected with these parasites by a person, but in animals they occur only in the larval stage and reach maturity inside an individual that has a backbone.
Parasites of this class have a special anatomical structure of the body, so the head of the worm serves only for attachment to the intestinal wall, and this worm receives nutrition throughout the body. Its host's food serves as food for tapeworms, but the helminth is not digested by gastric juice, as it releases a substance called antikinase.
Despite the similarity of these worms, at the time of diagnosis it is essential to distinguish them to establish the correct treatment method.
Tapeworms have 2 suction cups on their heads, which allows them to securely attach to the intestinal wall, unlike representatives - tapeworms, which have 4 adherent teeth. The tapeworm's body length can reach 18 meters and occupy the entire length of the small intestine.
How can you get infected by these worms?
The spread of helminths begins in phase 1, characterized by the entry of helminth eggs into the human body. They then hatch, becoming larvae (phase 2), and move throughout the body until they settle in organs or systems, but most of the time they remain in the intestines. In phase 3, the worms are no longer able to migrate throughout the body, but are able to multiply and infect a healthy population.
Despite the variety of worms and their characteristics, the infestation can be combined. This indicates the possibility of simultaneous residence in the digestive tract or organs of different types of worms, without interfering with each other.
Worm infection can occur in 3 ways:
- From person to person.
- Through the floor.
- When following a raw food diet and consuming poorly processed foods, especially vegetables and fruits, herbs.
Signs of infection
Signs of helminth infection can be very different, but first of all you should start with the stage of infection:
- Acute. It does not last more than 20 days. In this case, extensive allergic reactions of unknown origin are observed. This is due to the immune system's response to a stimulus. The allergy causes a rash and clinical blood tests show higher than normal eosinophil levels.
- Acquired. The disease at this stage can develop over 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 walls of the body's tissues or systems. In serious situations, they cause inflammation and fast-growing species can have fatal consequences.
It is very important to know what any type of parasite looks like, because sometimes dead adults can be transmitted along with feces, and based on the description of their appearance, you can speed up the diagnosis and quickly select a treatment method.
Timely detection of helminths plays an important role in human life, because not all parasites are able to exist practically harmlessly inside the body. The whole family is recommended to be examined by a doctor at least 1-2 times a year, wash your hands before eating, eat only well-processed foods and use folk anthelmintic remedies for prevention: clove or wormwood powder, tincture of walnut shell.