Types of parasites in the human body

Scientists suggest that about 2/3 of the world's population is affected by this or that parasitic disease. Among the various parasites in the human body, there are the most dangerous ones, which not only cause discomfort to the patient, but can also provoke the appearance of dangerous complications, up to and including death. In our article we will tell you everything about parasites, that is, we will describe the most terrible parasites and list the symptoms of the most dangerous helminthiases.

Varieties of parasites

There are different types of worms and protozoa that live in the human body:

1. Helminths. These worms most often live in the intestines, but it is possible that they settle in the liver, brain, lungs, heart, kidneys, muscles and other organs. Worms provoke dangerous diseases and complications.
2. Parasitic protozoa and multicellular (protozoal parasites). These pests are common in different latitudes. These protozoan human parasites can infect the intestines, eyes, brain, esophagus, heart, muscles, as well as nerves, liver, skin, and even the genitourinary system. The most common protozoan parasites living in humans are lichens, lamblia, toxoplasma, Trichomonas, blastocysts, etc.
3. Other organisms that are also parasites for humans are lice, bugs, ticks, fly larvae. Their name is ectoparasites. They can parasitize not only on the surface of the skin, but also in wounds, hair follicles and eyelashes.
4. Other parasites are species that more commonly affect the subcutaneous tissue, but can parasitize in the urethra and nasopharynx. These are the larvae of some flies, mosquitoes, sand fleas.

We have listed the main types of parasites in humans. But if we talk about what types of parasites live in the human body in our latitudes, then the most terrible of them are the following:

• pork tapeworm;
• wide ribbon;
• pinworms;
• Chinese fluke;
• roundworm;
• fluke;
• Trichinella;
• alveococcus;
• whipworm
• dwarf tapeworm;
• bullish tapeworm;
• liver fluke;
• pulmonary fluke;
• echinococcus.

The diseases they cause

The most dangerous parasites living in the human body can provoke a variety of diseases. Very often, an ailment provoked by a particular parasite bears the same name as it does. Thus, various types of parasites in the human body can cause the following diseases:

• certain parasites inside a person (flukes) provoke trematodes;
• cestodoses occur when tapeworms are affected;
• if an adult or a child has roundworms in the intestines, then nematodes are diagnosed;
• leeches cause hirudinosis;
• Anthocephalosis is provoked by scratching.

However, parasites in the human body can infect more than one organ. Depending on the localization of parasites in the human body, the following parasitic diseases are distinguished:

1. If the eyes are affected, onchocerciasis, demodicosis, cysticercosis and myiasis may occur;
2. Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, which are caused by unicellular parasites and helminths, - ascariasis, trichinosis, ankylostomiasis, enterobiasis, intestinal myiasis and metagonimiasis;
3. Diseases of the brain - echinococcosis, toxoplasmosis, alveococcosis and cysticercosis;
4. Dermatological diseases - demodicosis, head lice, scabies, pulicosis, thrombidiasis, phthiriasis;
5. Lung pathologies - echinococcosis, ascariasis, acariasis, alveococcosis, tominxosis, etc. ;
6. Liver diseases - opisthorchiasis, alveococcosis, echinococcosis, clonorchiasis;
7. In the mouth, ears and mouth, parasites can cause different types of myiasis;
8. Heart pathologies - dirofilariasis and echinococcosis;
9. Diseases of the genitourinary system - alveococcosis, urate myiasis, echinococcosis;
10. Vascular pathologies - filariasis and schistosomiasis.

Symptoms

What are the parasites in the human body, we have considered. Now let's look at the main symptoms that are caused by the simplest human parasites and various types of worms. It is worth noting that cysts of pathogenic worms and protozoa often become the cause of infection, which can stay in the external environment for a long time, waiting for the right moment. When in favorable conditions of the internal environment of a person, larvae emerge from the cysts, which actively develop to adults.

Separately, it is worth explaining what cysts are. Most often, cysts form the simplest unicellular organisms, bacteria and protists. Protozoa cysts are a temporary form of an organism's existence in adverse conditions. In fact, it is a protective shell. Cyst formation occurs at a certain stage in the life cycle of the parasite or in unfavorable conditions.

Ascariasis

The disease is provoked by roundworms. These parasites can live exclusively in the human intestine. The complex of symptoms depends on the intensity of the invasion and the age of the patient. Common signs of the disease are:

• itchy allergic rash (like a vesicular or urticarial rash);
• febrile state;
• general malaise;
• excessive sweating;
• weakness;
• enlarged liver;
• in the migratory stage: shortness of breath, cough, wheezing in the lungs;
• loss of appetite;
• diarrhea and constipation;
• nausea;
• from the side of the central nervous system: irritability, impairment of sleep and memory, convulsions, meningitis;
• liver abscess, obstructive jaundice, appendicitis, pancreatitis and obstruction can develop with massive invasion.

Teniarinhoz

This disease causes bovine tapeworm. At the initial stage, the disease is asymptomatic and can last for years. Sooner or later, the following symptoms appear:

• heaviness in the epigastrium;
• nausea, heartburn;
• increased salivation;
• gagging;
• appendicitis, intestinal obstruction, blockage of the bile ducts;
• loss of body weight against the background of increased appetite;
• vitamin deficiency;

• allergic reactions;
• dizziness, weakness, sleep disturbance, increased nervousness and irritability;
• arterial hypertension and tachycardia.

Enterobiasis

Pinworms cause this disease. This is the most common parasitic disease. Its symptoms are as follows:

• itching in the anus, worse at night;
• scratching and redness in this area;
• sleep suffers, bruxism, drowsiness, lethargy appear;
• loss of appetite;
• abdominal pain, urinary incontinence in children;
• unstable stools, nausea, flatulence, vomiting;
• allergic reactions.

Toxocariasis

Toxocara worms can parasitize in various tissues and organs of a person. But regardless of the place of localization, they always cause allergic reactions in the body, proceeding according to the following type:

1. Skin rash resembling mosquito bites. The rash can appear on various parts of the body.
2. Bronchial asthma, manifested as a dry persistent cough with a small amount of sputum.
3. Quincke's edema. A person has swelling of the skin on the face and neck, which can lead to suffocation and death.

With exacerbation of toxocariasis, the patient's temperature rises, symptoms of intoxication with loss of appetite and headaches appear, lymph nodes increase.

Necatorosis (hookworm)

This disease is caused by helminths called nekator and hookworm. The invasion is manifested by the following complex of symptoms:

1. When the larvae are introduced through the skin, dermatitis, urticaria, and various rashes appear. At the site of penetration, there is swelling, itching and burning. The invasive period lasts up to 12 days.
2. The migratory stage is also accompanied by allergic manifestations. In this case, the respiratory tract is injured, and bronchitis, pneumonia, tracheitis and laryngitis occur. The patient has a fever, cough, shortness of breath and a hoarse voice.
3. In a couple of months, the intestinal stage of the disease begins. At this stage, symptoms of iron deficiency anemia and duodenitis are present. The patient has increased irritability, fatigue and sleep disturbance. Women have menstrual irregularities.

Important! In childhood, hookworm infection can cause mental and physical retardation.

Giardiasis

Giardia is a parasitic protozoal disease. A quarter of the population has an asymptomatic carriage of this microorganism. In the acute stage, the following signs appear:

• malfunctions in the gastrointestinal tract;
• the patient is tormented by pain in the right hypochondrium and the area around the navel;
• flatulence, decreased appetite, belching, nausea are observed;
• diarrhea alternates with constipation, there may be frequent (up to 5 times) foamy stools;
• with a subacute course, intestinal symptoms persist, the patient loses weight;
• with massive invasion intoxication and fever;
• children have pruritus, hives and fainting;
• during coprogramme cysts of protozoa are found in feces.

Amoebiasis

The disease is provoked by a histological amoeba. The disease can be asymptomatic or symptomatic. There are two forms of the disease: extraintestinal and intestinal. These protozoa can affect the brain, lungs, skin, and the genitourinary system. But the most common is intestinal amebiasis. Its symptoms are as follows:

• at the beginning of the disease, diarrhea appears with profuse foamy stools, then jelly-like feces, like raspberry jelly, come out. Their frequency is up to 20 times a day;
• severe pain is localized on the right side of the abdomen;
• slight subfebrile condition;
• after 6 weeks the acute process may decline;
• examination can reveal protozoa in feces.

Important! Amoebiasis never goes away on its own and often relapses. If untreated, an amoeba is formed, which leads to intestinal obstruction.

Diphyllobothriasis

The broad tapeworm is the culprit of this disease. This representative of cestodes causes the following clinical picture of the disease:

• weight loss, erratic stools, decreased appetite;
• low temperature;
• fatigue;
• cramping abdominal pain;
• anemia, weakness, dizziness, increased heart rate;
• fragments of the worm can be found in the feces;
• painful cracks appear in the mouth;
• depression and increased irritability.

Teniosis

The disease is caused by the pork tapeworm. The parasite is localized in the small intestine and causes the following symptoms:

• constipation, vomiting, diarrhea, nausea;
• vomit and feces may contain segments (proglottids) of the parasite;
• anal itching, abdominal pain;
• sleep suffers, dizziness appears.

Echinococcosis

Echinococcus can be asymptomatic for a long time. Then pains appear in the area of formation of an echinococcal cyst. Usually, the symptoms are characteristic of neoplasms of a particular organ. When the cyst ruptures, general intoxication, anaphylactic shock, and urticaria appear.

Types of parasites that live in the human body

All types of parasites in the human body have a detrimental effect on its health. They infect organs, feed on nutrients that are needed for human life, and release harmful toxic substances. Therefore, it is so important to get rid of them in a timely manner.

The human body is affected by various parasites, some live inside the body, others on its surface. They differ in size, in the way they enter the body, in the characteristics of their vital functions.

What parasites live in the human body? How to get rid of them? What preventive measures are there? These issues will be discussed below.

Classification of parasites

Human parasites are very common, they are divided into groups:

1. Endoparasitesare organisms that parasitize inside a person. This group, in turn, is divided into protozoa (consist of a single cell) and helminths (worms). The simplest parasitic in the human body are amoeba, lamblia, Trichomonas, toxoplasma. As for the worms, here again there is a division into round worms (nematodes), flat and tapeworms.
2. Ectoparasitesare organisms that parasitize on the surface of the human body - lice, ticks, fleas, bedbugs. In addition to the fact that they feed on human blood, cause great discomfort (bites, burning, skin wounds), they carry quite dangerous diseases: typhus, anthrax, trypanosomiasis and others.

1. Giardia.Giardiasis infection is a fecal-oral mechanism. After cysts (not yet formed parasites, covered with a protective membrane) are removed from the anus of a sick person, they spread to vegetables, fruits and other food products. Through poorly washed hands, stagnant water, insufficiently washed fruits and vegetables, cysts enter the human oral cavity, from where they safely reach the intestines, where they again turn into an adult and multiply again. The result is a vicious cycle that will continue until adequate treatment is provided and hygiene measures are followed. The symptoms of the disease are weakness, fatigue, headache, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and bloating. Itching in the anus, skin rashes, bronchial asthma may occur. The pathology is characterized by weight loss, anemia, and weakening of the immune system. Treatment - Metronidazole, Furazolidone, Tinidazole. The dosage is prescribed by the doctor.
2. Toxoplasma.Infection with these protozoa occurs through contact with infected pets. In this case, a person is an intermediate host, since the cycle of sexual development of the parasite occurs in the animal's body. The disease is manifested by a prolonged increase in temperature to subfebrile levels, general signs of intoxication, the patient has enlarged lymph nodes, joint and muscle pains appear. Also, the functions of the gastrointestinal tract and the visual are disrupted, the central nervous system may suffer, there are signs of heart disease and the endocrine system. Complex treatment is prescribed - antibiotics of the tetracycline group and sulfonamides.
3. Trichomonas.Trichomonas is sexually transmitted, the risk of infection by contact is minimal, but still there. Symptoms of the disease in women are itching, redness of the genitals, burning sensation and foamy discharge. Men may have difficulty urinating and have discharge. Treatment - anti-trichomonas drugs.

Pinworm is an intestinal parasite

The most famous internal parasites are pinworms. They live in the intestines and cause a disease called enterobiasis. This type of parasite affects not only humans, but also monkeys. Risk group - children of preschool age, according to statistics, enterobiasis is diagnosed in half of children from 2 to 10 years old.

Worms are transmitted from person to person, you can get infected through any objects that a sick person used, or through a handshake. The main condition for the transfer of pinworm eggs is not washed hands after contact, especially before eating. Worms, or rather their eggs, can be carried by flies and cockroaches.

Pinworms can only live in the intestines, they are especially comfortable in the thin section, in the colon and cecum. For mating, the parasites select the ileum, from where the female crawls out through the anus and lays eggs in the anus. The symptoms of pinworms in the body are itching in the anus, allergies, fatigue, anemia, abdominal pain, exhaustion.

Levamisole, mebendazole, albendazole and other anthelmintic drugs are prescribed for the treatment of enterobiasis. Pinworm prevention is based on hand hygiene. They must be washed after visiting any public places.

Roundworms - roundworms

The length of an adult can reach 40 cm. Roundworms live in the human intestine, their eggs are hatched naturally, then they continue their development in the soil, where they remain until they enter the human body again. Dirty hands and unwashed vegetables and fruits are ways of infection with roundworms. Roundworm eggs are covered with a shell that does not dissolve in the human stomach and allows roundworms to survive and get into the intestines, where mature individuals develop.

Ascariasis can be asymptomatic for a long time. Then symptoms appear, which depend on the location and phase of development of the parasite. In the first, migratory phase of ascariasis, the patient is worried about fever, cough with sputum, skin rashes, migraines, enlarged lymph nodes, liver and spleen may appear. In the late phase, when the parasite already enters the intestines, stool disorders are observed (dysentery, cholera-like symptoms, signs of typhoid fever may occur). There are painful sensations in the abdomen, a sharp weight loss, and fatigue.

Wide ribbon

Infection with this parasite occurs through fish. This is the intermediate host of the worm. It is not necessary to eat for infection, sometimes just contact with infected fish is enough. That is why it is so important to handle the hands, knife, board very carefully after cutting the fish.

Neither worms nor their larvae are transmitted from a sick person to a healthy person. Symptoms of infection are nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, increased or decreased appetite, dyspeptic disorders. The first signs of the disease may appear a month or two after infection. As a result of the long-term presence of the parasite in the human body, pallor of the skin, headache, increased heart rate, decreased blood pressure, weakness, anemia occur. Treatment is aimed at killing the worm. To do this, use Praziquantel, Niclosamide.

Bull tapeworm

Bovine tapeworm can grow up to 12 m in length. It is a hermaphrodite that can produce over 100, 000 eggs, which are excreted in excrement. Eggs fall into the soil, then onto plants, these plants are eaten by cattle. In the body of an animal, eggs become larvae, which are localized in the muscles. If a person eats contaminated beef, the larvae enter the intestines. Larvae are not transmitted from person to person.

Adult worms have a head with four suction cups, a neck, and a body consisting of segments. The number of segments is constantly growing, mature segments can separate from the worm and crawl out of the human intestine.

Symptoms of the disease are nausea, vomiting, dyspeptic disorders, increased salivation, dizziness, weakness, nervousness, fatigue, abdominal pain of uncertain localization, allergies, fluctuations in appetite.

In order to remove the bovine tapeworm from the body, there is a scheme consisting of 3 stages: preparatory (cleansing the body), treatment with antiparasitic drugs (Biltricid, Praziquantel, Niclosamide), recovery (diet, herbal medicine).

Pork tapeworm

A person can become infected with pork tapeworm through dirty hands, poorly cooked meat, dirty water, an infected person can release tapeworm segments and larvae into the environment with vomit and feces. The worm can live in the human body up to 15-17 years, it sticks to the intestinal mucosa, and its larvae can spread throughout the body with blood flow and attach to any organs. It is especially dangerous if the larva enters the brain.

Pigs are the intermediate host; people who have frequent contact with raw meat are most at risk of contracting this parasite. Pork chain can be infected both by contact and by eating insufficiently heat-treated meat. In order for all the larvae of the pork tapeworm to be destroyed in the meat, the meat must either be cooked for a long time or frozen for 2-3 weeks.

Pork tapeworm can affect the small intestine, liver, brain, visual organs, muscles, etc. If the tapeworm affects vital organs, then a person may experience paralysis or even death.

Pork tapeworm symptoms: allergic reactions, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, weakness, dizziness, headache, weight loss, itching in the anus. The worm infects the intestinal mucosa, so the symptoms are very similar to enteritis.

Treatment consists in taking drugs that have a paralyzing effect on the worm, as a result of which it cannot stay on the intestinal walls and exit. But at the same time, it emits a large amount of toxic substances, which can cause anaphylactic shock in a person. Therefore, treatment should only be carried out under the supervision of a physician.

Parasites in the mouth

Parasites in the human mouth can most often be represented by the following species:

• Trichomonas;
• mouth amoeba;
• Diptera larvae (oral myiasis).

The clinical picture may be as follows:

• allergies;
• weakness, weight loss;
• fetid odor from the mouth;
• sensation of movement in the larynx;
• itching and perspiration;
• nausea, loss of energy.

Worms that live in the mouth can destroy teeth, create purulent deposits on the mucous membrane and tongue. Treatment is prescribed only by a doctor who takes into account the existing symptoms, as well as the types of parasites. A prerequisite for treatment is the examination of all people in contact with the patient.

Summary

Above, not all were considered, even the most common parasites that can inhabit the human body. It is important to understand the great danger of that neighborhood: worms in a person can cause very serious consequences and ultimately cause the death of their owner. Therefore, it is very important to timely diagnose parasites and get rid of them. As for preventive measures, they mainly consist in hygiene and high-quality roasting of meat eaten.