Types of Human Worms: What types of worms are there?

Anyone, regardless of age, gender and status, can become a host and habitat for parasitic microorganisms. Although the word "host" is a heavy word, it is because it is a bug that lives in the human body, absorbs nutrients and energy from the human body, poisons the body, harms the body, and causes many negative symptoms.According to the World Health Organization, the vast majority of people suffer from at least one parasite. And, generally speaking, there are over seventy species that can choose the human body as their home.Some people believe that parasites only live in the intestines, while everyone remembers pinworms - small, white worms. But in reality, worms are able to penetrate any internal organ or system, disrupting its functioning, which is dangerous not only to human health but also to his life.It is necessary to consider what types of worms there are and which ones are the most common? In the meantime, find out what symptoms indicate their presence, and what treatments can help cope with the disease while causing the least harm to your health?

Types of worms and their classification

There are more than 300 species of parasites in the world, belonging to different classes and groups of microorganisms. In our country, only 70 species are found, and from this number we can pick out 10 species, which are present in the vast majority of cases.Parasites can be divided into two categories based on their parasitic properties: intestinal worms and tissue worms.The first group makes its home in the human intestine and may include pinworms, roundworms, lamblia, hookworms, whipworms, bovine tapeworms, pork tapeworms, and tapeworms.Tissue groups include flukes, trichinella spiralis, liver flukes, echinococcosis, and aspermococci. They can colonize any internal human organ and live there for years.Depending on the life cycle of the parasite (and the source of infection), it can be divided into the following types:

• Biological helminths - the eggs and larvae of this group of parasites mature in animal organisms (cattle, dogs, cats) or insects (mosquitoes, flies). that is, human infection occurs directly from them. And transmission from one person to another is impossible.
• Soil Worms – The eggs and larvae of this group of parasites mature only in the soil (i. e. outside the human body).
• Exposure to parasites – Infections are passed directly from sick to healthy people (via handshakes, household items, bedding, etc. ).

Types of worms are divided into the following varieties according to category:

1. Round parasites (nematodes) come in different sizes and appearances, and always have different sexes. These include pinworms and roundworms (pictured).
2. Tapeworms, or flat (ribbon-shaped) worms, are long worms that feed through their own skin. These include the bovine and pork tapeworms (very common) and the Echinococcus tapeworm (pictured).
3. Flukes or trematodes - Opiozoria, schistosomiasis and some other types of parasitic microorganisms.

Tapeworms and flukes are always parasites, but there are more than 10, 000 species of roundworms, only some of which can live in the human body.

Brief characteristics of common parasites

When pinworms invade the human body, they cause a disease called pinwormiasis. They look like small, round worms, white or yellowish in color, with a maximum size of one centimeter. They penetrate the body and settle in the intestines. Worms are contact parasites, meaning they can be passed from sick to healthy people. At night, the female crawls out of the intestines and lays eggs. Therefore, the main symptom of this disease is unbearable itching in the anal area.The life cycle of pinworms is 4 to 6 months. They can only be eliminated when the last larva dies. Parasite eggs have amazing vitality and can adapt to any adverse conditions.The most common parasites found in humans include the following types:

1. Ascariasis (Ascariasis).
2. Toxocariasis (Toxocariasis).
3. Whipworm (trichocephalosis).
4. Trichinosis (trichinellosis).
5. Tapeworm or cattle tapeworm (taeniarinhoz).
6. Pork tapeworm (diseases - taeniasis, cysticercosis).

Medical statistics show that tapeworms are quite common and can cause diseases such as diye filariasis, echinococcosis, feline flukes and giardiasis.All parasites have a negative impact on the human body during their life cycle, and the symptoms of each disease vary significantly.

It is important to note that treatment also depends on the type of parasitic microorganism, the intensity of the worm infestation and the number of worms that have invaded the body.

Roundworm, Toxocara

Human roundworms are large, round worms with curved ends (like hooks). Sizes range from 50cm to 1m long and approximately 6cm in diameter.The length of the male is always much shorter than the length of the female. Generally, the size of male parasites does not exceed 25 centimeters. Roundworm larvae are relatively small. As the helminth infection intensifies, the roundworms are able to multiply as quickly as possible, forming balls of parasites in the intestines.Roundworms (pictured) are soil worms. The eggs can pass from the ground into the small intestine, over time they transform into larvae, which under favorable circumstances are able to penetrate the circulatory system and from there move through the blood to all internal organs - lungs, heart, kidneys, cerebral hemispheres, skin, eyes.If the larvae colonize the lungs, they destroy the alveoli and enter the bronchi, then enter the mouth along with bronchial secretions and finally enter the intestine again. In this way, secondary infection can occur. Adult worms can lay thousands of eggs per day and survive in the human body for several years. Symptoms of ascariasis:

• General malaise and weakness.
• Tension increases.
• Increased body temperature.
• Shortness of breath, dry cough.
• Pain in the sternum area.

Treatment for ascariasis involves an initial cleansing of the body; doctors recommend taking laxatives and adsorbents to help remove the parasite's waste products. Anthelmintics are then prescribed based on the patient's age, weight and the intensity of the worm infestation.It is recommended to treat roundworms with medications designed to eliminate them.Toxocara is a round parasite (pictured) that is yellow in color and can be up to 10 centimeters in length. Infection occurs through contact with animals; in the vast majority of cases, you can get it from cats and dogs. Female parasites are capable of releasing up to 250, 000 eggs per day. Worm eggs enter the body through the mouth and eventually enter the intestines. Their life cycle is comparable to that of roundworms; they are also able to enter the circulatory system and then various internal organs.In humans, worm larvae cannot develop into adult worms; their maturation occurs only in the animal's intestines. In the human body, the larvae can survive for up to 10 years. The symptoms of toxocariasis vary greatly, it all depends on which organ the larvae have colonized. Common symptoms of the disease include:

1. Allergic reaction, manifested by rash, itching, and redness of the skin.
2. Shortness of breath and difficulty breathing.
3. A dry cough develops.
4. Dry wheezing when breathing.

The acute form of the disease has more "traditional" symptoms, including weakness and apathy, fever, increased body temperature, joint and muscle pain, headache, and dizziness.Treatment of toxocariasis begins with symptomatic therapy, which directly affects the cause of the disease, the parasite larvae. Next, medications are recommended to restore the function of the affected organs and systems.

Whipworm, Trichinella spiralis

In appearance, whipworms are slender worms, approximately 3 to 5 centimeters in length and as diameter as a human hair. It has a sharp end by which it is anchored to the intestinal mucosa.Worms can invade the body from the soil and then move to the intestines, where they form larvae. Usually, this parasite settles in the cecum and appendix area. It can survive in the human body for 3 to 4 years.The hallmark of this parasitic infection is that the disease can be asymptomatic. However, there are some "classic" symptoms most commonly confused with respiratory illness - cough, fever, nausea.Whipworms reduce the body's defenses, therefore, against the background of an infection, secondary infections can occur, significantly worsening the patient's condition. The clinical symptoms are as follows:

• Pale skin.
• Weakness, nausea.
• Gastrointestinal diseases.
• Abdominal pain syndrome.
• There is blood mixed in the stool.
• Increased irritability and convulsions.
• Headache, dizziness.

Usually, detection of parasites in the early stages of infection is quite rare. But treatment must be comprehensive. It includes narrow-spectrum anthelmintics, analgesics and antispasmodics that specifically target whipworms.Trichinella spiralis is a small worm no more than 5 mm in length. Refers to biological worms that are transmitted between predators and domestic animals. Parasites can enter the human body along with animal meat.Female Trichinella spiralis eventually enters the human small intestine, where the reproductive process proceeds and new larvae emerge. These larvae enter the circulatory system and can spread throughout the body through the bloodstream. Trichinella spiralis' "favorite" local area is skeletal muscle, where it can survive for up to 5 years. On days 8-10 of infection, patients will experience the first symptoms:

1. There is pain in the abdomen.
2. Often nauseated.
3. Vomiting, damage to the digestive tract.
4. Loss of appetite.

As the larvae travel throughout the body, the above symptoms become more pronounced, with additional joint and muscle pain and allergic reactions (hives, itching, rash). If treatment is not initiated promptly, the disease can cause complications in the cardiovascular system, central nervous system, and respiratory system.

Treatment includes anthelmintics as well as symptomatic treatment to combat allergy symptoms. When the temperature is high, it is recommended to take antipyretic drugs. Typically, treatment takes place in a hospital setting.

Beef and pork tapeworms

The bovine tapeworm can grow up to thirty meters in size, has a small head and thousands of segments on its body. The parasite has 6 hooks on its head. Worm larvae develop inside the cow. It can enter the body through raw meat that has not been heat treated.Throughout its life cycle, it remains in the small intestine, where it forms new segments. Then they form, from which eggs are obtained. Each section contains up to 100, 000 eggs.This parasite feeds on the entire surface of the body and can survive in the human body for up to 10 years. Common symptoms of the disease include:

• Systemic abdominal pain.
• nausea.
• Loss of appetite and vomiting.
• Weight loss.
• Increased gas formation.
• Requires up to 5 bowel movements per day.

Treatment includes improving a healthy diet, creating a hostile environment for parasitic microorganisms to live, and deworming medications. Take the tablets according to the regimen recommended by your doctor. After taking the medicine, the parasites die and are naturally excreted in the feces.The appearance of the pork tapeworm is similar to that of the cattle tapeworm, but the length is different and can be up to 5 meters long. Infection can occur through the consumption of raw meat as well as from sick people. The life cycle of tapeworms is 20-30 years. This parasite can cause two diseases:

1. Cysticercosis, when larvae enter the body.
2. Taeniasis - adults "live" in the body.

Cysticercosis occurs against the background of severe headaches, epileptic seizures, various rashes on the skin, and pathological changes in the eyeballs are observed. Symptoms caused by adult parasites:

• Anaphylaxis, shortness of breath.
• Abdominal pain and difficulty in defecation.
• Loss of appetite and gastrointestinal disturbances.
• Sleep disturbance, nervousness, excitement.

Treatment of larvae is a lengthy process. Individual larvae are surgically eliminated, and anthelmintics are prescribed.To remove adult worms from the human body, narrow-spectrum antiparasitic drugs are used, which have harmful effects on specific types of parasites. After the tapeworm leaves the body, it needs to be examined to rule out the possibility of finding parts of its body in the intestines.Medical practice shows that it is much easier to cure parasitic diseases than to diagnose them early. In view of this situation, it is recommended to pay attention to subtle pathological changes in the body, seek medical treatment promptly, and receive appropriate treatment. The video in this article will tell you about the types of parasites in humans.