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What worms do humans have?

The cause of many diseases and poor health is helminth infection.Various worms can penetrate the human body.Their sizes vary from the smallest millimeters to 16-18 meters.By parasitizing all organs and tissues, they cause enormous damage to health.To protect yourself from invasion (infection), it is advisable to know what types of worms exist and understand how you can become infected with each type of parasite.

parasite of the human body

Types of worms: what parasites live in the human body

Depending on the location of parasitism in the body and the characteristics of the infection, parasites are divided into several classes.

Classification of worms according to their location in the human body:

  1. intestinalThey are worms that live in the gastrointestinal tract, mainly in the small intestine.Sometimes they penetrate other organs.This group includes tapeworms and roundworms.
  2. extraintestinal– develop, live and reproduce in various organs outside the intestine.They can be located in the lungs, eyes, brain and liver.This group includes flatworms.
human body worm

Classification of worms according to the method of entry into the human body:

  1. contagious– are transmitted to a healthy person from an infected person during contact.Another source of infection is household items: towels, toys.Representatives of this species are dwarf tapeworms and pinworms.
  2. Biohelminthosis– transmitted by contact with an animal, as a result of the consumption of contaminated meat that has not undergone sufficient heat treatment.To become potentially dangerous to humans, these parasites must live for a certain period in the body of an animal that is an intermediate host.This species includes bovine and porcine tapeworms.
  3. soil-transmitted helminthiasis– part of the life cycle takes place in the human body and another part in the soil.This is a necessary condition for its development.You can get infected through poorly washed fruits and vegetables.This group includes roundworms and trichinella.

Depending on their biological characteristics, helminths are divided into three types: roundworms, tapeworms and flukes.

had of the human body

Intestinal worms (nematodes)

Roundworms are so called because their body has a round cross section.These parasites are most often found in a child's body.This type includes:

  1. pinworms– They parasitize in the large intestine and also in the small intestine.The length of its body does not exceed 1 cm.Most often, helminthic pinworm infestation affects children.These parasites live between 1 and 2 months.If you strictly observe personal hygiene, you can be cured even without taking medications.If not followed, repeated self-infection is possible.
  2. intestinal worms– worms up to 45 cm long, which parasitize the small intestine.They can move freely within the intestines.Its useful life is 14 months.During this period, they release toxins into the blood, systematically poisoning the body.
  3. whipworm- worms, the body length of which is 3 to 4 cm.They parasitize in the colon and cecum, burrowing into their mucous membranes to suck blood.Very toxic.They live up to 5 years.
  4. Trichinella– a parasite with a length of 3 to 4 mm, which can become infected through meat that has not undergone insufficient heat treatment.Helminths live in different organs and settle in the muscles of the eyes, heart and lungs.Life expectancy is up to 2 years.
  5. Hookworm and necator– have the same biological characteristics, development cycle and method of parasitism, which is why they are combined under the same name “hookworms”.These helminths, 10 to 15 mm long, are located in the duodenum.They enter the human body through the skin upon contact with contaminated soil.They feed on blood by biting blood vessels, causing iron deficiency anemia.This parasite is difficult to identify.
trichinella of the human body

Tapeworms (cestodes)

The tapeworm has a flat body that is divided into segments.As the worm grows, the segments separate from the body and are excreted in the feces.These ribbon-shaped individuals can measure up to 20 m in length.They parasitize the intestines, where they adhere to its walls using suction cups.

To infect a person, tapeworms must go through one of the stages of development in an animal's body.

These parasites live in the body for years.Representatives of this group:

  1. had wide– reaches a length of up to 20 m.It parasitizes the small intestine, causing serious dysfunction of the digestive tract.You can become infected by eating freshwater fish meat and crayfish that have not been heat-treated.
  2. I had a bull- a helminth 6 to 12 m long.It lives in the small intestine, attached with suction cups to its mucosa.The source of infection is beef that has not undergone proper heat treatment.
  3. pork tapeworm– a parasite up to 2 m long that enters the body through raw or poorly processed pork.It adheres to the walls of the small intestine.
  4. echinococcus– a parasite that can be infected from cats and dogs.A person is an intermediate host for this helminth, therefore, when entering the body, the larvae penetrate the tissues, any organs and form echinococcal cysts.They can only be removed surgically.
  5. alveococcus- a type of echinococcus.Very dangerous helminths that can live in any organ, but mainly parasitize the liver.They actively grow and develop according to the principle of cancer metastases, gradually infecting the entire body.Worms can be removed surgically.
human pig tapeworm

Trematodes (trematodes)

Trematodes are a type of worm that parasitizes any organ and tissue.They feed on epithelial cells.They reach a length of 1.5 m.The body is leaf-shaped.The route of infection is the consumption of raw fish and shellfish or after insufficient heat treatment.This type includes:

  1. liver fluke– a worm 7 to 20 mm long.It parasitizes the liver and bile ducts.It causes the development of serious diseases and functional disorders.
  2. chance– a worm 4 to 13 mm long, located in the gallbladder.
chance in the gallbladder

Symptoms: signs of worms in humans

The exact way helminthiasis manifests depends on the type of worms that have infected the body and their number.The main symptoms of helminth infestation:

  • diarrhea or constipation;
  • bloating, flatulence;
  • pain in muscles and joints;
  • anemia;
  • allergic reactions;
  • dermatitis;
  • weight problems: weight loss or obesity;
  • sleep disturbance;
  • nervousness, irritability, depressive state;
  • apathy, fatigue;
  • cough, inflammation of the respiratory tract;
  • weakened immunity.
Insomnia as a symptom of worms in the body.

How to determine if there are worms

If symptoms appear that may indicate the presence of worms, it is worth getting a diagnosis.The following tests will help identify parasites:

  1. Stool examination.
  2. Blood test.
  3. Study of duodenal secretions.
  4. Analysis of perianal and rectal mucus.
  5. Ultrasound, tomography, endoscopy.

You can be sure of the diagnostic result if you carry out the test 3 or 4 times with an interval of several days.An analysis is not sufficient to confirm the absence of helminthic infestation.

The human body can be affected by one type of worm or by several at the same time.All of them, regardless of their size, cause serious health problems and are causative agents of complex chronic diseases that cannot be cured for years.To eliminate the risk of infection, it is necessary to periodically carry out diagnostics and preventive treatment.This is especially true for pet owners.