Types of parasites in the human body

7 March 2021

Scientists estimate 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, which not only cause discomfort to the patient, but can also provoke the appearance of dangerous complications, including death. In our article we will tell you all about parasites, that is, we will describe the most terrible parasites and list the symptoms of the most dangerous helminthiasis.

Varieties of parasites

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

Helminths. These worms most often live in the gut, but it is possible for them to settle in the liver, brain, lungs, heart, kidneys, muscles and other organs. Worms provoke dangerous diseases and complications.
Parasitic protozoa and multicellular (protozoan 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, lamblias, toxoplasmas, Trichomonas, blastocysts and others.
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.
Other parasites are species that more commonly affect the subcutaneous tissue, but can parasitize 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:

swine tapeworm;
wide bar;
blades;
Chinese methyl;
roundworm;
Trichinella;
alveococcus;
whip
dwarf tapeworm;
bull tapeworm;
hepatic methyl;
pulmonary methyl;
echinococcus.

The diseases they cause

The most dangerous parasites living in the human body can provoke various diseases. Very often a disease provoked by a certain parasite has the same name as it. Thus, different types of parasites in the human body can cause the following diseases:

some parasites in humans (methyls) provoke trematodes;
cestodes occur when tapeworms are affected;
if an adult or child has roundworms in the gut, then nematodes are diagnosed;
leeches cause hirudinosis;
Anthocephalus is provoked by scratching.

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

If the eyes are affected, onchocerciasis, demodicosis, cysticercosis and myiasis may occur;
Diseases of the brain - echinococcosis, toxoplasmosis, alveococcosis and cysticercosis;
Dermatological diseases - demodicosis, head lice, scabies, pulicosis, thrombidiasis, phthiriasis;
Pulmonary pathologies - echinococcosis, ascariasis, acariasis, alveococcosis, tominxosis, etc. ;
Liver diseases - opisthorchiasis, alveococcosis, echinococcosis, clonorchosis;
In the mouth, ears and mouth parasites can cause different types of myiasis;
Diseases of the genitourinary system - alveococcosis, urate miasm, echinococcosis;
Vascular pathologies - filariasis and schistosomiasis.

Symptoms

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

Separately, it is worth explaining what cysts are. Most often, cysts form the simplest single-celled organisms, bacteria and protests. Protozoan cysts are a temporary form of existence of the organism under adverse conditions. In fact, it is a protective shell. The formation of a cyst occurs at a certain stage of the life cycle of the parasite or under adverse conditions.

Ascariasis

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

itchy allergic rash (such as vesicular or urticarial rash);
febrile condition;
general malaise;
excessive sweating;
weakness;
enlarged liver;
in migration stage: shortness of breath, cough, wheezing in the lungs;
loss of appetite;
diarrhea and constipation;
nausea;
from the central nervous system: irritability, deterioration of sleep and memory, convulsions, meningitis;

Teniarinhoz

This disease causes bovine tapeworm. In 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;
clogging;
appendicitis, intestinal obstruction, bile duct obstruction;
weight loss on the background of increased appetite;
vitamin deficiency;

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

Enterobiosis

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

itching in the anus, stronger 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 various human tissues and organs. But regardless of the location, they always cause allergic reactions in the body, occurring in the following type:

Skin rash resembling mosquito bites. The rash can appear on different parts of the body.
Bronchial asthma, manifested as a dry persistent cough with a small amount of sputum.
Quincke's edema. A person has swelling of the skin of 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 headache appear, lymph nodes increase.

Necatorosis (hookworm)

This disease is caused by helminths called some and hookworm. The invasion manifests itself with the following set of symptoms:

When the larvae are introduced through the skin, dermatitis, urticaria and various rashes appear. There is swelling, itching and burning at the site of penetration. The invasive period lasts up to 12 days.
The migration stage is also accompanied by allergic reactions. In this case, the airways are injured and bronchitis, pneumonia, tracheitis and laryngitis appear. The patient has a fever, cough, shortness of breath and hoarse voice.
After a few months, the intestinal stage of the disease begins. At this stage, there are symptoms of iron deficiency anemia and duodenitis. The patient has increased irritability, fatigue and sleep disturbances. Women have menstrual disorders.

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

Giardiasis

Giardia is a parasitic protozoan disease. A quarter of the population has an asymptomatic carrier of this microorganism. In the acute stage, the following symptoms appear:

gastrointestinal disorders;
the patient is tormented by pain in the right hypochondrium and the area around the navel;
diarrhea alternates with constipation, there may be frequent (up to 5 times) frothy stools;
with subacute course, intestinal symptoms continue, the patient weakens;
with massive invasive intoxication and fever;
children have itching, hives and fainting;
Protozoan cysts are found in the faeces during the coprogram.

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 genitourinary system. But the most common is intestinal amoebiasis. Its symptoms are as follows:

At the beginning of the disease, diarrhea with copious foamy stools appears, followed by jelly-like stools, such as raspberry jelly. Their frequency is up to 20 times a day;
severe pain is localized on the right side of the abdomen;
mild subfebrile condition;
after 6 weeks the acute process may decrease;

Important! Amoebiasis never goes away on its own and often recurs. If left untreated, an amoeba forms, leading to intestinal obstruction.

Diphyllobotriasis

Tapeworm is the culprit of this disease. This representative of the cestodes causes the following clinical picture of the disease:

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

Teniosis

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

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

Echinococcosis

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

Types of parasites that live in the human body

All types of parasites in the human body have a detrimental effect on his health. They infect the organs, feed on nutrients necessary for human life, and emit harmful toxic substances. That is why it is so important to get rid of them in a timely manner.

one of the parasites living in the human body

The human body is affected by various parasites, some living 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:

Endoparasitesare organisms that parasitize humans. This group in turn is divided into protozoa (consisting of a single cell) and helminths (worms). The simplest parasites in the human body are amoeba, giardia, Trichomonas, Toxoplasma. As for the worms, here again there is a division into roundworms (nematodes), flatworms and tapeworms.
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 also carry quite dangerous diseases: typhoid, anthrax, trypanosomiasis and others.

Giardia.Giardiasis infection is a faecal-oral mechanism. Once the cysts (still unformed parasites covered with a protective membrane) are removed from the anus of a sick person, they spread to vegetables, fruits and other foods. Through poorly washed hands, stagnant water, insufficiently washed fruits and vegetables, the cysts enter the human oral cavity, from where they safely reach the intestines, where they become adults again and multiply again. The result is a vicious circle that will continue until adequate treatment is provided and hygiene measures are not followed. Symptoms of the disease are weakness, fatigue, headache, diarrhea, abdominal pain and bloating. Itching of the anus, skin rash, 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.
Toxoplasma.Infection with these protozoa occurs through contact with infected pets. In this case, man is an intermediate host, as the cycle of sexual development of the parasite occurs in the body of the animal. The disease is manifested by a prolonged rise in temperature to subfebrile levels, general signs of intoxication, the patient has enlarged lymph nodes, joint and muscle pain. Also, the functions of the gastrointestinal tract and vision are impaired, the central nervous system may suffer, there are signs of heart disease and endocrine system. Complex treatment is prescribed - antibiotics from the tetracycline group and sulfonamides.
Trichomonas.Trichomonas is sexually transmitted, the risk of infection by contact is minimal, but still exists. The symptoms of the disease in women are itching, redness of the genitals, burning sensation and foamy discharge. Men may have difficulty urinating and have urination. Treatment - antitrichomonad drugs.

Pinworm is an intestinal parasite

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

Worms are transmitted from person to person, you can become infected through any objects that a sick person has used, or by shaking hands. The main condition for transferring eggs from pinworms is not to wash your hands after contact, especially before eating. Worms, or more precisely their eggs, can be carried by flies and cockroaches.

Oysters can live only in the intestines, they are especially comfortable in the small area, colon and appendix. For mating, the parasites choose the ileum, from where the female crawls out through the anus and lays eggs in the anus. Symptoms of pinworms in the body are itching in the anus, allergies, fatigue, anemia, abdominal pain, exhaustion.

Levamisole, mebendazole, albendazole and other anthelmintics are prescribed to treat enterobiosis. Prevention of pinworms is based on hand hygiene. They should be washed after visiting public places.

Roundworms - roundworms

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

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

Wide bar

Infection with this parasite occurs through fish. This is an intermediate host of the worm. It is not necessary to eat for infection, sometimes only contact with infected fish is enough. That is why it is so important to handle the hands, the knife, the 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, dyspepsia. 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 appear pale skin, headache, increased heart rate, decreased blood pressure, weakness, anemia. The treatment is aimed at killing the worm. Use Praziquantel, Niclosamide for this purpose.

Bull tapeworm

Beef tapeworm can grow up to 12 meters in length. It is a hermaphrodite that can lay over 100, 000 eggs, which are excreted in the feces. The eggs fall into the soil, then onto the plants, these plants are eaten by cattle. In the body of an animal, the eggs become larvae, which are localized in the muscles. If a person eats infected beef, the larvae enter the intestines. The 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, the mature segments can separate from the worm and crawl from the human intestine.

beef tapeworm enters a person through beef

Symptoms of the disease are nausea, vomiting, dyspepsia, increased salivation, dizziness, weakness, nervousness, fatigue, abdominal pain with uncertain location, allergies, fluctuations in appetite.

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

Pork tapeworm

A person can be infected with swine tapeworm through dirty hands, poorly cooked meat, dirty water, an infected person can release segments of tapeworm and larvae into the environment with vomiting and feces. swine tapeworm reaches a person through dirty hands The worm can live in the human body for up to 15-17 years, it adheres to the intestinal mucosa and its larvae can spread throughout the body with blood flow and attach to any organ. It is especially dangerous if the larva enters the brain.

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

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

Symptoms of swine tapeworm: 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 of taking drugs that have a paralyzing effect on the worm, as a result of which it cannot stay on the intestinal walls and come out. But at the same time it releases a large amount of toxic substances that can cause anaphylactic shock in humans. Therefore, treatment should only be performed under the supervision of a physician.

Mouth parasites

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

Trichomonas;
amoeba in the mouth;
Diptera larvae (oral myiasis).

The clinical picture may be as follows:

allergies;
weakness, weight loss;
bad breath;
sensation of movement in the larynx;
itching and sweating;
nausea, loss of energy.

Worms that live in the mouth can destroy teeth, creating purulent deposits on the mucous membranes 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

The above did not take into account all, even the most common parasites that can inhabit the human body. It is important to understand the great danger of this neighborhood: worms in humans can cause very serious consequences and ultimately cause the death of their owner. That is why it is very important to diagnose parasites in time and get rid of them. As for the preventive measures, they consist mainly in hygiene and high-quality roasting of the eaten meat.