Recently, news from Holland thundered in the scientific world.17 volunteers agreed to have dangerous parasites injected into their blood - schistosomes (which cause the serious disease schistosomiasis).According to scientists, every year this disease kills up to 200 thousand people worldwide.And now Dutch specialists are closer to developing a vaccine - to test it, they infected people with schistosomiasis.
The results of the study have not yet been made public; what happened to the 17 people who risked their health for the good of science is also unknown.But one thing is clear: parasites continue to keep the whole world on alert.
More than 7 billion people live on Earth.And a third of them carry helminths (in common parlance - worms).These are parasites that cause severe and extremely unpleasant diseases (schistosoma is also a worm).At least, these are the assessments given by the World Health Organization.
There is even worse information: millions of people die every year from parasitic diseases.Tropical regions are especially affected, where conditions for the spread of any nasty thing are ideal (high humidity, heat, unsanitary conditions).But even where there are few tropics, parasites are everywhere.
Every year tens of thousands of people are treated for helminthiasis.For example, at the beginning of 2018, information appeared that the incidence of ascariasis (ascaris is a type of worm) has increased.
The sanitary department even developed a draft regulatory act that will clearly regulate the work to combat helminthiases.Clearly the problem is serious.
There are different helminths - round and flat, living in water, on land, in animal feces, etc., but all are very dangerous.They usually enter the human body through contaminated water or food.But sometimes it’s enough just to eat with dirty hands for the parasite larvae to get inside and grow in the intestines to tens of centimeters in size.There are types of parasites that can enter the body through the skin of the feet if you walk barefoot on the ground where the larvae live.
Worms literally eat the body from the inside.They can cause jaundice, sepsis (blood poisoning), problems with joints and the nervous system (not counting endless vomiting, diarrhea and other intestinal problems).
Children are most often affected.They tend to forget to wash their hands before eating and after using the toilet, they often put dirty toys in their mouths, and while playing outside (especially in the summer) they may eat a little sand and sip dirty water from an open reservoir.But adults are also “at gunpoint” for worms.
The most common helminthiases are ascariasis, toxocariasis, trichuriasis, strongyloidiasis, and hookworm disease.The names do not cause concern until you type them into a search engine and go to the “pictures” section - yes, such disgusting huge worms can live inside you.
Worms with beautiful names
Ascariasis- the most common helminthiasis, it accounts for 90% of infections, so we will dwell on it in more detail.Roundworms are long, nasty worms that attack the human small intestine.Every year, up to 800 million cases of ascariasis are registered worldwide.
The source of infection is the same unwashed fruits, vegetables and berries.There are different types of roundworms: there are those that infect animals, but there is a separate species for humans.That is, you cannot become infected with ascariasis from an animal.
As mentioned above, children most often catch parasites due to their laid-back behavior.In the case of ascariasis, rural residents of all ages are also at risk - they often come into contact with the ground, where ascaris larvae hide.The main symptoms of ascariasis are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, poor appetite, unbearable anal itching, high fever.
Among the complications of ascariasis (they occur if the parasites are not detected for a long time) are intestinal obstruction, appendicitis, pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas).There are cases when roundworms, which inside a person have already grown to their maximum size (which is almost 30 cm), crawled into the lungs, throat, and sinuses.This is how patients discovered them.
Just imagine - a long white worm crawling through your intestines.It is not known exactly whether an infected person always feels the movement of the roundworm inside him.You can listen to yourself just in case.
There are other, more rare helminthiases.A worm with the cheeky name "Toxocara" causestoxocariasis.It can also be contracted from dogs.The symptoms will be different - fever, bronchitis, pneumonia, skin rash.
At the pathogentrichocephalosisA simpler name is whipworm.Outwardly, it looks like a small whip.Most often, this disease is generally asymptomatic, and if the number of parasites is already off scale, then symptoms begin as with ascariasis.
Worms from the genus Strongyloides stercoralis (pathogensstrongyloidiasis) - these are the same reptiles that can penetrate a person through the skin (even intact).You can get infected in the same wayhookworm.If this happens, there will be severe itching in the places where the worms have crawled, and over time the sick person will develop diarrhea, abdominal pain and a skin rash.
These are just some of the types of helminthiasis - there are hundreds of species in total, each of which has its own characteristics.
And most importantly, you can die from worms.Fortunately, this does not happen often, but parasites are created to live off the resources of their host.Worms eat internal organs from the inside and can crawl into the lungs and even the heart - all this is a huge danger to life.In addition, they produce toxins that penetrate the blood, which means that this poison, in fact, spreads throughout the body.
Only timely removal of helminths from the body can save you from inevitable serious consequences.
Find and neutralize
It is worth understanding that worms can often live in the body happily ever after until a stool test separates you.They will lay millions of eggs in your intestines, but symptoms may never appear.It is in feces that the larvae of parasites and themselves can be found.
It is important that the doctor does not confuse the symptoms of ascariasis or other helminthiasis with other diagnoses - for example, vomiting can be caused by dozens of other ailments, and a skin rash is a sign of a completely different kind of disease.If you have any symptoms similar to a parasitic infection, you should immediately consult a doctor.
Diagnosis of helminthiases is carried out by examining feces.There are methods of serodiagnosis: ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent test - blood is checked for the presence of specific antibodies that appear in it when infected with one or another type of helminthiasis).
Another reliable diagnostic method is an x-ray - the image will show worms crawling through your intestines (or in other places).Blood and urine tests are required to determine the level of intoxication in the body and prescribe the correct treatment.
Pharmaceutical companies have long come up with many anthelmintic drugs that effectively help get rid of worms.On average, treatment of helminthiasis takes from 3 to 5 days.Most often, treatment can be done on an outpatient basis - there is no need to stay in the hospital (unless you have already developed complications).
If you haven’t understood yet, we remind you: worms can catch absolutely everything, regardless of gender, age and social status.Of course, don't forget to eat clean vegetables and other foods, keep your dishes clean, and always wash your hands before lunch.If you often travel, especially to tropical countries in Asia and Africa, then all hygiene rules should be followed twice as carefully.