Recently, news from the Netherlands exploded in the scientific world.17 volunteers agreed to have dangerous parasites - schistosomes (which cause the serious disease schistosomiasis) injected into their blood.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 infect people with schistosomiasis.
The results of the study have not yet been released;it is also not known what happened to the 17 people who risked their health for the good of science.But one thing is clear: parasites continue to keep the whole world on their toes.
More than 7 billion people live on Earth.And a third of them are carriers of helminths (in general - worms).These are parasites that cause severe and extremely unpleasant diseases (schistosoma is also a worm).At least such are the estimates of the World Health Organization.
There is even worse information: every year millions of people die from parasitic diseases.Especially affected are tropical areas, where the conditions for the spread of all kinds of unpleasant things 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 has even developed a draft regulatory act that will clearly regulate work to combat helminthiasis.Obviously, the problem is serious.
There are different helminths - round and flat, living in water, on land, in animal feces, etc., but all of them are very dangerous.They usually enter the human body through contaminated water or food.But sometimes it is enough just to eat with dirty hands for the parasite larvae to get inside and grow in the intestines to tens of centimeters.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), joint and nervous system problems (not to mention 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 some sand and drink dirty water from an outdoor tank.But adults are also "in the sights" of worms.
The most common helminthiasis are ascariasis, toxocariasis, trichuriasis, strongyloidosis and hookworm.The names do not cause concern until you enter them into the search engine and go to the "photos" 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.Up to 800 million cases of ascariasis are registered in the world every year.
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 type for humans.That is, you cannot get ascariasis from an animal.
As mentioned above, children most often catch parasites due to their relaxed demeanor.In the case of ascariasis, residents of rural areas 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 itching in the anus, 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), crawl into the lungs, throat and sinuses.This is how patients discover them.
Just imagine - a long white worm crawling through your intestines.It is not known exactly whether the infected person always feels the movement of the roundworm inside him.You can listen to yourself just in case.
There are other, rarer helminthiases.A worm with the cheeky name "Toxocara" causestoxocarosis.It can also be infected by dogs.The symptoms will be different - fever, bronchitis, pneumonia, skin rash.
In the pathogentrichocephalosisThe simpler name is whipworm.Outwardly, it looks like a small whip.Most often, this disease is usually asymptomatic, and if the number of parasites is already beyond the scale, then the symptoms begin as in ascariasis.
Worms of the genus Strongyloides stercoralis (pathogensstrongyloidosis) - 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 crawled, and after a while the patient will develop diarrhea, abdominal pain and a skin rash.
These are just some of the types of helminthiasis - there are hundreds of types in total, each of which has its own characteristics.
And most importantly, you can die from worms.Fortunately, this doesn't happen often, but parasites are designed to live off the resources of their host.Worms eat the 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 enter the blood, which means that this poison is actually distributed throughout the body.
Only timely removal of helminths from the body can protect you from inevitable serious consequences.
Find and neutralize
It's worth understanding that worms can often live in the body happily ever after until a stool test tells you apart.They will lay millions of eggs in your intestines, but symptoms may never appear.The larvae of the parasites and themselves can be found in the feces.
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 diseases, and a skin rash is a sign of a completely different type of disease.If you have symptoms similar to a parasitic infection, you should consult a doctor immediately.
The diagnosis of helminthiasis is carried out by examination of feces.There are methods for serodiagnosis: ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent test - the 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 the intestines (or elsewhere).Blood and urine tests are needed to determine the level of intoxication in the body and to prescribe the correct treatment.
Pharmaceutical companies have long invented many anthelmintic drugs that effectively help get rid of worms.On average, the treatment of helminthiasis takes from 3 to 5 days.Most often, treatment can be carried out on an outpatient basis - you do not need to stay in hospital (unless you have already developed complications).
If you have not yet understood, we remind you: worms can catch absolutely everything, regardless of gender, age and social status.Of course, remember to eat clean vegetables and other foods, keep your dishes clean, and always wash your hands before lunch.If you often travel, especially in the tropical countries of Asia and Africa, then all hygiene rules should be followed twice as carefully.