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 around the world.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;It is not even known what happened to the 17 people who risked their health for the sake of science.But one thing is clear: parasites continue to keep the entire 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 serious and extremely unpleasant diseases (schistosome is also a worm).At least these are the assessments provided by the World Health Organization.
There is even worse information: millions of people die every year from parasitic diseases.Tropical regions are particularly affected, where conditions are ideal for the spread of anything unpleasant (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, in early 2018, information emerged that the incidence of ascariasis (ascaris is a type of worm) has increased.
The health department has also developed a draft regulatory law that will clearly regulate the work to combat helminthiasis.Clearly the problem is serious.
There are several helminths: round and flat, living in water, on land, in animal feces, etc., but they are all very dangerous.They usually enter the human body through contaminated water or food.But sometimes it is enough to eat with dirty hands for the larvae of the parasite to enter and grow in the intestine until they reach 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.
The worms literally eat the body from the inside out.They can cause jaundice, sepsis (blood poisoning), joint and nervous system problems (not to mention constant 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 outdoors (especially in summer) they may eat some sand and sip dirty water from an open tank.But adults are also “under fire” for worms.
The most common helminthiases are ascariasis, toxocariasis, trichuriasis, strongyloidosis and hookworm.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 recorded worldwide.
The source of infection is the same unwashed fruits, vegetables and berries.There are several types of roundworms: there are those that infect animals, but there is a separate species for humans.That is, you cannot get infected with ascariasis from an animal.
As mentioned above, children often contract 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 soil, 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 (occur if 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 reached their maximum size (which is almost 30 cm), crawl into the lungs, throat and sinuses.This is how patients discovered them.
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.It causes a worm with the cheeky name "Toxocara".toxocariasis.It can also be contracted by dogs.The symptoms will be different: fever, bronchitis, pneumonia, skin rash.
To the pathogentrichocephalosisA simpler name is whipworm.Externally, it looks like a small whip.Most often, this disease is generally asymptomatic, and if the number of parasites is already off the scale, the symptoms begin as with 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 the same wayhookworm.If this happens, severe itching will occur in the places where the worms have entered and over time the affected person will develop diarrhea, abdominal pain and skin rashes.
These are just a few types of helminthiasis: in total there are hundreds of species, each of which has its own characteristics.
And most importantly, you can die from worms.Fortunately, this doesn't happen often, but parasites are created to live off their host's resources.Worms eat internal organs from the inside and can crawl into the lungs and even the heart - all this poses a huge danger to life.In addition, they produce toxins that enter 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's worth understanding that worms can often live in the body happily ever after until a stool test parts you.They will lay millions of eggs in your intestines, but symptoms may never appear.It is in the 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 rash is a sign of a completely different type of disease.If you experience symptoms similar to a parasitic infection, you should consult a doctor immediately.
The diagnosis of helminthiasis is made 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 x-ray: the image will show worms crawling through the intestine (or other places).Blood and urine tests are needed to determine the level of intoxication in the body and prescribe the correct treatment.
Pharmaceutical companies have long invented many anthelmintic drugs that effectively help get rid of worms.On average, treatment of helminthiasis takes 3 to 5 days.In most cases, treatment can be carried out on an outpatient basis - there is no need to stay in hospital (unless complications have already developed).
If you haven't figured it out yet, we remind you: worms can catch absolutely everything, regardless of gender, age and social status.Of course, don't forget to eat vegetables and other clean foods, keep your dishes clean, and always wash your hands before lunch.If you travel often, especially in tropical countries of Asia and Africa, all hygiene rules should be followed twice as carefully.