Recently, news from the Netherlands thundered through 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 experts are closer to developing a vaccine - to test it, they infected people with schistosomiasis.
The results of the study have not yet been released;What happened to the 17 people who risked their health for the sake of science is also unknown.But one thing is certain: 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).They are parasites that cause serious and extremely unpleasant diseases (schistosome is also a worm).At least these are the assessments of the World Health Organization.
There is even worse information: millions of people die every year from parasitic diseases.Tropical regions are especially affected, where the conditions for the spread of anything nasty 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 health department even prepared a draft normative act that will clearly regulate the work to combat helminthiasis.It is clear that the problem is serious.
There are different helminths - round and flat, living in water, land, 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 parasite larvae to enter and grow in the intestine 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), joint and nervous system problems (not to mention endless vomiting, diarrhea and other intestinal problems).
Children are the most affected.They tend to forget to wash their hands before eating and after using the bathroom, they often put dirty toys in their mouths, and while playing outdoors (especially in summer) they may eat some sand and drink dirty water from an open reservoir.But adults are also “at gunpoint” against worms.
The most common helminthiases are ascariasis, toxocariasis, trichuriasis, strongyloidiasis and hookworm.The names don't cause concern until you type them into a search engine and go to the “photos” section - yes, these huge, disgusting worms can live inside you.
Worms with beautiful names
Ascariasis- the most common helminthiasis, it is responsible for 90% of infections, so we will cover this 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 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 often get 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, lack of appetite, unbearable anal itching and high fever.
Among the complications of ascariasis (occur if the parasites are not detected for a long time) are intestinal obstruction, appendicitis, pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas).There are cases in which roundworms, which inside a person have already reached their maximum size (which is almost 30 cm), penetrate 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 them.You can listen to yourself, just in case.
There are other rarer helminthiasis.A worm with the cheeky name "Toxocara" causestoxocariasis.It can also be contracted by dogs.Symptoms will be different - fever, bronchitis, pneumonia, rash.
In the pathogentrichocephalosisA simpler name is whipworm.Externally, it looks like a small whip.Most often, this disease is usually asymptomatic, and if the number of parasites is already off scale, symptoms begin as in ascariasis.
Worms of the genus Strongyloides stercoralis (pathogensstrongyloidiasis) - 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, there will be intense itching in the places where the worms have crawled and, over time, the sufferer will develop diarrhea, abdominal pain and a rash.
These are just some of the types of helminthiasis - there are hundreds of species in total, each with 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 get into the lungs and even the heart - all this poses a huge danger to life.Furthermore, 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's worth understanding that worms can often live happily ever after in the body until a stool test separates it.They will lay millions of eggs in their intestines, but symptoms may never appear.It is in the feces that the larvae of the 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 diseases, and a rash is a sign of a completely different type of disease.If you have any symptoms similar to a parasitic infection, consult a doctor immediately.
The diagnosis of helminthiasis is made through stool examination.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 intestine (or elsewhere).Blood and urine tests are necessary to determine the level of intoxication in the body and prescribe the correct treatment.
Pharmaceutical companies have long developed many anthelmintic drugs that effectively help get rid of worms.On average, treatment for helminthiasis takes 3 to 5 days.Most of the time, treatment can be done on an outpatient basis – there is no need for a hospital stay (unless you have already developed complications).
If you still don't understand, we remind you: worms can get absolutely everything, regardless of gender, age and social status.Of course, don't forget to eat vegetables and other foods clean, keep your dishes clean, and always wash your hands before lunch.If you travel frequently, especially to tropical countries in Asia and Africa, all hygiene rules must be followed with double care.