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Parasitic infections: causes, symptoms.

Parasitic infections have various symptoms and diseases caused by eggs or adult parasites entering the human body.Often, the first signs of the disease cannot be detected for several days, and in some cases for months or even years.This is due to the life cycle of parasites and their main function: to camouflage themselves well and maintain their own life by receiving nutrients from the host's body.

Types of parasites and their characteristics

Parasitic infections, depending on certain characteristics of their manifestations, are divided into three groups:

  1. Parasites.
    The main location is the surface of the human body.These include lice, fleas, ticks and bedbugs.They feed mainly on human blood, although in some cases, such as with demodicosis mites, the main food is sebaceous gland secretions or dead epithelial (skin) cells.ectoparasitesThe first signs of parasitic infection are quite easy to recognize because they cause itching and burning in their habitat.Some parasites are carriers of serious diseases: typhus, anthrax, encephalitis and trypanosomiasis.They cause enormous damage to human health, including death.
  2. Endoparasites (protozoa).
    Mainly affects internal organs.They have a unicellular structure, so they are called protozoa.Even so, they can lead to serious forms of the disease.The main diseases of this group are parasitic septicemia caused by toxoplasma and intestinal infections caused by amoeba or giardia.
  3. Worms.
    They are the causative agents of the most common forms of parasitic infections.In the human body, their development cycle mainly takes place in the intestines and tissues, where disease symptoms begin to manifest.

Roundworms (nematodes)

These are parasites with bodies that are round in cross section.Sexual characteristics can be easily distinguished.Females are usually larger than males.But representatives of this class also have bisexual people.All nematodes go through stages of development: egg, larva and adult.This class includes:

  1. Pinworms.The disease is caused by enterobosis.It mainly affects children of preschool and elementary school age.
  2. Roundworm.Causes trichuria.Has a special body shape.2/3 of the body length has a thin diameter, reminiscent of a human hair or thread.The other end of the body is larger in diameter and contains the intestines.
  3. Roundworm.The disease is caused by ascariasis.Adults reach a size of 25 cm (males) and 40 cm (females).After the larva enters the human body, it passes through the stomach and enters the small intestine.From there, through the pores along the bloodstream, it enters the liver, then the heart and then the lungs, where it develops within 7-10 days.Then the larvae begin to fly up to the larynx.Once they reach the oral cavity, they are swallowed again.Once in the small intestine, the larvae cannot reenter the bloodstream through the pores due to their large size.There they develop into adults within 2-3 months.Then reproduction begins and the cycle repeats.Females can lay more than 200 thousand eggs per day.
Roundworms

Tapeworms (cestodes)

These are parasites whose body resembles the shape of a ribbon.A distinctive feature of this class is the absence of a digestive system.These include:

  1. Echinococcus.The disease is caused by echinococcosis.This parasite is small (2-9 mm) and consists of several segments and suckers.The uterus of a sexually mature individual contains a large number of eggs, inside which there are larvae.The main location of Echinococcus is the liver and lungs.There it causes a chronic disease called hydatid cyst.
  2. Beef tapeworm.Causes teniarinchchiasis.In its larval stage, it has an intermediate host, cattle.Once in the human body, it develops in the small intestine to the ice stage.The body of the adult parasite has up to 1000 segments and can be up to 4-10 meters long.
  3. Pork tapeworm.Causes taenosis.Outwardly, it is very similar to a beef tapeworm.It also has intermediate hosts: pigs, dogs, camels, hares and rabbits.In humans it is an intestinal parasite.The size of an adult individual does not exceed 4 meters in length.
  4. Broad tapeworm.The disease is caused by diphyllobothrosis.Lives in freshwater.It uses crustaceans and fish as intermediate hosts.In the human body it is parasitic in the small intestine.An adult can reach several meters in length.

Flatworms (trematodes)

During their life cycle, these parasites can change several intermediate hosts.In humans, they can parasitize any organ.This group includes:

  1. Schistosomes.The disease is caused by schistosomiasis.They can enter the human body through contact with contaminated fresh water.The parasite penetrates the skin and enters the circulatory system, where it begins to actively multiply.Females can lay from 300 to 3000 eggs per day.Furthermore, with blood flow, the eggs will spread throughout the body and continue to develop in any organ.Their body length does not exceed 0.1-0.2 cm.
  2. Liver flukes.The disease is caused by opisthorchiasis.The length of an adult varies from 3 to 5 cm.When entering the human body, it parasitizes in the bile duct, gallbladder, liver and pancreas.It is fixed in these organs by suction cups located on the body.
Liver flukes

How parasites penetrate the human body

  1. The nutritional route of infection is considered the most common.A person becomes infected with parasites by eating unwashed vegetables and fruits.Meat that has not been adequately heat-treated is especially dangerous.In addition, a person will become infected with parasites if he does not comply with the rules of personal hygiene.For example, not washing your hands before eating.
  2. Cross-country road.Parasitic infections are transmitted from pregnant women through the placenta to their babies.For example, these are diseases such as toxoplasmosis, malaria or hookworm.
  3. Passage through the skin.Parasites enter the human body through the skin.These are mainly schistosomiasis and hookworms.
  4. Contact link.Parasites are transmitted through dirty hands, contaminated personal items, and underwear.This is the most common way lice, scabies and pinworms are transmitted.
  5. Transmission line.Infection occurs after a bite from an insect carrying the parasite.For example, malaria.

Symptom

Many parasitic diseases have no symptoms in the early stages.This is due to the developmental stages of the pathogen.Each individual parasite behaves differently as it develops.General symptoms of parasitic infections include:

  1. Itchy.
  2. The skin is red like hives.
  3. Diarrhea.
  4. Constipation.
  5. Bloating.
  6. Nausea, vomiting.
  7. Spasms and pain in the digestive tract.
  8. Lose body weight without dieting or increasing physical activity.
  9. Fever condition.
  10. High body temperature (38-40 ˚C) for long periods of time.
  11. Persistent dry coughs.
  12. Enlarged lymph nodes.
  13. Pain in the muscles.
  14. Psycho-emotional disorders.

Diagnose

Diagnose

If you suspect the presence of parasitic diseases, you must undergo a series of tests.Diagnosing a parasitic infection allows us to determine the presence or absence of a parasite, its type and location in the body.The data obtained will help the doctor make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe the correct treatment.

Diagnostic methods include:

  1. Stool examination.Allows you to determine the presence of almost all types of parasites living in the intestines.Eggs, larvae and their body segments are excreted in feces.There are two types of analysis:
    1. A stool sample is tested for worm eggs and larvae.The analysis is sent to the laboratory, where the doctor makes smears and examines them under a microscope.This method is often used but the accuracy is not high.To make a final diagnosis, the patient must undergo this test up to three times at short intervals.This is because the life cycle of the parasite and the egg-laying process are discovered using this research method.
    2. Scrape (wash) the anal folds.This test is only used to detect one type of helminth – pinworm.Parasitic infections are more common in children than in adults.For this reason, this analysis was performed primarily for children.The laboratory technician moistens a cotton swab or glass wool in water or glycerin and rinses the perianal folds.Next, the resulting material is placed on a glass slide and examined under a microscope.This analysis is also performed using another method: the laboratory assistant sticks a piece of tape to the anal tract, presses it and peels it off.The tape is then applied to a glass slide and viewed under a microscope.Parasites are diagnosed quite accurately.Using these methods, the laboratory assistant can examine not only helminth eggs but sometimes also adult individuals.
  2. Test cerebrospinal fluid, sputum, duodenal fluid (bile), and urine.Prescribed based on the results of a patient survey to determine the presence of the parasite and determine its location.These biological fluids are analyzed using microscopy and microscopy.First, the obtained sample is examined for the presence of adults, then microscopy is performed to detect parasite eggs and larvae.
  3. Blood test.Modern blood testing methods for detecting parasitic infections help determine the presence and type of pathogens with high accuracy.Three types of such diagnostics are used:
    1. Serological response.Allows you to determine the presence of parasite antibodies in the patient's serum.This method is considered to have high specificity but is inferior to PCR diagnosis.
    2. PCR diagnosis.This method is based on the identification of parasite DNA in any biological fluid taken for analysis.
    3. Genetic research.It involves detecting the parasite's genome in a patient's blood sample.This method is used less often than all other methods, but has high accuracy.
  4. Examine the biopsy material and lymph nodes.For analysis, your doctor will remove a small portion of an organ, tissue, or an entire lymph node and send it for histological examination.In this way, the presence or absence of parasites is diagnosed.

Recommended preparation for testing

Before taking a test for parasitic infections, you need to properly prepare them.If recommendations are followed, diagnostic accuracy will increase because the material does not contain confounding factors that affect the effectiveness of the research method.

Preparing for a stool test:

  1. Antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, and antacids should be discontinued.The use of pills and other drugs containing bismuth and iron is also unacceptable.
  2. If an x-ray examination with barium or endoscopy is carried out, during which an enema is performed to clean the intestines, a stool examination can only be performed after 2-3 days.
  3. Do not donate stool if menstrual bleeding begins or hemorrhoids get worse.

Preparing for a blood test:

  1. It is necessary to stop taking pharmacological drugs that affect the blood count.
  2. Three days before the test, you should follow a light diet, do not eat fatty foods, and stop drinking alcohol.
  3. Blood tests to detect parasitic infections are performed on an empty stomach.Drinking small amounts of clean drinking water is allowed.

For other tests, most require no special preparation.You will just need to follow your doctor's recommendations.

Treatment

Unfortunately, symptoms of parasitic infection are not always detected in the early stages of the disease.In such cases, treatment begins late.It is important to understand: the longer the parasite remains in the body, the more difficult it is to get rid of it.

Treatment of infectious and parasitic infections is divided into two areas:

  1. Treat symptoms.Aim to eliminate clinical manifestations of the disease.These include lowering body temperature, eliminating redness and itching, normalizing the functioning of the digestive tract.
  2. Treatment of the root cause of parasitic infections is aimed at eliminating the causative agent.

In some cases, surgery may be necessary.It is applied to alveolar disease, echinococcosis and some types of trematode infections.

When the body is dehydrated, solutions containing salt are prescribed.

Only a doctor can prescribe treatment for parasitic infections based on laboratory tests and patient interviews.

prevent

It is very important to observe the prevention of parasitic infections.In most cases, this will help prevent pathogens from entering the body.

prevent

Preventive measures include:

  1. Comply with personal hygiene rules: wash hands before eating, after going to the toilet and coming home from the street.
  2. Vegetables and fruits should be washed.
  3. It is mandatory to carry out adequate heat treatment of meat, fish and seafood.
  4. Do not use tap water as drinking water because tap water is not always free of parasites.Using a household filter for extra cleaning will not help.The best option is to drink boiled or bottled water.
  5. If pets live at home, they need to be dewormed every six months.You should also limit contact with your pet if it shows signs of parasitic disease and contact a veterinary clinic.
  6. You should iron underwear (especially children's clothes) after washing.
  7. After visiting unfamiliar countries, when working with the land, as well as employees of childcare facilities, it is recommended to check once a year for the presence of parasitic infections and, if necessary, carry out preventive drug treatment.