Recently, news from the Netherlands resonated 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 experts are closer to developing a vaccine - to test it, they infected people with schistosomiasis.
The results of the study have not yet been published;what happened to the 17 people who risked their health for the sake 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 serious and extremely unpleasant diseases (schistosoma is also a worm).At least, these are the estimates 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 are ideal for the spread of any nastiness (high humidity, heat, unhygienic conditions).But even where there are few tropical areas, parasites are everywhere.
Tens of thousands of people are treated for helminthiasis every year.For example, at the beginning of 2018, information appeared that the frequency of ascariasis (ascaris is a type of roundworm) has increased.
The sanitary department has even developed a draft regulatory act that will clearly regulate work to combat helminthiasis.It is clear that the problem is serious.
There are different helminths - round and flat, live 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 just eating with dirty hands is enough for the parasite larvae to get inside and grow in the intestines to the size of 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 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 summer) they may eat some sand and sip dirty water from an open tank.But adults are also "in the crosshairs" because of the worms.
The most common helminthiasis are ascariasis, toxocariasis, trichuriasis, strongyloidiasis and hookworm.The names do not cause concern until you type them into a search engine and go to the "images" section - yes, such disgusting giant 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 invade the human small intestine.Every year, up to 800 million cases of ascariasis are registered in the world.
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 special type for humans.That is, you cannot get ascariasis from an animal.
As already mentioned, children most often catch parasites because of their relaxed 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 arise 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), have 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 the infected person always feels the movement of the roundworm inside him.You can listen to yourself just in case.
There are other, less common helminth infections.The cause is a worm with the cheeky name "Toxocara".toxocarosis.It can also be contracted from dogs.Symptoms will be different - fever, bronchitis, pneumonia, skin rash.
In pathogenstrichocephalosisA simpler name is whip.From the outside 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 from the genus Strongyloides stercoralis (pathogenicstrongyloidiasis) - 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, severe itching will appear in the places where the worms crawled, and over time the affected person will develop diarrhea, abdominal pain and skin rashes.
These are just some of the types of helminthiasis - there are hundreds of them 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 their host's resources.The 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 penetrate the blood, which means that this poison actually 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 for life until a stool test sets you apart.They will lay millions of eggs in your intestines, but symptoms may never appear.Parasite larvae and themselves can be found in 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 ailments, and a rash on the skin is a sign of a completely different type of disease.If you have symptoms similar to a parasitic infection, contact your doctor immediately.
The diagnosis of helminthiasis is made by examining feces.There are serodiagnostic methods: ELISA (enzyme immunosorbent assay - blood is checked for the presence of specific antibodies that appear in it when it is 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 elsewhere).Blood and urine tests are needed 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, the treatment of helminthiasis lasts from 3 to 5 days.Treatment can usually be done on an outpatient basis - there is no need for a hospital stay (unless you already have complications).
If you haven't figured it out yet, we remind you: worms can catch absolutely anyone, regardless of gender, age and social status.Of course, don't forget to eat clean vegetables and other foods, keep the dishes clean and always wash your hands before lunch.If you travel often, especially to tropical countries in Asia and Africa, then all hygiene rules should be followed twice as carefully.