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What worms do people have?

The cause of many diseases and ill health is helminth infection.Various worms can penetrate the human body.Their sizes vary from the smallest millimeters to 16–18 meters.Parasitizing in all organs and tissues, they cause enormous harm to health.To protect yourself from infestation (infection), it is advisable to know what types of worms there are and understand how you can become infected with each type of parasite.

a parasite from the human body

Types of worms - what parasites live in the human body

Depending on the localization of the parasite in the body and the characteristics of the infection, the parasites are divided into several classes.

Classification of worms depending on their location in the human body:

  1. Intestinalare worms that live in the gastrointestinal tract, mainly in the small intestine.Sometimes they penetrate other organs.This group includes tapeworms and roundworms.
  2. Extraintestinal– develop, live and reproduce in various organs outside the intestine.They can be localized in the lungs, eyes, brain and liver.This group includes flatworms.
worm from the human body

Classification of worms depending on the method of penetration into the human body:

  1. Contagious– are transmitted to a healthy person by contact with an infected person.Another source of infection are household items: towels, toys.Representatives of this species are dwarf tapeworms and sedges.
  2. Biohelminthiasis– transmitted by contact with an animal, as a result of consumption of contaminated meat that has not undergone sufficient heat treatment.To become potentially dangerous to humans, these parasites must live for some time in the body of an animal that is an intermediate host.This species includes beef and pork tapeworms.
  3. Geohelminthiasis– part of the life cycle passes into the human body and part into the soil.This is a necessary condition for their development.You can get infected through improperly washed vegetables and fruits.This group includes roundworms and trichinella.

Depending on their biological features, helminths are divided into three types - roundworms, tapeworms and flukes.

tapeworm from the human body

Roundworms (nematodes)

Roundworms are so called because their bodies are round in cross-section.These parasites are most often found in the child's body.This type includes:

  1. Pinworms– they parasitize in the large and also in the small intestine.Their body length does not exceed 1 cm. Most often, helminth infestation with pinworms affects children.These parasites live for 1-2 months.If you strictly observe personal hygiene, you can heal even without taking medicine.If not followed, self-infection is possible.
  2. Roundworms– worms up to 45 cm long that parasitize in the small intestine.They can move freely in the intestines.Their lifespan is 14 months.During this period, they release toxins into the blood, systematically poisoning the body.
  3. Whipworm- worms whose body length is 3–4 cm.They parasitize the colon and cecum, burrowing into their lining to suck blood.Very toxic.They live up to 5 years.
  4. Trichinella– a parasite 3–4 mm long that can be infected through meat that has not undergone heat treatment.Helminths live in various organs, settle in the muscles of the eyes, heart and lungs.Life expectancy is up to 2 years.
  5. Hookworm and nekator– have the same biological characteristics, development cycle and mode of parasitism, which is why they are united under the same name "hookworms".These helminths with a length of 10-15 mm are localized in the duodenum.They enter the human body through the skin in contact with contaminated soil.They feed on blood by gnawing through blood vessels, leading to iron deficiency anemia.This parasite is difficult to identify.
trichinella from the human body

Tapeworms (cestodes)

The tapeworm has a flat body that is divided into segments.As the worm grows, the segments detach from the body and are passed in the feces.These band-shaped individuals can reach up to 20 m in length.They parasitize in the intestine, where they attach to its walls with the help of suction.

In order to infect a person, the tapeworm must go through one of the stages of development in the animal's body.

These parasites live in the body for years.Representatives of this group:

  1. Broad tapeworm– reaches a length of up to 20 m.It parasitizes the small intestine, causing severe dysfunction of the digestive tract.You can become infected by eating meat from freshwater fish and crabs that have not been heat-treated.
  2. Whipworm- a helminth with a length of 6–12 m.It lives in the small intestine, attached by suction cups to its lining.The source of the infection is beef that has not undergone proper heat treatment.
  3. Pork tapeworm– a parasite up to 2 m long that enters the body through raw or poorly processed pork.Attaches to the walls of the small intestine.
  4. Echinococcus– a parasite that can be contracted by cats and dogs.A person is an intermediate host for this helminth, therefore, when they enter the body, the larvae penetrate the tissues, all organs and form echinococcal cysts.They can only be removed surgically.
  5. Alveococcus- species of Echinococcus.Very dangerous helminths that can live in any organ, but mostly parasitize in the liver.They actively grow and develop according to the principle of cancer metastases, gradually infecting the whole body.The worms can be removed surgically.
pig tapeworm from humans

flukes (trematodes)

Flukes are a type of worms that parasitize all kinds of organs and tissues.They feed on epithelial cells.They reach a length of up to 1.5 m.The body is shaped like a leaf.The route of infection is the consumption of fish and seafood raw or after insufficient heat treatment.This type includes:

  1. Liver fluke– a worm with a length of 7–20 mm.It parasitizes the liver and bile ducts.It provokes the development of serious diseases and functional disorders.
  2. Fluke– a worm with a length of 4–13 mm, localized in the gall bladder.
methyl in the gall bladder

Symptoms - signs of worms in humans

How exactly helminthosis manifests depends on the type of worms that have infected the body and their number.The main symptoms of helminthic invasion:

  • diarrhea or constipation;
  • bloating, flatulence;
  • muscle and joint pain;
  • anemia;
  • allergic reactions;
  • dermatitis;
  • weight problems - weight loss or obesity;
  • sleep disorder;
  • nervousness, irritability, depressive state;
  • apathy, fatigue;
  • cough, inflammation of the respiratory tract;
  • weakened immunity.
insomnia as a symptom of worms in the body

How to tell if there are worms

If symptoms appear that may indicate the presence of worms, it is worth diagnosing.The following tests will help identify parasites:

  1. Stool examination.
  2. Blood test.
  3. Examination of duodenal secretions.
  4. Analysis of perianal and rectal mucus.
  5. Ultrasound, tomography, endoscopy.

You can be sure of the diagnostic result if you take the test 3-4 times with an interval of several days.One analysis is not sufficient to confirm the absence of helminth infestation.

The human body can be affected by one type of worms or several at once.All of them, regardless of size, provoke serious health problems and are the causes of complex chronic diseases that cannot be cured for years.To eliminate the risk of infection, it is necessary to periodically carry out diagnostics and preventive treatment.This is especially true for pet owners.