A person can be a carrier of parasites without even knowing it. These organisms live and feed at the expense of their owner, causing significant damage to their health.
What we will tell you about:
What parasites can a person become infected with?
Epidemiologist of the Federal Network of Expert Oncology Clinics “Evroonko”
“Parasitic infections, or parasitosis, are diseases caused by single-celled microorganisms (called protozoa), helminths (worms), or arthropods (scabies mites and lice).”
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 4.5 billion people worldwide suffer from parasitic infections, i.e. more than half of the world’s population. These sad statistics are of course contributed to by countries with hot climates, regions with poor hygiene standards and shortages of drinking water.
Russia has a temperate climate and the problem of parasitic infections is not so serious. Here, parasitic infections are most common between 18 and 20 years of age, the diseases are relatively mild and have a favorable treatment prognosis.
Depending on the stage of the disease, parasitosis is divided into acute and chronic, and depending on the location, into intestinal and extraintestinal, in which parasites live and multiply not only in the intestines, but also in various tissues and organs, for example, in the lungs, muscles, liver, kidneys.
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Main groups of parasites:
1. Protozoa. In Russia, the most common diseases are caused by protozoan microorganisms:
Giardia: These parasites cause giardiasis, a disease that affects the intestines and can lead to chronic digestive disorders. Amoebas: They cause an amebiasis infection, which can lead to serious illness. The parasites are able to move through the bloodstream to the liver, lungs, and brain and can cause liver abscess, respiratory failure, in other words, cause quite serious illness.
2. Helminths. These are parasitic worms that usually live in the digestive tract, but can also affect other organs. Helminths are divided into three main groups:
roundworms (nematodes): Worms such as pinworms and threadworms typically attack the intestines, causing digestive problems and other symptoms. tapeworms (cestodes): Parasites such as bovine tapeworms and pork tapeworms that can grow to significant sizes and live in the human intestine, causing anemia and other health problems; flatworms: Parasites, for example, that cause opisthorchiasis, can affect the liver, pancreas, and gallbladder.
3. Ectoparasites. They are parasites that live on the surface of the host’s body. They not only feed on the host’s blood, but can also transmit other infections.
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A common disease caused by microscopic mites is scabies. It can be contracted through contact with an infected person.
The parasites penetrate the skin, where they can move and lay eggs, causing itching and rashes. Scabies can cause serious complications associated with the development of a secondary infection.
Another fairly common disease is pediculosis. It is caused by the head louse, which is transmitted from person to person. This parasite feeds on the host’s blood and can cause the development of eczema and conjunctivitis, which can also be complicated by secondary infections.
In addition, lice carry deadly diseases such as typhus.
How do parasites enter the body?
There is a belief that parasites live in people who do not take care of themselves and lead an asocial lifestyle. However, in reality, anyone can become infected.
These unwanted guests most often enter the body through food, water, dirty hands and insect bites. Those parasites that live on the skin or in tissues penetrate through the skin.
Neglect of personal hygiene is a common cause of the development of parasitic infections: if a person does not wash his hands before eating, after using the toilet, takes unwashed vegetables with dirty hands or wipes fruit with a napkin without rinsing it with water.
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Most often, parasites enter the body through unwashed fruits that have grown in the ground. Poorly washed vegetables, berries, fruits and garden herbs are also dangerous. Therefore, hygiene procedures for products, even those grown with your own hands, should not be neglected.
In addition, you can become infected with parasites in dubious cafes and restaurants, where sanitary standards are not respected or the rules for preparing meat, fish and seafood are violated. The fact is that inside such food there may be parasite larvae that can survive with insufficient heat treatment.
If there are cockroaches in the kitchen, they can carry parasites on their legs.
The next risk of infection is not keeping the house clean: walking in outdoor shoes, rarely cleaning, having animals in the house that walk around the street and can pick up parasite eggs from dust and dirt.
They can enter the body through close contact with animals, especially stray animals that do not receive adequate anthelmintic treatment. Worm eggs are found not only in the intestines and feces of dogs and cats, but also in their fur, so you should not kiss animals, take them to your bed, and after interacting with them you should wash your hands, even if the pets are pets.
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Swimming ponds can be dangerous in terms of infection, especially where there is fresh or stagnant water. Diving or swallowing water in such areas is not recommended. Also, water from springs should not be drunk, especially in residential areas.
Another way parasites enter the body is through the passion for Japanese cuisine, where unheated fish is added to dishes. If sanitary standards are not followed, such products can also become infected with helminths.
Signs of the presence of parasites in the body.
In most cases, parasitic infections, especially those common in Russia, are practically asymptomatic or manifest symptoms characteristic of intestinal infections or poisoning. As a rule, parasites are found accidentally during preventive examinations or diagnosis of other diseases.
A person infected with parasites may present the following symptoms:
malaise; loss of appetite; weight loss; bouts of nausea and vomiting; skin rash and other allergic reactions; iron deficiency anemia;
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In the presence of external parasites (scabies mites and lice), itching of the skin occurs, which intensifies at night. Irritation, redness, blisters and pustules appear on the skin. Allergies often occur and the temperature rises.
Symptoms of parasitic infections may come and go, making diagnosis difficult.
Damage that parasites can cause to health
Most often, children and adolescents suffer from parasitic infections – in 70-90% of cases. This is due to the fact that these population groups, as a rule, do not observe the rules of personal hygiene as carefully as adults and actively study the world around them.
In children, polyinfestations are usually diagnosed when a child is infected with two or three types of parasites at once. Parasitic infections cause significant damage to children’s bodies.
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In particular, protective functions are impaired, the child feels unwell, his mood often changes and his academic performance declines. Therefore, in order to prevent parasitosis, it is recommended that children be regularly tested for the most common infections.
In adults, in the presence of parasites, neurological symptoms often appear, which are caused by poisoning with the waste products of worms. These include insomnia, irritability, fatigue, bruxism (spasm of the chewing muscles) and grinding of teeth during sleep.
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Parasites weaken the body, weaken the immune system and cause allergies. The presence of helminths (pinworms, whipworms and echinococcus) can cause symptoms of bronchial asthma.
Worm infestations often disguise themselves as other diseases.
It is not always possible to cure a patient with an advanced form of helminthiasis. Therefore, there is no need to wait for a miracle: if any unusual symptoms appear, it is necessary to undergo a test for worm eggs and an endoscopy of the intestines and stomach.
Diseases caused by parasitic protozoa are difficult to manifest. As a rule, the infection occurs latently, destroying the body until the patient develops severe changes in the organs.
Methods for laboratory diagnosis of parasites in the body.
Diagnosis of parasitic infections involves clinical evaluation, laboratory tests, and sometimes imaging studies.
Most parasitic infections can be easily diagnosed by tests, but it is impossible to identify and cure these diseases on your own. If the clinic has a parasitologist, he or she will treat various infestations. If there is no such specialist, you can contact a therapist.
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There are several laboratory diagnostic methods depending on the type of pathogen and its location. The most common is microscopic examination of stool samples, which can identify various intestinal parasites, including helminths and protozoa.
In addition, blood tests are prescribed, the results of which can detect antibodies, antigens or parasite DNA. If there are characteristic manifestations, serological tests are performed and sometimes an ultrasound of the liver. Urine samples may also be given to detect parasite eggs, larvae or antigens, especially for infections such as schistosomiasis.
High-tech laboratory diagnostic techniques such as ultrasound, CT scan, or MRI can be used to visualize and assess the extent of tissue damage caused by a particular parasite.
Treatment and prevention of parasitic diseases.
Once the diagnosis is confirmed, the doctor prescribes anthelmintic drugs, which must be taken for a period of several days to several weeks. Specific medications and the duration of treatment depend on the type of infectious agent, the severity of the disease, and the degree of organ damage.
If necessary, a specialist can prescribe symptomatic treatment. These are antipyretic drugs for fever, antidiarrheals, various adsorbents for disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, immunomodulators to maintain immunity.
After completing treatment, retesting is recommended to ensure treatment effectiveness and full recovery.
The prognosis for the treatment of parasites in the body also depends on several factors: the type of parasite, the severity of the infection, which organs and systems are affected, the general state of human health and how the body reacts to the infection.
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Parasitic infections can be treated quickly if treatment is started in time. Meanwhile, lack of treatment can lead to serious illness, complications and serious health consequences.
Some parasitic infections can become chronic and persist for a long period. They can lead to permanent health problems and will be quite difficult to deal with.
To minimize the risk of infection, a number of rules must be followed:
Wash your hands thoroughly after going to the bathroom, before eating, and after contact with pets. Properly prepare meat, fish, and poultry to destroy parasites; wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly. Drink clean water from purified or boiled sources. Keep your pet away from mosquitoes, ticks, or other carriers of parasitic infections. If you have pets, be sure to have regular veterinary checkups and take antiparasitic medications. Proper disposal of pet feces is necessary to minimize the risk of infection. Get a thorough checkup and get tested.
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