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What worms do humans have?

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

human body parasite

Types of worms - which parasites live in the human body

Depending on the location of the parasitism in the body and the characteristics of the infection, 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 located in the lungs, eyes, brain and liver.This group includes flatworms.
human body worm

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

  1. Contagious– are transmitted to a healthy person by an infected person during contact.Another source of infection is household items: towels, toys.Representatives of this species are dwarf tapeworms and pinworms.
  2. Biohelmintoses– transmitted through contact with an animal, as a result of eating contaminated meat that has not undergone sufficient heat treatment.To become potentially dangerous to humans, these parasites must live for a certain period in the body of an animal that is an intermediate host.This species includes bovine and porcine tapeworms.
  3. Geohelminthiasis– part of the life cycle is spent in the human body and part in the soil.This is a necessary condition for its development.You can get infected from poorly washed fruits and vegetables.This group includes roundworms and trichinae.

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

human body tapeworm

Roundworms (nematodes)

Roundworms are so named because their body is round in cross section.These parasites are most often found in a child's body.This type includes:

  1. Pinworms– they parasitize in the large intestine and also in the small intestine.The body length does not exceed 1 cm.Most often, helminthic worm infestation affects children.These parasites live for 1 to 2 months.If you strictly observe personal hygiene, you can cure yourself even without taking medications.If not followed, repeated self-infection is possible.
  2. Roundworms– worms up to 45 cm long, which parasitize the small intestine.They can move freely within the intestines.Its useful life 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 in the colon and cecum, burrowing into their mucous membrane to suck blood.Very toxic.They live up to 5 years.
  4. Trichinella– a parasite 3–4 mm long, which can be infected through meat that has undergone insufficient heat treatment.Helminths live in different organs, settling in the muscles of the eyes, heart and lungs.Life expectancy is up to 2 years.
  5. Hookworm and necator– have the same biological characteristics, development cycle and method of parasitism, therefore they are combined under the same name “hookworms”.These helminths, 10–15 mm long, are located in the duodenum.They enter the human body through the skin upon contact with contaminated soil.They feed on blood by biting into blood vessels, which leads to iron deficiency anemia.This parasite is difficult to identify.
trichinella of the human body

Tapeworms (cestodes)

The tapeworm has a flat body divided into segments.As the worm grows, the segments separate from the body and are excreted in the feces.These ribbon-shaped individuals can be up to 20 m long.They parasitize the intestines, where they attach themselves to the walls using suction cups.

To infect a person, tapeworms must go through one of the stages of development in an animal's body.

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

  1. Wide 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 the meat of freshwater fish and crayfish that have not been heat treated.
  2. Bull tapeworm- a helminth 6–12 m long.It lives in the small intestine, attached by suction cups to its mucous membrane.The source of infection is beef that has not been subjected to adequate heat treatment.
  3. Pork tapeworm– a parasite up to 2 m long, which enters the body through raw or poorly processed pork.It attaches to the walls of the small intestine.
  4. Echinococcus– a parasite that can be infected by dogs and cats.Humans are an intermediate host of this helminth, therefore, upon entering the body, the larvae penetrate the tissues, any organs and form echinococcal cysts.They can only be removed surgically.
  5. Alveococcus- a type of echinococcus.Very dangerous helminths that can live in any organ, but mainly parasitize the liver.They actively grow and develop according to the principle of cancer metastases, gradually infecting the entire body.The worms can be removed surgically.
pork tapeworm from humans

Worms (trematodes)

Worms are a type of worm that parasitizes any organs and tissues.They feed on epithelial cells.They reach a length of 1.5 m.The body is shaped like a leaf.The route of infection is the consumption of raw fish and seafood or after insufficient heat treatment.This type includes:

  1. Liver fluke– a worm 7–20 mm long.Parasitizes the liver and bile ducts.It provokes the development of serious diseases and functional disorders.
  2. Fluke– a worm 4–13 mm long, located in the gallbladder.
chance in the gallbladder

Symptoms - signs of worms in humans

Exactly how helminthiasis manifests itself depends on the type of worms that have infected the body and their number.The main symptoms of helminthic infestation:

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

How to determine if there are worms

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

  1. Stool examination.
  2. Blood test.
  3. Study 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 helminthic infestation.

The human body can be affected by one type of worm or several at the same time.All of them, regardless of size, cause serious health problems and are causative agents of complex chronic diseases that have not been cured for years.To eliminate the risk of infection, it is necessary to periodically carry out diagnostics and preventive treatments.This is especially true for pet owners.