Recently, news from Holland thundered through the scientific world.17 volunteers agreed to have dangerous parasites, schistosomes (the cause of serious schistosomiasis), injected into their blood.According to scientists, this disease kills up to 200,000 people worldwide each year.And now Dutch specialists are on the verge of developing a vaccine: to test it, they infected people with schistosomiasis.
The results of the study have not yet been made public;nor is it clear what happened to the 17 people who risked their health for the sake of science.But one thing is certain: parasites continue to keep the entire 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 (schistosome is also a worm).At least these are the assessments given by the World Health Organization.
There is even worse information: millions of people die every year from parasitic diseases.Tropical regions are particularly affected, where ideal conditions for the spread of any scourge (high humidity, heat, unsanitary conditions).But even where the tropics are rare, parasites are everywhere.
Every year, tens of thousands of people are treated for helminthiasis.For example, in early 2018, information appeared that the incidence of ascariasis (roundworm is a type of worm) had increased.
The sanitary service 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, living 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 it is enough to eat with dirty hands for the larvae of the parasite to penetrate inside and grow in the intestines until they reach 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.
The worms literally eat the body from the inside out.They can cause jaundice, septicemia (blood poisoning), joint and nervous system problems (not to mention endless vomiting, diarrhea and other intestinal problems).
Children are most often affected.They tend to forget to wash their hands before eating and after going to the toilet, they often put dirty toys in their mouths, and when playing outside (especially in summer) they may eat a little sand and sip dirty water from an open tank.But adults are also “at gunpoint” for worms.
The most common helminthiases are ascariasis, toxocariasis, trichuriasis, strongyloidiasis and hookworm.The names don't worry you until you type them into a search engine and go to the "images" section - yes, such disgusting worms can live inside you.
Verses with beautiful names
Ascariasis- the most common helminthiases, they represent 90% of infections, so we will come back to this in more detail.Roundworms are long, nasty worms that attack the human small intestine.Every year, up to 800 million cases of ascariasis are recorded worldwide.
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 separate species for humans.In other words, you cannot become infected with ascariasis from an animal.
As mentioned above, children most often get parasites due to their laid-back behavior.In the case of ascariasis, residents of rural areas of all ages are equally at risk: they often come into contact with the soil, where roundworm larvae hide.The main symptoms of ascariasis are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, lack of appetite, unbearable anal itching and high fever.
Among the complications of ascariasis (they occur 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 reached their maximum size (almost 30 cm), crawled into the lungs, throat and sinuses.This is how patients discovered them.
Imagine: a long white worm crawling through your intestines.It is unclear whether an infected person still feels the movement of the roundworm inside them.You can listen to yourself just in case.
There are other rarer helminthiases.A worm with the cheeky name "Toxocara" causestoxocariasis.It can also be contracted from dogs.The symptoms will be different: fever, bronchitis, pneumonia, rash.
In the pathogentrichocephalosisA simpler name is whipworm.Outwardly, it looks like a small whip.Most often, this disease is usually asymptomatic and if the number of parasites is already off scale, then symptoms begin as in the case of ascariasis.
Worms of the genus Strongyloides stercoralis (pathogenic agentsstrongyloidiasis) - these are the same reptiles that can penetrate a person through the skin (even intact).You can get infected the same wayhookworm.If this happens, severe itching will appear in the places where the worms have crawled, and over time the sick person will develop diarrhea, abdominal pain and a rash.
These are just some of the types of helminthiasis - there are hundreds of species 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 created to live off their host's resources.Worms eat internal organs from the inside and can crawl into the lungs and even the heart - all this poses a huge danger to life.Additionally, they produce toxins that enter the bloodstream, meaning this poison spreads throughout the body.
Only the timely elimination of helminths from the body can save you from serious and inevitable consequences.
Find and neutralize
It is worth understanding that worms can often live happily in the body until a stool test separates you.They will lay millions of eggs in your intestines, but symptoms may never appear.It is in the stools that we find the parasite larvae and themselves.
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 conditions, and a rash is a sign of a completely different type of disease.If you experience symptoms consistent with a parasitic infection, you should seek medical attention immediately.
The diagnosis of helminthiasis is made by examining stools.There are serodiagnosis methods: ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent test - the blood is checked for the presence of specific antibodies that appear in it when infected with one or another type of helminthiasis).
Another reliable diagnostic method is x-rays: the image will show worms crawling in your intestines (or elsewhere).Blood and urine tests are necessary to determine the level of intoxication in the body and prescribe appropriate treatment.
Pharmaceutical companies have long offered many anthelmintic drugs that effectively help get rid of worms.On average, treatment of helminthiasis takes 3 to 5 days.Most often, treatment can be carried out on an outpatient basis - there is no need to stay in the hospital (unless you have already developed complications).
If you haven't yet understood, we remind you: worms can catch absolutely anything, regardless of gender, age and social status.Of course, remember to eat clean vegetables and other foods, keep your dishes clean, and always wash your hands before lunch.If you travel often, especially to tropical countries in Asia and Africa, all hygiene rules should be followed twice as carefully.