Recently, news from the Netherlands thundered through the scientific world.17 volunteers agreed to inject their blood with dangerous parasites - schistosoma (which cause the serious disease schistosomiasis).According to scientists, every year this disease kills up to 200 thousand people around the world.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 made public.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 entire world on their toes.
Over 7 billion people live on Earth.And a third of them carry helminths (in common language - worms).These are parasites that cause serious and extremely unpleasant diseases (schistosoma is also a worm).At least, these are the estimates 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 the conditions for the spread of anything unpleasant are ideal (high humidity, heat, unsanitary conditions).But even where there are few tropicals, pests are everywhere.
Every year tens of thousands of people are treated for helminthiasis.For example, at the beginning of 2018, information appeared that the incidence of ascariasis (ascaris is a type of worm) has increased.
The health department has even developed a draft regulatory act that will clearly regulate work to combat helminths.Obviously the problem is serious.
There are various 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 just to eat with dirty hands for the larvae of the parasite to enter 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 to mention endless vomiting, diarrhea and other intestinal problems).
Children are more 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 drink dirty water from an open tank.But adults are also "at gunpoint" for worms.
The most common helminthiasis are ascariasis, toxocariasis, trichuriasis, roundworm and hookworm disease.The names are not a concern until you type them into a search engine and go to the "images" section - yes, such disgustingly huge worms can live inside you.
Worms with beautiful names
Ascariasis- the most common helminthiasis, responsible for 90% of infections, so we will dwell on it in more detail.Roundworms are long, ugly worms that attack the human small intestine.Every year, up to 800 million cases of ascariasis are recorded worldwide.
The source of contamination is the same unwashed fruits, vegetables and berries.There are several types of roundworms: there are those that infect animals, but there is a separate species for humans.That is, you cannot get infected with ascariasis from an animal.
As mentioned above, children are more likely to catch parasites due to their laid back demeanor.In the case of ascariasis, rural residents of all ages are also at risk - they often come into contact with the soil, 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 appear 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), crawled into the lungs, throat and sinuses.This is how patients discovered them.
Imagine - a long white worm crawling through your intestines.It is not exactly known whether an infected person always feels the movement of the roundworm inside him.You can hear yourself just in case.
There are other, rarer helminthiasis.A worm cheekily named 'Toxocara' causestoxocariasis.It can also be infected by dogs.Symptoms will be different - fever, bronchitis, pneumonia, skin rash.
In the pathogentrichocephalyA simpler name is whipworm.Outwardly, it looks like a small whip.Most of the time, this disease is generally asymptomatic, and if the number of parasites is already off the scale, then the symptoms begin as with ascariasis.
Worms of the genus Strongyloides stercoralis (pathogensstrong-willedness) - 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, there will be severe itching where the worms have crawled, and over time the sick person will develop diarrhea, abdominal pain, and a skin 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 made to live off their host's resources.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, in fact, 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 until a stool test separates you.They will lay millions of eggs in your intestines, but symptoms may never appear.It is in the feces that the larvae of the parasites themselves can be found.
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 diseases, and a skin rash is a sign of a completely different disease.If you have symptoms similar to a parasitic infection, you should consult a doctor immediately.
The diagnosis of helminths is carried out by examining the feces.There are methods of serodiagnosis: ELISA (enzyme immunosorbent assay - 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 an x-ray - the image will show worms crawling through your intestines (or elsewhere).Blood and urine tests are required to determine the level of intoxication in the body and prescribe the correct treatment.
Pharmaceutical companies have long found many anthelmintic drugs that effectively help to get rid of worms.On average, the treatment of helminthiasis lasts from 3 to 5 days.Most of the time, treatment can be done on an outpatient basis - you don't need to stay in hospital (unless you've already developed complications).
If you haven't figured it out yet, we remind you: worms can catch anything, regardless of gender, age and social status.Of course, don't forget 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, then all hygiene rules should be observed twice as carefully.