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Which worms do humans have?

The cause of many diseases and poor health is infection with helminths.Various worms can invade the human body.Their size varies from the smallest millimeters to 16-18 meters.They parasitize all organs and tissues and cause enormous damage to health.To protect yourself from invasion (infection), it is advisable to know what types of worms there are and how you can become infected with each type of parasite.

Parasite from the human body

Types of worms – what parasites live in the human body

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

Classification of worms according to their location in the human body:

  1. Colonare worms that live in the gastrointestinal tract, mainly in the small intestine.Sometimes they invade 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.Flatworms belong to this group.
Worm from the human body

Classification of worms by the method of penetration into the human body:

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

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

Tapeworm from the human body

Roundworms (nematodes)

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

  1. Pinworms– Parasites in the large and small intestines.Their body length is no more than 1 cm.Children are most often affected by helminth infestation with pinworms.These parasites live for 1-2 months.If you strictly observe personal hygiene, you can be cured even without taking medication.If ignored, repeated self-infection is possible.
  2. Roundworms– Worms up to 45 cm long that parasitize the small intestine.They can move freely in the intestines.Their lifespan is 14 months.During this time, they release toxins into the blood and systematically poison the body.
  3. Whipworm- Worms with a body length of 3-4 cm.They parasitize in the large intestine and appendix and burrow into their mucous membrane to suck blood.Very poisonous.They live up to 5 years.
  4. Trichinae– a parasite 3-4 mm long that can be infected by inadequately heat-treated meat.Helminths live in various organs and settle in the eye, heart and lung muscles.Life expectancy is up to 2 years.
  5. Hookworm and necator– have the same biological characteristics, the same development cycle and the same type of parasitism, therefore they are grouped under the same name “hookworms”.These 10–15 mm long helminths are located in the duodenum.They enter the human body through the skin upon contact with contaminated soil.They feed on blood by biting through blood vessels, causing iron deficiency anemia.This parasite is difficult to identify.
Trichinae from the human body

Tapeworms (cestodes)

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

In order to infect a human, tapeworms must go through one of the stages of development in the body of an animal.

These parasites live 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 and leads to severe dysfunction of the digestive tract.You can become infected by eating meat from freshwater fish and crayfish that have not been heat-treated.
  2. Bull tapeworm- a 6-12 m long helminth.Lives in the small intestine and is attached to the mucous membrane with suction cups.The source of 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.Attached to the walls of the small intestine.
  4. Echinococci– a parasite that can be infected by cats and dogs.Humans are an intermediate host for this helminth.When the larvae enter the body, they invade the tissues and all organs and form echinococcal cysts.They can only be removed surgically.
  5. Alveococci- a type of echinococcus.Very dangerous helminths that can live in all organs, but especially parasitize the liver.They grow and develop actively according to the principle of cancer metastasis, gradually infecting the entire body.Worms can be removed surgically.
Pork tapeworm from humans

Leeches (trematodes)

Leeches are a type of worm that parasitize all organs and tissues.They feed on epithelial cells.They reach a length of 1.5 m. The body has the shape of a leaf.The route of infection is consumption of fish and seafood raw or after insufficient heat treatment.This type includes:

  1. Liver fluke– a 7-20 mm long worm.Parasitizes the liver and bile ducts.Provokes the development of serious diseases and dysfunctions.
  2. fluke– a 4-13 mm long worm located in the gallbladder.
Chance in the gallbladder

Symptoms – Signs of worms in humans

How exactly helminthiasis manifests itself depends on the type of worms that have infected the body and their number.The main symptoms of helminth infestation:

  • diarrhea or constipation;
  • flatulence, flatulence;
  • pain in muscles and joints;
  • 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 determine if worms are present

If symptoms appear that could indicate the presence of worms, it is worth making a diagnosis.The following tests help identify parasites:

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

You can be confident in 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 or more types of worms at the same time.All of them, regardless of their size, cause serious health problems and are the causative agents of complex chronic diseases that cannot be cured for years.To eliminate the risk of infection, it is necessary to carry out regular diagnostics and preventive treatment.This is especially true for pet owners.