Recently, news from the Netherlands shocked the scientific world.17 volunteers agreed to be injected into the bloodstream with dangerous parasites - schistosomiasis (causing severe schistosomiasis).According to scientists, each year this disease kills up to 200 thousand people worldwide.And now Dutch experts are getting closer to developing a vaccine - to test it, they infected people with schistosomiasis.
The results of the study have not yet been published;What happened to the 17 people who risked their health for the sake of science is also unknown.But one thing is clear: the parasite continues to put the 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 severe illness and extreme discomfort (schistosomiasis is also a type of worm).At least, these are the assessments given by the World Health Organization.
There is even worse news: millions of people die every year from parasitic diseases.Tropical regions are especially affected, where conditions are ideal for the spread of anything unpleasant (high humidity, high temperature, unsanitary conditions).But even in places with few tropical regions, parasites are everywhere.
Every year tens of thousands of people are treated for helminths.For example, in early 2018, it was reported that the incidence of ascaris (ascaris is a type of worm) had increased.
The Ministry of Sanitation even drew up a draft law that clearly regulates work against helminths.Clearly the problem is serious.
There are different types of helminths - round and flat, living in water, on land, in animal feces, etc., but all of them are very dangerous.They often enter the human body through contaminated water or food.But sometimes just eating with dirty hands is enough for parasitic larvae to penetrate inside and grow in the intestines up to tens of centimeters in size.There are 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 counting constant vomiting, diarrhea and other intestinal problems).
Children are most often affected.Children tend to forget to wash their hands before eating and after using the toilet, often put dirty toys in their mouths, and when playing outside (especially in the summer) they can eat some sand and drink dirty water from an open reservoir.But adults are also "held at gunpoint" at worms.
The most common helminth diseases are ascariasis, toxocariasis, bristleworm disease, strongyloidiasis and hookworm disease.These names don't cause concern until you type them into a search engine and go to the “images” section - yes, such disgusting giant worms can live inside you.
These worms have beautiful names
Ascariasis- the most common helminth disease, it accounts for 90% of infections, so we will learn about it in more detail.Roundworms are long, aggressive worms that attack the human small intestine.Every year, up to 800 million cases of ascariasis are recorded worldwide.
The source of infection is unwashed fruits, vegetables and berries.There are different types of roundworms: there are those that infect animals, but there is a separate species that infects humans.That is, you cannot get roundworms from animals.
As mentioned above, children are most often infected with parasites due to indulgent behavior.In the case of ascariasis, rural people of all ages are also at risk - they often come into contact with the ground, where ascariasis larvae hide.The main symptoms of ascariasis are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, loss of appetite, unbearable anal itching, and high fever.
Among the complications of ascariasis (which occur if the parasite is not detected for a long time) are intestinal obstruction, appendicitis, pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas).There are cases where roundworms inside humans have grown to their maximum size (nearly 30 cm), crawling into the lungs, throat and sinuses.Here's how patients detect them.
Imagine - a long white worm crawling through your intestines.It is not known exactly whether infected people always feel the movement of roundworms inside them.You can listen to yourself in case.
There are rarer types of helminths.Caused by a worm with the cheeky name "Toxocara".Toxocariasis of dogs.It can also be transmitted from dogs.Symptoms will vary - fever, bronchitis, pneumonia, skin rash.
At pathogenstrichocephalopathyA simpler name is roundworm.Outwardly, it looks like a small whip.Usually, the disease is asymptomatic and if the parasite population has gotten out of hand, the symptoms will begin to resemble those of ringworm.
Worms of the genus Strongyloides stercoralis (causing diseaseStrongyloidiasis) - these are the same reptiles that can enter a person through the skin (even intact).You can get infected in the same wayhookworm.If this happens, the places where the worms crawl will be intensely itchy, and over time the patient will have diarrhea, abdominal pain and skin rashes.
These are just some types of helminths - in total there are hundreds of species, each of which has its own characteristics.
And most importantly, you can die from worms.Luckily, this doesn't happen often, but the parasite is designed to live off its host's resources.Worms eat internal organs from the inside and can crawl into the lungs and even the heart - all this is a huge danger to life.Additionally, they produce toxins that enter the bloodstream, which means that the toxins actually spread throughout the body.
Only timely removal of helminths from the body can save you from inevitable serious consequences.
Find and disable
It's worth understanding that worms can often live happily forever in the body until a test separates you.They will lay millions of eggs in your intestines but symptoms may never appear.In feces, parasite larvae and 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 type of disease.If you have any symptoms similar to a parasitic infection, you should consult your doctor immediately.
Diagnosis of helminthiasis is made by examining the stool.There are serological diagnostic methods: ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent test - blood is checked for the presence of specific antibodies that appear in it when infected with one or another type of helminth disease).
Another reliable method of diagnosis is an X-ray - the images will show the worms crawling through your intestines (or elsewhere).Blood and urine tests are necessary to determine the level of intoxication in the body and prescribe the correct treatment.
Pharmaceutical companies have long produced many anthelmintic drugs that effectively eliminate worms.On average, treatment of helminths takes 3 to 5 days.Usually, treatment can be done on an outpatient basis - there is no need to stay in hospital (unless you have developed complications).
If you still do not understand, we remind you: worms can catch everything, regardless of gender, age and social status.Of course, don't forget to eat clean vegetables and other foods, keep dishes clean and always wash your hands before lunch.If you travel often, especially to tropical countries in Asia and Africa, then you should carefully follow all hygiene rules.