Types of worms in humans, infection, prevention, treatment

Worms are representatives of lower worms that live in the human body. A disease associated with human infection by various types of worms is called helminthiasis. This disease is not uncommon and occurs among certain segments of the population. Children are susceptible to pinworm infection, hunters - trichinella, fishermen and lovers of Japanese cuisine (raw fish in the form of sushi) suffer from diphyllobothriasis. Many diseases, paradoxically, can occur in the human body due to helminthiasis. Today, the theory about the connection between cancer and parasitic infections is one of the most relevant. In the presence of helminthiasis, symptoms do not always appear, and if, nevertheless, patients with this disease experience any unpleasant and uncomfortable sensations, they are perceived as signs of other diseases. The patient has been treated for years for pancreatitis, gastritis or colitis, not suspecting that the cause of his ailments is helminthiasis.

How does infection occur?

Worms bring a lot of trouble to humans

Infection with helminths occurs as follows:

Through unwashed hands
Upon contact with soil
After insect bites
Because of dirty hands
When eating raw meat and fish
After eating unwashed fruits and vegetables
After contact with an animal
After contact with infected people

Mature parasite eggs can be found in soil, water, and food (raw and lightly cooked meat or fish). Rare cases of the disease occur due to insect bites. The mechanism of infection by helminthiasis is oral-fecal. A person swallows parasite eggs with food and water. Contact and household methods of infection also occur. They happen when, after contact with soil or sand, hands were not thoroughly washed.

Vegetables and berries growing in the ground that are not sufficiently washed are also a source of worm infection. Children who play with yard and domestic animals are at risk of contracting worms. Pets that roam freely on the streets can bring helminth eggs into the house. Flies and other insects, after contact with animal feces, landing on food, can easily transfer helminth eggs. Surprisingly, infection from person to person is also possible. It happens like this: a female pinworm can crawl out of the intestines and lay eggs directly on the underwear, causing severe itching. A person, after scratching an itchy area, may come into contact with other toilet items and household items. These items fall into the hands of other family members, after which they become infected.

Infection through water is also possible. Many parasitic eggs easily fall into open reservoirs and wells. Drinking unboiled well water is extremely dangerous.

Clinical cases

Patient K., 35 years old, complained of frequent painful urination that appeared after the summer holidays. At the end of urination, blood was sometimes released. The duration of the disease is 1.5 months. She was treated with antibiotics and other drugs with a diagnosis of cystitis. The treatment brought temporary relief, and then the complaints intensified again. According to ART diagnostics, schistosoma haematobium (schistosoma) was identified. After a course of BRT therapy and homeopathic medicine for two weeks, my health improved significantly. At a follow-up examination after 1 month, schistosoma is not tested.

A 6-year-old child was referred due to a herpes rash on the face. ART testing revealed ascariasis. After homeopathic treatment, BRT therapy, herbal medicine, ascariasis is not tested. Herpes did not recur.

Patient B., 45 years old, applied due to an existing polyvalent allergy to foods, medications, and household allergens, which manifested itself in urticaria and angioedema. Due to illness, she left her job. An examination using the ART method revealed: toxoplasmosis, ascariasis, fascioliasis. After a course of treatment for a year, my health improved significantly, I learned a new specialty, and got a job.

Stages of helminthiasis

In most cases, infection occurs due to poor hygiene

The most destructive effect on the body is not caused by adults, but by their larvae. Adult individuals have already chosen a cozy place for themselves in the human body, and the larva travels through the organs and leaves behind their lesions. The most common habitat of parasites is the gastrointestinal tract. Different types of parasites prefer different habitats. So roundworms are located in the small intestine, and pinworms settle in the large intestine and lower parts of the small intestine. According to the habitat of the parasites, helminth infections are:

Translucent
Fabric

Luminal ones are located in the lumens of the genital organs, and tissue ones are located inside the tissues. Depending on their growth, parasites can change their habitat, moving from the luminal form to the tissue form. Helminthiasis develops in two stages:

Tapeworms

Quite often you can find worms 10-70 cm long in a cat’s feces. These are tapeworms.

Their body is divided into segments. Infection occurs from an intermediate host (rodents, fleas). It is impossible to detect worms of this type in their entirety in a cat’s feces. Only their white segments, which look like rice grains, can come out.

Classification of helminths

Roundworms are quite common

Types of worms in humans:

Flatworms
Roundworms

Flatworms include:

Trematodes (opisthorchiasis, schistosomes, paragonimus)
Cestodes (wide tapeworm, pork tapeworm, echinococcus, alveococcus)
Roundworms or nematodes:
Pinworm
Ascaris
Hookworm
Trichinella

This classification of helminths is presented in the medical literature. To successfully solve a problem such as helminthiasis, it is necessary to find out in-depth characteristics of the structure and life cycle of parasites.

Trematodes

Another name for trematodes is flukes. These parasites are flat leaf-shaped or lanceolate with two suckers. One sucker is located in the mouth, and the second, which serves for attachment, is in the peritoneum. All representatives of flukes enter the body through an intermediate host. Most of these parasites are hermaphrodites.

Opisthorchiasis

This is a fluke - a worm up to 1.3 cm long with two suckers. Opisthorchiasis is a hermaphrodite that parasitizes the liver, gall bladder, and pancreas in humans and some carnivorous animals (foxes, dogs, cats). Opisthorchiasis eggs come out of the human or animal body in feces. When these eggs enter a body of water, they are swallowed by freshwater mollusks, within which the larvae hatch and develop. The process of development and maturation of larvae lasts two months. Then the larvae crawl out of the mollusk and penetrate the skin of carp fish. After six weeks, the larvae become full-fledged mature parasites. Opisthorchiasis enters the animal or human body after eating contaminated fish. This worm can live in a living organism for up to 20 years. Symptoms of opisthorchiasis:

Allergy
Weakness
Headache
Dizziness
Depression
Loss of consciousness

Harm caused to the body by opisthorchiasis:

Poisoning by parasite waste products
Damage to liver tissue
Gallbladder damage
Impaired outflow of bile
Inflammation of the pancreas
Secretory dysfunction
Decreased gastric motility
Thickening of the walls of some organs, the occurrence of tumors as a result.

The chronic course of the disease is characterized by:

Fecal analysis

If the owner of the animal is not sure what type of worms his pet has, he can take his feces to a veterinary clinic for analysis.

Adult worms lay eggs, which are later passed in the feces. These eggs look different (have different sizes, shades and shapes). It is by this criterion that it is determined which type of helminth lives in the cat’s intestines.

This test is highly recommended if your cat has a large, round, hard belly and is feeling unwell, but there are no worms in the stool. The fact is that not every animal has helminths that come out , even if they have accumulated in the intestines in huge quantities.

Diagnostics

The presence of worms can be detected at home, but the exact diagnosis and type of parasite is recommended to be established in a hospital setting, through stool examination.

The presence of worms can be detected at home.

Treatment

To treat helminthic infestations, anthelmintic drugs are used - drontal, pyrantel, praziquantel . These same drugs can be used as prophylaxis. It is allowed to give medications along with food.
It is recommended to use a sorbent in the form of activated carbon .
Preventive or therapeutic deworming should be carried out before routine vaccination.
It is permissible to use the drug canikquantel , which is used once and contains two active substances - fenbendazole and praziquantel. The interaction of both substances leads to blocking of the muscular and nervous systems of the parasitic microorganism and contributes to their death. The remains of dead worms are passed out in the stool.
It is also recommended to use Profender , which are dripped onto the animal’s withers.
The active substances, emodepside and praziquantel , provoke paralysis of the neuromuscular system of parasites and lead to the death of the latter.
Stronghold suspension has good recommendations . The active substance is selamectin .
Broad-spectrum drops - parsicide complex , which contain a whole range of drugs: praziquantel, ivermectin, levamisole, thiamethoxam.
Medicines in the form of suspensions - prazicide plus, pyrantel, prazitel .
It is advisable to use suspensions for ease of use by animals. Once the suspension gets into the oral cavity, the cat cannot get rid of it on its own.
It is acceptable to administer polyvercane in the form of sugar cubes. This drug provokes a failure in the parasite’s absorption of glucose, which is accompanied by a metabolic disorder in the microorganism and ends in its death.

The drug Drontal is used to treat helminthic infestations.

Treatment with folk remedies

When resorting to self-treatment with folk remedies, you act at your own peril and risk. It is worth noting that some veterinarians prescribe traditional methods of treatment when it comes to saving an animal whose body may not withstand additional intoxication from anthelmintics.

First, let me tell you that under no circumstances should it be used against worms in cats. This is celandine, extremely toxic to the cat’s body, but it will not harm worms, and in case of an overdose it can lead to death.

In general, all recommendations for treating cats for worms with folk remedies are quite controversial, and they cannot be called completely reliable. Basically, these are analogues of “human” means.

Pumpkin seeds are the most common remedy, as their inner shell contains the amino acid cucurbitin, which is poisonous to flatworms. Pumpkin seeds are safe for cats and other animals. It is important that the seeds are raw (dried but not roasted). The seeds (for an adult cat, a dose of 5 g) must be peeled from the hard shell (leave the inner film) and crushed well to a powder, thoroughly mixed with lard (pork fat) or refined sunflower oil and force-fed to the animal for 5 days;
Onion water is the second no less controversial, but relatively safe method against worms. Cut the onion into 4 parts, pour boiling water (250 ml), drink it to the cat in the morning on an empty stomach for a week. However, we warn you that onions are toxic to cats, and such treatment may lead to cat poisoning;
Many experienced cat owners recommend giving a decoction of fennel or chamomile The cat is unlikely to drink the broth on its own, and then you can either force-feed it or add a little peppermint to the broth;
A water infusion of tansy is a method that will not harm (but it is not a fact that it will help). Dried flowers should be poured with boiling water (200 ml) and left in a warm place for an hour. The resulting infusion is filtered and force-fed to the cat 2-3 times a day. For an adult, it is enough to inject up to 2.5 cubes (from a syringe without a needle) at one time. After drinking the infusion, the cat should not be fed for an hour. Treatment is carried out within a week;
Enemas with carrot juice . Heat the juice squeezed from grated carrots to a temperature (38–39°C) and insert it into the anus. Inject no more than 20 ml at a time. After insertion, the tail should be pressed to the anus and the animal should be held in this position for 10–15 minutes. However, there is no data on the effectiveness of this method.

The danger of white worms appearing in a cat's feces

All types of tapeworms are dangerous because they mechanically affect the tissues of internal organs, thereby causing serious damage, leading to necrosis and destruction of blood vessels.

All types of tapeworms are dangerous.

Worms are able to feed on lymph and blood, which leads to serious pathologies . The waste products of microorganisms release toxins that poison the body and cause intoxication and allergic reactions. Intestinal blockage may also occur and without timely surgical intervention the animal will die.

The presence of cestodes is manifested by atypical behavior of the cat, its aggression and irritability. The feces contain white speckles, similar to grains of rice.
Tapeworms can provoke serious diseases, such as: diphyllobothriasis, alveococcosis, dipylidiasis, opisthorchiasis, paragonimosis.
Diphyllobothriasis is characterized by the appearance of bloody vomiting, dull hair, progressive diarrhea, loss of appetite, apathy and weakness.
Alveococcosis is usually asymptomatic, so it is difficult to diagnose and it is often too late for the animal to come to the rescue.
The development of opisthorchiasis causes damage to the pancreas and gall bladder. It is expressed by pain in the abdominal area, yellow vomiting, decreased appetite, diarrhea, and fever.
Paragonimiasis affects the functioning of the respiratory system, in particular it destroys lung tissue and forms cysts. There is an increase in temperature, vomiting with foam, diarrhea, and cough.