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What worms do humans have?

The cause of many diseases and poor health is helminth infection.Various worms can enter the human body.Their sizes vary from the smallest millimeters to 16-18 meters.By parasitizing all organs and tissues, they cause enormous damage to health.To protect yourself from invasion (infection), it is advisable to know what types of worms exist and understand 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 different classes.

Classification of worms based on their location in the human body:

  1. Intestinalare worms that live in the gastrointestinal tract, mainly in the small intestine.Sometimes they penetrate other organs.This group includes tapeworms and roundworms.
  2. Extraintestinal– develop, live and reproduce in various organs outside the intestine.They can be located in the lungs, eyes, brain and liver.This group includes flatworms.
worm from the human body

Classification of worms according to the method of entry into the human body:

  1. Contagious– are transmitted to a healthy person from an infected person during contact.Another source of infection is household items: towels, toys.Representatives of this species are dwarf tapeworms and pinworms.
  2. Biohelminths– transmitted through contact with an animal, following the consumption of contaminated meat that has not undergone sufficient heat treatment.To become potentially dangerous to humans, these parasites must live for a certain period in the body of an animal that is an intermediate host.This species includes bovine and porcine 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 get the infection through improperly washed fruits and vegetables.This group includes nematodes and trichinae.

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

tapeworm from the human body

Nematodes (roundworms)

Roundworms are called so because their body has a round cross section.These parasites are most often found in the body of a child.This typology includes:

  1. Pinworms– they parasitize in the large intestine and also in the small intestine.Their body length does not exceed 1 cm.Most often, pinworm helminth infestation affects children.These parasites live for 1-2 months.If you strictly observe personal hygiene, you can heal even without taking medications.If not followed, repeated self-infection is possible.
  2. Nematodes– worms up to 45 cm long, which parasitize the small intestine.They can move freely within the intestine.Their lifespan is 14 months.During this time they release toxins into the blood, systematically poisoning the body.
  3. Whipworms- worms, whose body length is 3–4 cm.They parasitize the colon and cecum, burrowing into the mucosa to suck blood.Very toxic.They live up to 5 years.
  4. Trichinella– a parasite 3–4 mm long, which can be infected through meat that has not undergone sufficient heat treatment.Helminths live in different organs, settling in the muscles of the eyes, heart and lungs.Life expectancy is up to 2 years.
  5. Hookworm and necator– they have the same biological characteristics, development cycle and mode of parasitism, therefore they are grouped together under the same name “hookworms”.These helminths, 10–15 mm long, are located in the duodenum.They enter the human body through the skin in contact with contaminated soil.They feed on blood by biting into blood vessels, which leads to iron deficiency anemia.This parasite is difficult to identify.
trichinella from the human body

Tapeworms (tapeworms)

The tapeworm has a flat body divided into segments.As the worm grows, the segments separate from the body and are excreted in the feces.These ribbon-shaped individuals can reach 20 m in length.They parasitize the intestine, where they attach to its walls using suckers.

To infect a person, tapeworms must go through one of the stages of development in an animal's body.

These parasites live in the body for years.Representatives of this group:

  1. Broad tapeworm– reaches a length of up to 20 m.It parasitizes the small intestine, causing serious dysfunction of the digestive tract.You can get the infection by eating freshwater fish meat and shrimp that have not been heat treated.
  2. Bull tapeworm- a helminth 6-12 m long.It lives in the small intestine, attached with suckers to its mucosa.The source of infection is beef that has not undergone adequate heat treatment.
  3. Pork tapeworm– a parasite up to 2 m long, which enters the body through raw or poorly processed pork.It attaches to the walls of the small intestine.
  4. Echinococcus– a parasite that can be infected by dogs and cats.Humans are an intermediate host for this helminth, therefore, when entering the body, the larvae penetrate the tissues, all organs and form echinococcal cysts.They can only be removed surgically.
  5. Alveococcus- a type of echinococcus.Very dangerous helminths that can live in any organ, but mainly parasitize the liver.They actively grow and develop according to the principle of cancer metastasis, gradually infecting the entire body.Worms can be removed surgically.
pork tapeworm from humans

Trematodes (flukes)

Flukes are a type of worm that parasitizes any organ and tissue.They feed on epithelial cells.They reach a length of 1.5 m.The body is shaped like a leaf.The route of infection is the consumption of raw fish and seafood or after insufficient heat treatment.This typology includes:

  1. Liver shot– a worm 7–20 mm long.Parasitizes the liver and bile ducts.It causes the development of serious diseases and functional disorders.
  2. Stroke of luck– a worm 4–13 mm long, located in the gallbladder.
fluke 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;
  • bloating, flatulence;
  • muscle and joint pain;
  • anemia;
  • allergic reactions;
  • dermatitis;
  • weight problems - weight loss or obesity;
  • sleep disorders;
  • nervousness, irritability, depressed state;
  • apathy, tiredness;
  • cough, inflammation of the respiratory tract;
  • weakened immunity.
insomnia as a symptom of worms in the body

How to determine if there are worms

If symptoms appear that could indicate the presence of worms, it is worth getting diagnosed.The following tests will help identify parasites:

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

You can be sure of 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 helminth infestation.

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