What are the names of worms that can live in the human body?

Worms or helminths are parasites that live, feed, grow and reproduce in the human body, that is, they use it to carry out their life cycle. According to various statistics, there are between 300 and 500 species of worms dangerous to humans in the world. Their prevalence differs between countries and depends on the level of health culture of the population and the socio-economic development of the region. But even in enlightened European countries, symptoms of helminthiasis are found in a third of inhabitants. Worm larvae can enter the human body in different ways, depending on their development cycle. The names of worms in humans, their varieties, as well as methods of infection, symptoms and methods of treatment of helminthiasis are relevant information for the majority of the world's population.

What types of worms are there?

Over many years of evolution, parasites have ideally adapted to live at the expense of other living things, without arousing suspicion from the immune system for a long time, so the symptoms of worms in humans do not appear immediatelyand may be completely absent or slightly expressed.

Worms are able to penetrate the body unnoticed, camouflage themselves, destroy tissues and organs and poison the human body with toxins, living there for a long time.

Some types of worms are only dangerous to humans, while others are parasites in animals. Their sizes vary from microscopic to gigantic (15 meters or more in length). About three dozen parasites are common, including single-celled protozoan creatures. Among all this diversity, we distinguish 3 large groups of helminths according to the characteristics of their life cycle:

1. Contact worms- present only in humans, have a simple development cycle that does not require more than one host. Typical representatives are pinworms, these are the most common intestinal worms in children. Infection occurs in families, groups of children, public places through unwashed hands, household items (toys, books, curtains, etc. ) on which mature eggs of these worms have fallen, as well asby inhaling dust.
2. Group of geohelminths– their eggs must first mature in earth, water or sand. They enter the human body through the mouth with unwashed berries, vegetables or herbs (like roundworms and whipworms) or through the skin (like hookworms).
3. Biohelminths– have a complex life cycle with a change of hosts. These worms appear in humans when eating poorly washed vegetables or raw water (echinococcus), animal meat contaminated with larvae (cattle or pork tapeworm), planed fish and caviar (large tapeworm), river fish (fluke or liver fluke) or through the bloodstream. (wired).

Types of worms

All types of helminths are divided into 3 classes according to their morphological characteristics:

1. Class of nematodes (roundworms)– roundworms, pinworms, hookworms, whipworms, trichinella. Roundworms are distinguished by the presence of separate sexes and have different sizes - from 1 cm (female pinworm) to 40 cm (roundworm).
2. Class of trematodes (they are usually called flukes)– Siberian fluke (cat fluke), schistosomes. These are always biohelminths and hermaphrodites, equipped with various devices for suction and attachment to the internal organs of a person.
3. Class of cestodes (type of flatworms)- They are long-banded parasites. These include the broad tapeworm, pork tapeworm and bovine tapeworm - this is the largest worm, capable of measuring up to 20 meters in length. Flatworms feed on the entire surface of the body, are hermaphrodites and biohelminths. Echinococcus is considered the smallest representative of cestodes.

The world of worms is characterized by great diversity and exceptional survival. The class of trematodes and cestodes consists of 100% parasites, but roundworms are heterogeneous, there are several tens of thousands of species, but not everyone likes to parasitize the human body. Most helminths lay eggs that can survive in the external environment for several months, and Trichinella is a viviparous individual..

In the human body, worms don't just live in the intestines; some of them prefer to be found in the liver, lung parenchyma, brain, skin, muscle tissue and even in the eyeballs.

Worms can live a long time; for example, a cysticercus can live in the brain for many years; growth of a hydatid cyst continues for up to 10 years.

About roundworms

Which worms are the most common:

1. Pinworms- live in the lower parts of the small intestine and throughout the large intestine of humans; females lay eggs at night around the anus, causing a characteristic sign of enterobiosis in humans: itching. The transmission of worms between people occurs through dirty hands (eggs of these worms are very often found under children's nails), bedding and household items. The eggs are very light and can be transmitted through the air with dust; they remain viable for up to six months. These are the least toxic worms. Human stools do not contain them; for diagnosis, it is necessary to take a scraping from the perianal area.
2. Roundworm- a large worm with a curved end in the shape of a hook; a mature individual can reach a length of up to half a meter. The eggs ripen in the ground and enter the stomach and small intestine along with unwashed berries, vegetables or herbs. The released larvae eat away the intestinal wall, penetrating into the venous hepatic vessels, from there, along with the blood flow, they rush into the lungs, the right parts of the heart, sometimes into the brain and eyes, and inflammation develops inthese organs. When coughing, sputum containing larvae enters the mouth and is swallowed again into the gastrointestinal tract, where mature individuals develop and lay eggs after a month. These worms are brown or reddish in color because they hijack red blood cells. The lifespan of roundworms can be up to 2 years. For diagnosis, stools are tested for worm eggs.
3. Whipworm- a hair-thin worm, about 5 cm long with a pointed end, with which it clings to the inner surface of the intestinal wall. The eggs mature in the soil, from where they enter the intestines, and the larvae emerge there. Whipworms feed on blood and like to stay inside the cecum and appendix, often causing inflammation and anemia. Life expectancy is approximately 3 to 4 years. To detect it, you need to test your stool for the presence of worm eggs.
4. Trichinella- a small round worm that moves between predators and livestock. A person becomes infected by eating meat containing larvae; in the intestines, after a few days, a mature individual of Trichinella is formed, which subsequently gives rise to live larvae. Through the blood, they can infect the entire body, but they prefer skeletal muscles, where they remain for up to 5 years.

About tapeworms and flukes

What types of worms cause the most harm to the human body:

1. Bull tapeworm (popularly called tapeworm)- is considered the largest worm in humans (up to 15-20 meters) with a ribbon-shaped body of thousands of individual segments, among which the most mature are found in the tail and fall off as theThe eggs they contain ripen. These fragments are the size of a human fingernail, they fall on the ground, the grass, then end up in the bodies of cattle. A person is infected by cow meat. The bovine tapeworm can live in a person's small intestine for up to 10 years; it feeds on the entire surface of its body. For diagnosis, feces are examined.
2. pork tapeworm– similar to the bull tapeworm, but shorter. If a person is infected with larvae, the tapeworm grows in their small intestine; when infested with eggs, the larvae migrate and can infect any organ.
3. Large tapeworm– their type of worm is flat, measuring over 12 meters long. A person becomes infected by eating poorly salted caviar, dried or undercooked fish. It can reside in the small intestine for decades, constantly releasing mature segments containing larvae into the environment.
4. Echinococcus- the smallest parasite of the cestodes class. Over the course of several years, its larvae form cysts which can be located in different organs and reach 10 cm or more in diameter. Infection occurs through sick dogs or livestock. The course is characterized by a pronounced clinical picture and a risk of complications.
5. Feline fluke (liver)- a small worm that enters the human body by consuming poorly cooked freshwater fish, lives in the lumen of the small intestine, inside the bile and pancreatic ducts, can multiply rapidly and live up totwo decades.

Despite the wide variety of species, it is possible to quite accurately determine which worm lives in the human body using modern diagnostic methods and the old proven test - stool for helminth eggs.

The treatment is carried out after confirmation of the diagnosis and prescription from the attending physician.