Nematodes in humans - symptoms and treatment. Symptoms of nematodes in humans The most common are

Ribbons of muscle tissue cover the intracavitary fluid and internal organs. Nematodes have well-developed digestive, respiratory, excretory and nervous systems. But there are no blood vessels or respiratory organs in their body, and waste products are excreted in environment through the pores of the cuticle.

The clinical picture of trichuriasis (caused by whipworm) includes manifestations from the digestive system. Pain appears in the epigastric region and near the cecum. Therefore, this disease is often confused with gastric ulcer or appendicitis. The acidity of gastric juice also decreases, and frequent headaches often occur.

Hookworm disease develops when a hookworm or necator enters the body. These nematodes use their oral capsules to damage the epithelium of the digestive tract and feed on the released blood. Therefore, the leading symptom of the disease is anemia (decreased hemoglobin levels). In addition to stool disorders, abdominal pain and nausea, patients complain of chronic weakness, constant fatigue, decreased performance, and dizziness.

Trichinosis develops as a result of invasion of Trichinella. Incubation period may last up to several weeks. The disease begins acutely, with severe swelling and high temperature, muscle pain, urticaria and other signs of intoxication.

Small larvae of the causative agent of toxocariasis, Toxocara, quickly penetrate through the intestinal walls into the systemic bloodstream, and then into various organs and tissues. These nematodes can cause nausea, flatulence, and abdominal pain. After entering the lungs and cardiovascular system, Toxocara causes shortness of breath, cough, and cyanotic coloration of the nasolabial triangle.

Roundworms: routes of transmission, possible complications and diagnostic methods

Roundworms are divided into two large groups: geohelminths and biohelminths. The life cycle of the latter occurs in the body of one host, while in the process of their development geohelminths can change two or more hosts. Some nematodes affect only humans (for example, pinworms), others live in the intestines of people, cats or dogs (Toxocara), wild and domestic animals (Trichinella).

Over the course of a day, a female helminth can lay tens of thousands of eggs, which are excreted in feces and enter the soil. The exception is pinworms, which lay in the folds of skin around the anus. Eggs can also be carried by some insects.

Roundworms enter the digestive tract as follows:

When nematodes enter the body, they primarily affect the functioning of the digestive tract. As a result of dysbacteriosis, the metabolism of the main biologically active substances is disrupted. A person suffers from a deficiency of vitamins and minerals necessary for the normal functioning of cells.

If necessary, perform an instrumental examination of the patient. Procedures such as computed tomography of the lungs, brain, ultrasound of the abdominal organs, radiography chest allow you to assess the extent of helminth infestation and exclude other pathologies.

Intestinal nematodes: treatment methods in children, adults and pregnancy

Several medications are used to remove intestinal nematodes.

The most common are:

In pregnant women, intestinal nematodes become a real problem, since the vast majority of drugs have a teratogenic effect, especially in the first trimester. In other words, their intake can lead to irreversible changes in the formation internal organs and fetal systems.

Almost the only drug that does not harm the body of the pregnant woman and the fetus is Piperazine (dosage ranges from 400 mg to 4 g once). Also carried out on animals clinical researches regarding the influence of Dekaris on the intrauterine development of a child. As a result, it was found that the medicine is safe at the recommended dosage (up to 180 mg). However, it is prescribed if the benefit to the mother outweighs the possible risk to the fetus.

Nematodosis: alternative medicine recipes, prevention

There are many folk remedies to combat helminthiasis. Doctors consider them ineffective, but they are ideal for pregnant women. Some recipes can also be used to treat helminthic infestations in children.

Herbalists advise using the following recommendations:

Nematodosis is a disease that is very difficult to avoid. Therefore, the child must be taught the rules of hygiene as early as possible. Already before enrollment kindergarten he should know that he should not put dirty hands and objects in his mouth, and they should also be washed after a walk, visiting the toilet and before eating.

The remaining preventive measures fall on the shoulders of parents. Before eating fresh vegetables, fruits, berries and herbs must be washed thoroughly running water. Meat, fish and seafood should be subjected to appropriate heat treatment, homemade milk should be boiled, and fermented milk products should be purchased either in original packaging or from “trusted” sellers.

If there are pets in the house, they need to be regularly given medications to prevent helminthiasis, and after going outside, thoroughly wash their paws and clean their fur. During the hot season, you should avoid swimming in bodies of water that are unsuitable for this purpose. In cafes and restaurants, you should not use utensils of questionable cleanliness, and for a hike or a picnic, disposable plates, forks and glasses are ideal.

If one of the family members is diagnosed with nematode infection, everyone without exception should undergo treatment. You should also clean the room accordingly, change and wash bed linen and towels in a timely manner. It is necessary to disinfect dishes, toys and other household items.

Cuticle. On the outside, the body of nematodes is covered with a dense cuticle with transverse or longitudinal striations. In addition, there are nematodes with a smooth cuticle. Spines, ridges, papillae, lateral wings and other formations are often distinguished on the cuticle. The structure of the cuticle as a whole and its individual elements, as well as the structure of the head end of the body, the esophagus, the auxiliary genital organs of the male, and the location of the vulva in the female are of great differential diagnostic importance. Under the cuticle there is a thin epithelial layer and well-developed muscles. Together they form a skin-muscular sac in which the organs of the nervous, reproductive, digestive and other systems are located.

Organs of fixation in nematodes - lips, oral capsule, cuticular outgrowths in the form of spines, ridges and other devices.

Nervous system consists of a nerve ring located around the anterior end of the esophagus, and nerve branches extending from it to various parts of the body.

Sense system represented by papillae (genital, cephalic, cervical, etc.).

Circulatory and respiratory systems nematodes are absent.

Reproductive system males and females with a tubular structure. Females of many species have two ovaries, two oviducts, two or more uteri, which form a vagina, which opens on the ventral surface of the body with the female genital opening - the vulva. The vulva can be located in the anterior (in oxyurids, trichinella), posterior (in strongylids) or middle (in roundworms) parts of the female’s body. Female trichocephalates and dioctophymates have a single reproductive apparatus. The male genital organs consist of a single testis, which imperceptibly passes into the vas deferens, which opens into the rectum, forming the cloaca. Near the excretory canal of the male genital organs, the auxiliary organs of the reproductive system are located: spicules, rouleca, preanal sucker, and sometimes the caudal bursa. Spicules serve to hold the female during copulation and expand the external opening of the vulva. Most males have two spicules. There are nematodes with one spicule and without spicules. The rulek (gubernaculum) gives direction to the spicules during copulation; The male also uses the preanal sucker or caudal bursa to hold the female during copulation.

Most female nematodes are oviparous (produce eggs). Nematode eggs different types vary in size, shape and other characteristics. There are also types of ovoviviparous nematodes (the larva emerges from the egg in the host’s body - dictyocauli, protostrongyles, etc.) and viviparous, i.e. giving birth to larvae (Trichinella, etc.).

Development of nematodes. Depending on the characteristics of development, all nematodes are divided into two large groups: roundworms that develop directly, i.e. without the participation of intermediate hosts (geohelminths), and nematodes, which require a change of hosts (definitive and intermediate); they are called biohelminths.

The direct development of nematodes proceeds as follows. The eggs or larvae laid by the female, together with the excrement (feces) of the host, are released into the external environment, where, when favorable conditions(the presence of oxygen, moisture and heat) their further development occurs. A larva is formed inside the egg, which in some nematodes does not come out of the egg (pork roundworm), while in others it leaves the egg membranes outside the host’s body (horse strongylids). The larva moults twice and becomes invasive, i.e. capable of infecting a specific host when it enters his body. Infection of animals also often occurs when ingestion of infective eggs with food or water (with heteracidosis of chickens, etc.).

Geohelminths develop according to the oxyuroid, ascaroid, ascaridioid, toxocaroid, strongyloid, delafondioid, trichostrongyloid, trichocephaloid, trichonematoid, hookworm, dictyocauloid and amidostomatoid types.

Biohelminths develop according to the anisacoid, protostrongyloid, gabronematoid, thelazioid, aquaroid, filarioid, trichinelloid and dioctophimoid types. They are described in detail when presenting the relevant diseases.

Systematics of nematodes. Numerous species of nematodes are included in seven suborders: Oxyurata, Ascaridata, Strongylata, Spirurata, Filariata, Trichocephalata, Dioctophymata, characterized by the following anatomical and morphological characteristics.

In representatives of Oxyurata, the esophagus is equipped in the posterior part with only one thickening - the bulb (there is no prebulb).

Species of the suborder Ascaridata have three lips at the head end and a cylindrical esophagus.

In nematodes of the suborder Strongylata, males have a cuticular caudal bursa supported by costate papillae and two spicules.

Nematodes of the suborder Filariata are also equipped with a double esophagus, but are localized in cavities and tissues that do not communicate with the external environment (abdominal cavity, subcutaneous tissue, tendons); ovoviviparous and viviparous.

Species of the suborder Trichocephalata have a very long esophagus, surrounded along its entire length by clear-shaped gland cells.

A characteristic feature of nematodes from the suborder Dioctophymata is the presence in males of a muscular genital bursa (without ribs) and one spicule.

Each suborder of nematodes includes several families, which are divided into genera, and the latter into species. The presentation of material on nematodes and the diseases they cause is given in a systematic order (by suborders).

NEMATODOSE

Adult animals get sick rarely and without noticeable clinical signs.

Treatment. For the treatment of patients, piperazine salts are used at a dose of 0.2–0.4 g per 1 kg of body weight (given with food three times for three days in a row), or piperazine adipate at a dose of 0.5 g per 1 kg of body weight (given once with food ). These drugs are recommended to be used as a prophylactic agent once every six months, usually in spring and autumn.

Decaris is highly effective at a dose of 2.5 mg per 1 kg of animal weight.

For deworming, carbon tetrachloride is used at 0.3 mg per 1 kg of body weight (given after a 15-hour fast). Naftamon is given at 0.2 g per 1 kg of body weight with food after a 12-hour diet.

Puppies are given chenopodia oil mixed with castor oil (29 parts castor are added to 1 part chenopodia oil); the mixture is poured into the puppies' mouths - for puppies up to one and a half months, a dose of 1 ml, for puppies aged from one and a half to three months, a dose of 2 to 3 ml.

Prevention. Examine dogs periodically, feed animals only well-washed foods, keep feeders clean, maintain good hygiene, and regularly remove feces.

Toxascariasis mainly affects adult dogs.

Signs of the disease. Animals have poor appetite, weight loss occurs, vomiting, diarrhea is replaced by constipation, pallor or yellowness of the mucous membranes is noted.

The animal may die due to intestinal blockage or rupture.

The diagnosis is established on the basis of scatological studies.

Treatment and prevention are the same as for toxocariasis.

Infection occurs when dogs are kept in poor sanitary conditions. Mostly young animals are affected.

Signs of the disease. Patients experience loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea alternating with constipation, and there may be traces of blood in the excrement.

Treatment. Patients are prescribed carbon tetrachloride at a dose of 0.3 ml per 1 kg of body weight, tetrachlorethylene at a dose of 0.1–0.2 ml per 1 kg of body weight. Good effect give natamon, nilverim and other drugs used for nematodes.

Sources of infection. Infection occurs mainly through eating unsterilized meat or waste from the slaughter of domestic and wild pigs.

Signs of the disease. There are muscular and intestinal forms of the disease. The manifestation of the disease depends on the degree of infection of the animal. With severe infestation, there is an increase in body temperature, muscle pain. With a weak infection, signs of the disease are not expressed.

Treatment in animals has not been developed and is not carried out.

Prevention. Do not feed untested meat or waste to dogs. Destroy the meat of affected animals.

Signs of the disease. With severe damage to the esophagus, patients experience excessive salivation, vomiting, and difficulty swallowing. Sometimes the disease manifests itself in a form similar to rabies.

Diagnosis of the disease is difficult.

Signs of the disease. A sick animal experiences lethargy, fatigue, impaired functioning of the heart and lungs, difficulty breathing, coughing, nervous paralysis, vomiting, and blood in the urine.

No treatment has been developed.

Signs of the disease. Patients experience pain in the kidney area, bloody urine, vomiting, periodic convulsions, and sometimes fever.

Treatment. Treatment has not been developed, and there are no effective drugs.

Prevention. Avoid feeding raw or undercooked fish to dogs.

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How to determine nematodosis?

How are nematodes diagnosed?

How to treat nematodes?

The modern drug Rikazol from the NITA-FARM company has demonstrated high efficiency in clinical trials and is recommended to livestock farms as the main remedy for the treatment and prevention of nematodes (including serious diseases - fascioliasis, paramphistomatosis, dicroceliosis). Rikazol is used for infection various types nematodes, cestodes, trematodes, mixed invasions.
The injection form of the drug is made on the basis of ricobendazole, which is an active metabolite of albendazole.
Rikazol is administered once as an injection. After 8 hours the effect of its action becomes maximum.
It is equally effective against larvae and mature individuals.
The effectiveness of the drug reaches 98-100%. It is used for infections of sheep, pigs, and cattle.
Bioavailability – 100%: Rikazol is perfectly absorbed by the body and is excreted in bile.
5 days after the start of treatment, milk is already suitable for use, meat - after 30 days.

Preventive actions

Drainage of grazing areas must be carried out in a timely manner.
It is necessary to change pastures at certain intervals.
Premises where animals are kept should be regularly cleaned and treated with Rikazol.
Manure must be removed by first soaking it.
Veterinarians should carry out preventive injections of Rikazol in the spring and autumn.

The phenomenon is not uncommon, because they live almost everywhere and can enter our body through food, water or dirty hands. We may not even be aware of this, since they organically fit into our microecosystem.

Description

Nematodes (or roundworms) are small worms of the protostome type, a group of moults. Modern science identifies about twenty-four thousand species of these animals, but this is only the tip of the iceberg. Theoretically, there are millions of species of nematodes. Their species diversity is so great that it is almost equal to that of insects.

During their life, nematodes cause various diseases in their hosts. If this is a plant, then it exhibits death of the root system, spoilage of fruits and the formation of galls. The most common nematodes in humans and animals are roundworms, pinworms, trichinella and hookworms. As they develop and multiply, they conquer living space for themselves and “clutter up” the internal environment of the host organism, causing unpleasant symptoms.

Types of nematodes

All roundworms have features that unite them.

1. The special shape of the body is fusiform, with bilateral symmetry. The body is not divided into segments, but is covered on the outside with a shell.
2. Worms have a division into males and females, not only at the level of the genital organs, but also phenotypically: males are longer, and the back of their body is twisted.
3. Representatives of this species have a very simple structure digestive system(this is a hollow tube from one end of the body to the other). There is no respiratory system, since oxygen enters through the entire surface of the body.
4. All nematodes go through the same stages during development.

Nematodes in humans, animals and plants appear due to the fact that the eggs of these worms are able to maintain their viability in the most severe conditions, even where adult individuals quickly die.

Cycle of existence

As mentioned above, all roundworms have approximately the same development cycle, with some minor features.

A nematode in humans goes through three stages during its life. The cycle begins in the stomach from the moment the female is fertilized. It does not have suckers, so it drifts freely through the intestines until it reaches the anus. There, nematodes can crawl out and remain on the skin of the buttocks and thighs.

About a month after fertilization, the female lays eggs and dies. In order for the offspring to mature, special conditions are necessary - warmth and high humidity. The folds of skin in the perineal area are ideal for this. Under favorable circumstances, the eggs are ready for the birth of new worms within six hours.

A person feels discomfort and scratches the skin, so the eggs end up under the nail plate, and with unwashed hands they end up back in the intestines. It should take two weeks for it to fully develop into an adult. All this time they remain in the host’s intestines. In total, the life of roundworms does not exceed three months, but a person can be infected much longer, because repeated infections occur constantly.

Methods of infection

Nematodes are dangerous to humans only if they have accumulated in the body a large number of. Then they can cause intestinal obstruction, liver or lung damage.

Unfortunately, even just working in the ground or swimming in the sea, a person can receive a “pleasant” bonus in the form of a nematode. The larvae and eggs are so small that they penetrate well through intact skin, causing a rash and irritation.

The last path is transmissible, that is, associated with an insect bite. Since nematodes can live in absolutely any living creature, the danger of becoming infected after contact with a mosquito or flea is quite high.

Symptoms

In addition to intestinal disorders, symptoms of nematodes in humans include severe itching in the perianal area and perineum. This is most typical for pinworm infection. And in the case of Trichinella, the muscles in which the worm reproduces are the first to be attacked.

Nematodes not only cause discomfort, but can cause allergies. This is manifested by a weakening of the body's defenses, rashes and itching, and intoxication phenomena due to poisoning by waste products of worms are increasing. In some cases, people have even gone crazy due to the subjective sensations of having living organisms in their bodies.

Diagnostics

Therefore, if you suspect that you are not the only one in control of your body, you must definitely consult a doctor and get tested. First of all, this is a fecal examination for worm eggs. And you need to do it not once, but three times, for greater reliability.

In addition, the patient is required to take a blood test, which, if diagnosed positively, will show eosinophilia. And if desired, you can study the presence of specific antibodies and antigens that will indicate a specific pathogen.

Treatment methods

Treatment of nematodes in humans can take place according to two scenarios:
- taking medications;
- oxygen therapy.

The second method of treatment is that pure 100% oxygen is introduced into the patient’s digestive tract. For some types of nematodes, this is a deadly poison, so they die and are removed from the body naturally. Laxatives can be used to speed up the process.

Folk remedies

Since traditional treatment is quite toxic to the body, many people prefer to seek help from folk medicine. But it is better to consult a doctor before using any products. Even if he does not approve of your decision, he will, in any case, tell you how and when to use home remedies.

Most often, several types of herbs are used for enterobiasis:

1. Onions and garlic are infused with alcohol, vodka or water, and the resulting infusion is taken in teaspoons.
2. Ginger is recommended to be chewed both fresh and as a tincture.
3. Thyme and thyme contain thymol, which poisons helminths. But it is not recommended to use it with alcohol, as this combination causes vomiting.
4. Wormwood contains thujene, which is toxic to nematodes.
5. Tansy flowers are used in cases of blocked bile ducts.

After treatment, be sure to undergo a re-examination to ensure its effectiveness and that folk remedies did not cause harm to your body.

Prevention

Maintain personal hygiene, be sure to wash your hands after public transport, working in your garden or swimming in a pond;
- wash and heat-treat your food, do not overuse sushi and rolls;
- use repellents when relaxing in nature;
- if there are small children in the house, then linen, dishes and toys should be treated with boiling water.

It is not difficult to follow these rules; they are not burdensome for either adults or children.