In the human body many helminth classes parasitize, among which cestodes are often found. That's what tapeworms are called. According to their photos, one can immediately see why they got such a name. What do banded worms look like? They have a long flat body, consisting of many segments, in front of which there is a small head, equipped with suckers or hooks. According to their morphological features, they differ from other classes of worms, since it is characteristic of them that they develop only the sexual system. This provides them with great durability and fertility. Each segment of the cestodes appears on the enlarged photographs as an independent organism. Even if it detaches from the body of a sexually mature member of the class of tapeworm and leaves with feces outside, the process of maturing eggs in it will not stop.
Many patients infected with cestodes are interested in questions about how to get rid of various types of these thin banded worms and what methods of treatment of infestation by them will be most effective. These parasites are not only dangerous for mature individuals, but also for the larval stage. Often people who are afraid of infection with this class of helminths are interested in what pathologies they cause, and what symptomatology corresponds to them? Specialists note that for each species of cestodes that are located in the body of an adult or a child, the development of their disease is characteristic:
- Infection with a dwarf chain provokes the development of hymenolepidosis, accompanied by negative intestinal symptoms and disorders from the central nervous system. Invasion with these tapeworms occurs with direct contact with a sick patient, therefore the risk of its occurrence in a child is several times higher than that of an adult;
- Pork thistle causes a teniosis, characterized by astheno-neurotic manifestations and digestive disorders. A dangerous complication of this pathology is often cysticercosis of the eyes and brain;
- Infection with echinococcus is possible only in the larval stage of the cestode. In this case, the patient has the same disease echinococcosis. Symptoms, the development of which causes these cestodes, are associated with the allocation of this type of tapeworms a large number of toxic products of vital activity. At the person infected by them there are strong headaches, allergic rashes on the skin, a decrease in working capacity, increased fatigue and weakness;
- This helminth, like a wide ribbon, provokes the development of diphyllobothriasis, accompanied by neurotic and intestinal symptoms. With prolonged course of the disease, there is often an intestinal obstruction;
- The cestode type - bovine tapeworm causes the development of a teniarinchosis in a person infected with it. This disease is accompanied by toxic-allergic reactions and symptoms of the upper part of the digestive tract.
When a patient has similar signs of invasion with ribbon worms, it is necessary to consult a specialist as soon as possible in order to conduct the necessary diagnostics and begin timely treatment. Only in this case it will be possible to avoid serious consequences, the development of which is provoked by cestodes.
Belt helminths in a child
Most often, children have exactly these classes of parasitic worms, each species that looks specifically and causes some kind of a disease. In order to withdraw from the baby round worms, it takes considerable effort and full compliance with the rules of personal hygiene. In order to understand in time what kind of flat cestodes the child infested, it is necessary to consider in more detail what they look like, what signs correspond to each of them and how the development cycle proceeds.
Pinworms and roundworms, which are roundworms, are found most often. The number of these worms in the baby's body can reach several hundred. Infection by them occurs through ingestion of mature eggs. The most difficult to remove pinworms, as in their development cycle, self-infection can occur if non-compliance is observed during the disposal of personal hygiene rules. Round worms of this type lay eggs in the anal region, causing severe itching. When combing, eggs fall under the nails, and thence into the mouth and intestines of the baby;
Tape cestodes are also common in children. The most common representative of this class of flat worms is dwarf tapeworm. Its greatest prevalence among children is 4 years. Infection is transmitted by fecal-oral route, through household items and dirty hands, on which there are eggs of this cestode. Getting into the children's body, flat helminths begin to destroy the villi that are found in the small intestine. This provokes the formation of ulcers and inflammations on the walls of the digestive organ.
Why are the cestode larval stages dangerous?
In the stage of the larva in humans, only echinococcus can parasitize, since humans are intermediate hosts of it. Infection occurs most often from dogs, both invasive and healthy, which are the mechanical vectors of cestodes. This type of tapeworm causes a dangerous disease of echinococcosis. With it, helminths in the larval stage affect various internal organs, causing the formation of cysts in them.
Pathology caused by cestodes for a long time without any specific signs, making it difficult to diagnose. To get rid of it in most cases it turns out too late, when the echinococcal cyst was formed, which is removed with the help of a surgical operation. To prevent the occurrence of echinococcosis is possible only if the rules of personal hygiene are observed and special preventive measures are taken.
Treatment of cestodiasis
How to remove tapeworms? This question is asked by patients very often. The whole point is that getting rid of a person from them presents certain difficulties. Some of the thin banded helminths have a sufficiently high degree of resistance to drug therapy. In such cases, surgical intervention is necessary, in which the elimination of the parasite occurs by the method of its excision. This method is the most effective in the localization of ribbon worms under the human skin. The photos of such operations of removing tape cestodes are very impressive.
In the case when the invasion by thin worms is detected in a timely manner, it is possible to withdraw them with the help of medicines. Assign them depending on the type of infection. The main drugs intended for the destruction of cestodes are available in the form of tablets. These include the following:
- Praziquantel Tablets. The mechanism of therapeutic action of this remedy is that it causes a reduction in the musculature of the ribbon helminth and the subsequent spastic paralysis;
- Albendazole, a broad-spectrum tablets prescribed for infection with both tape and round worms. These drugs are effective in such cestodes as echinococcus and pork thistle. Their action consists in suppressing the utilization of glucose and changing the course of biochemical processes, what causes the death of tapeworms;
- Nitazoxanide, also available in tablets, is also a broad-spectrum drug that causes the death of most types of human cestodes. Its antihelminthic effect is to absorb the enzyme, which is necessary for the life of tape worms.
Any medication, especially if cestode therapy is used with it, should be taken only for the intended purpose and under the supervision of a specialist, since they are very toxic. When using them, strict dosage is required, which is selected depending on the weight of the patient, and the implementation of ongoing maintenance therapy.
In addition to medicines and tablets for the treatment of diseases caused by cestodes, folk remedies can also be used. For the most part, these are herbal medicinal herbs. The mechanism of their action is that they cause paralysis of the musculature and the subsequent death of ribbon worms. There are several popular recipes for nontraditional herbal remedies used to treat cestodes:
- Two cups of boiling water are poured into 15 grams.dry walnut leaves. This means is insisted for half an hour and is drunk instead of tea in a warm form;
- Well helps with tapeworms and St. John's Wort. To prepare a decoction that can destroy these cestodes in humans, it is necessary to take dry grass in the amount of a tablespoon and pour a glass of boiling water. This medicinal tea is infused for 15 minutes, after which 10 grams are used.after meal.
For the destruction of such tapeworms, as pig and bovine chains, in the medical practice, the herb of fern masculine is used. From it is prepared an ethereal extract, which contributes to the rapid destruction of these cestodes. But when using it, you should be very careful, since the fern is a poisonous plant. All therapeutic measures with this etheric extract should be carried out according to a certain scheme, compiled by the doctor, and under his close supervision in order to avoid the occurrence of dangerous side effects.