The human ascaris is a parasitic worm that lives in the human small intestine. It is there that there is an ideal environment for its reproduction. This disease is observed in adults. But most of all he is exposed to children because of non-observance of rules of personal hygiene. In pediatric practice, its prevalence is maximal.
The average body length of the roundworm is up to 40 cm if it is an adult female( males 1.5-2 times smaller).Parasites in the intestine move freely in any direction and are there for a long time, so they do not immediately go into the external environment with feces. Because of this, it is very difficult to detect them during standard laboratory diagnostics. So, in some cases, eggs can be present in feces. However, this does not always happen. Therefore, in order to recognize ascariasis, more advanced methods of examination or repeated analysis of feces are used( it is recommended to take it three times).
Ascaris habitat
The environment for the habitat of parasites is the small intestine of a person. They often settle in a child's body, which is still not completely formed, leading to many functional disorders. As a result, the child experiences a deterioration in mental and physical development. With late diagnosis and untimely treatment, the disease leads to the death of the child. The cause of death is usually severe exhaustion and mechanical intestinal obstruction.
In the most severe cases, several thousand individuals live in the intestine of an infected person. Quite often after the development of ascariasis, the liver and gallbladder are affected, since this habitat is also suitable for worms. Larvae eggs enter the person through the mouth, then pass into the esophagus and stop in the intestine. Here larvae leave the eggs, which continue their further migration path. That is, from the intestine the larvae "will go" to other organs. Primarily it will be easy, and then the liver and bile ducts, in the heart, where they live for a time. Because of their presence, certain violations develop. Thus, mechanical compression of the liver ducts leads to obstructive jaundice. A large number of worms in the intestine is accompanied by its obstruction. The pancreas can become another habitat of the ascarid larvae. The ingress of worms into it leads to enzymatic insufficiency and diabetes mellitus, if the islets of Langerhans are involved in the process.
Specific symptoms of infection with worms depend on their localization. Over time, clinical manifestations acquire a pronounced character. In most cases, the patient has malfunctioning of the digestive system and concomitant disorders of the nervous system. If the main organ affected by the ascaris is the liver, then the infected person has constant attacks of vomiting and nausea, appetite is broken, strong pain in the abdomen is present, salivation increases, weight is lost, constant diarrhea with blood veins, general malaise is observed.
Nonspecific symptoms are also characteristic if the ascaris lives inside a person. Thus, human ascariasis manifests itself on the skin in the form of urticaria or itching. As a rule, these manifestations precede specific symptoms. But they are always present when complications develop, the nature of which can be varied. If the ascaris lives in the intestine, it often enough leads to intestinal obstruction, peritonitis and appendicitis. With worms in the liver, abscesses appear in it. Pancreatitis is a consequence of the ingress of helminths into the pancreas.
Ascarids in the heart
After entering the intestine, the worm larvae penetrate the intestinal capillaries through the mucous membrane. Then they are carried to other organs, in particular in the heart of a person. Worms come into the heart from the liver, and then are in the right half of the heart muscle and in the right ventricle. When the ascarids live in the heart, it leads to complications such as coronary disease, heart pain, and the patient has eosinophilic infiltrates and hemorrhages in the heart.
In all cases, specific anthelmintic treatment is required. Traditional therapy of ischemic disease and other complications is ineffective. Improvement occurs only after the identification and destruction of worms.
Ascarids under the skin
When the larvae parasitize the entire body, they live under the human skin. Over time, they develop into a matured individual. Outwardly it looks like a twisted cord, towering above the level of the skin.
For treatment, medicamentous and surgical methods can be used to help extract the ascaris from under the skin. In places where the worm accumulates, the patient feels pain, itching and burning. The place where the worm lives, it becomes bright red color, there is swelling. If the patient does not begin treatment, then soon he has a fever, there is a defeat of the organs of urination, the liver increases in size. In adults, there is an increased risk of infertility. When ascarids parasitize children, their health deteriorates significantly, memory decreases, and anemia often occurs.
Do ascarids live in the eyes?
When ascarids live in the eyes, the vascular envelope first suffers, as this is the most suitable environment for the life of helminths. As a result, it develops panoveitis, chorioretinitis, plastic uveitis, optic neuritis and keratitis can be noted. Ascarids in the eyes can cause bilateral or unilateral damage, which can occur in a complicated form.
If the doctor has discovered that the ascarids parasitize in the eyes, then he prescribes deworming with the help of the drug Hloxicol, and also combines it with antiallergic and cholagogue means. If the ascarids parasitize in the eyes, the patient is obliged to take not only the general, but also the local treatment - ointments and drops, which create an unfavorable environment for the life of worms.
To prevent admission of ascarids into the body and its penetration into the eyeball, adults should follow preventive measures. They help kill the larvae that can be present on food. Be sure to follow the rules of heat treatment of products to avoid parasitizing ascarids in the human body.
Ascarids in the brain of
If the ascarids live in the human brain, then the symptoms of the disease can vary depending on which department the worm lives in. For example, if the ascarids are in the outer shell, the patient develops meningoencephalitis, which is characterized by severe headaches, spasm of the neck muscles and other manifestations. When the ascarids live in the depth of the grooves of the medulla, there is a greater likelihood of developing seals, which are characterized by loss of certain functions, as in stroke. If ascarids live next to the optic or auditory nerve, then vision and hearing deterioration occurs.
How do ascarids penetrate the brain? There are three ways to penetrate the larvae into it. In most cases, helminths migrate with blood flow, becausethis is the ideal environment for movement. The absence of valves in the veins of the brain alleviates their path. So the larvae get into it through the brachiocephalic veins. In the neural tissue they develop up to adult individuals and live for a long time.
The second way is when the larvae can move through the nasopharynx, the paranasal sinuses, where they often live. When they penetrate into the fore sections, they also settle there as a rule, disrupting visual and mental functions.
The third way is to move the worm larvae through the pharyngeal openings in the auditory tubes. Of these, the body of the larva migrates into the middle ear, then moves to the inner ear. And then gets into the brain, overcoming the pyramids of the temporal bones. As a result, the fabric becomes the medium of their life. On average, the worm lives one year, if for this there is a suitable environment. In cases where ascarids die in the head, this leads to a strong intoxication of the body. Only adequate treatment saves a person.
Do ascarids live in the vagina?
There are many cases where human ascarids live for some time in the vagina. They get into the vagina from the rectum. After their dwelling on female genitals and inside of them there are unpleasant sensations, an itch.
Parasitizing ascarids at this site can lead to the development of various infectious diseases, becauselocal immunity decreases. In addition, systemic disorders can develop. In particular, adult women may experience psychological disruptions and severe discomfort. Parasitizing the roundworm inside the body of the uterus causes infertility. It should be taken into account, if the worm already inhabits there, then this indicates a large number of helminths. In these cases, immediate treatment is required.
Ascarid habitats in the environment and pathways of infection
The main mechanism of infection is oral, that is, ascaris eggs get to the adult or child through the oral cavity. It is realized through unwashed vegetables, fruits that are contaminated with soil containing helminth eggs. Places of congestion of microbes( nails, unwashed hands) also contribute to infection with ascarids.
Do not forget about the danger of drinking unclean water, where the eggs of worms live. This is due to the ingress of eggs into the ground along with the feces. This is the ideal environment for the propagation of worms. Infection of a person can occur when swimming in a pond, using a street toilet( if after that do not wash your hands).Large clusters of eggs can live near the well, which contributes to the invasion of water. Worms are parasitic on food. Their eggs are carried by flies from places where there are human feces.
A more rare way to infect an adult is through the sputum or saliva of a sick person. In this case, sexually mature individuals enter the body, i.e.for them the stage of migration is not typical. They immediately lead to damage to the lungs of an infected person. The last most likely factor in the defeat of worms are domestic animals that live in the same house with people. On their wool there may be eggs that come from polluted soil.