Human roundworm belongs to the form of roundworms. This nematode lives in the human body. He lives in the lumen of the small intestine. This parasite is dangerous for humans, as it causes some diseases, the most common of them is ascariasis.
Features
The human ascaris body consists of ten layers of protective cuticles and longitudinal muscles. These worms are distributed unevenly on the globe, which is associated with the characteristics of different countries. Parasites are widely spread in Japan, due to the specific type of approval of local soils with the help of human excrement. The nematode is primarily located in the small intestine, but it can also be found in the blood, heart, lungs, liver, or brain.
Ascaris staining is the main indicator of their viability: after death, they change their usual red color to white.
If you look at the photo of human roundworm, you can notice its similarity to the usual earthworm.
It is known that the "owners" of worms on average, there are about one billion in the world.
Life cycle
The development of human roundworm occurs inside a person. The host organism is an ideal place for the existence of worms. In the course of its life cycle, the human roundworm does not need to change the "carrier".
After fertilization, the female in the human intestines lays more than two hundred thousand eggs daily. They enter the environment through the release of feces.
The eggs of human roundworms cover five protective shells, thanks to which they acquire good resistance to adverse environmental conditions. Eggs can be destroyed only with the help of substances that destroy fat. Such means include: hot water, alcohol, sun rays, etc.
Scientists conducted research, during which it was found that, being in formalin, the eggs of these parasites are able to maintain their viability for four, and sometimes five years.
After leaving the human intestine, the eggs of geohelminthes enter the soil environment, where the further maturation of the human roundworm occurs. The formation of larvae requires moisture and open access to oxygen. This process usually takes about sixteen days.
Helminth larvae enter the human body by swallowing them along with unwashed fruits, vegetables or water.
Inside a “host” of microscopic size, Ascaris larvae move from the stomach to the liver, blood vessels, lungs, and heart.
Further, the geohelminths, still in the egg shell, during coughing fall into the oral cavity, after which they return through the throat by ingestion and stop in the small intestine, where further stages of the development of human roundworm occur. It is here that the larvae reach puberty. Reproduction is considered a prerequisite for continuing the stages of development. The adult larva has the shape of a “coiled” worm.
Human roundworm cycle:
| Developmental stages | Ways of movement and place of development |
| Egg | The external environment (soil) |
| Young larva | Through the walls of the intestine - with the flow of blood to the lungs |
| Adult larva | With phlegm during coughing - through the throat into the stomach |
| Adult worm | Intestines |
Migration stages
Once in the intestines, the young larva gets rid of the egg shells. The process of "hatching" of the geogelmint is called "molting." The process of "birth" occurs due to its own enzymes, which corrode the structure of the egg and release the type of worms human roundworm.
Nematodes have a special process that sticks to the walls of the stomach and allows the larva to penetrate the veins of a person. Helminths are delivered to the large vessels of the liver by the flow of blood, and from there they enter the heart by the same method.
Along the branched network of vessels, parasites "migrate" into the lumen of the respiratory tract, from where they rise to the trachea, the irritation of which causes a person to cough. Thanks to this reflex, the larvae enter the oral cavity, some of them are sent back to the stomach with the help of saliva.
The endless "migration" of larvae ensures their uniform distribution throughout the body, which causes prolonged inflammation in humans, which contributes to the development of many pronounced ailments.
Breeding
Roundworms are representatives of sexual reproduction. Each individual has signs of its gender. The male organ is the tube, which has an ejaculatory canal. Her hole goes into the cesspool. Females have a more complex reproductive system, which consists of the presence of the ovaries, oviducts, sperm, uterus, egg-ejector and vagina.
The seed receptacle is a place of fertilization of eggs, which occurs through mating - it consists in attaching outgrowths at the end of the body of the male to the body of the female.
Intestinal stage
In the intestine, the roundworm larva is formed into a full-fledged individual. It is at this stage that the final stage of the "growing" of the parasite occurs.
The life expectancy of one individual geogelmint in the host organism is one year. But in the human body there is a constant multiple increase in the number of roundworms, so the infected person can be their "host" for many years.
The time interval from the ingestion of eggs in the human body to the appearance of new ones lasts about a hundred days. But experiments conducted by doctors found that immature larvae can appear in the feces in two months.
Food
At first, a very young larva feeds on blood plasma without fibrinogen. An adult consumes exclusively red blood cells, which are blood cells. Worm prefers them, since they contain a greater amount of oxygen. With each stage of development, human roundworms require this gas in large sizes. During the migratory period, it is oxygen starvation that causes parasites to move to the lungs.
Harm to the body
Worms irritate the intestinal membrane and poison the human body with metabolic products. This can cause abdominal pain and cause indigestion. Also manifestations of the presence of parasites in the body of the "host" can be groundless fatigue, loss of appetite, decreased performance and other unpleasant symptoms.
Preventive measures
To exclude the possibility of nematodes entering the human body, one should not violate the rules of hygiene: wash hands thoroughly before eating, protect food from interaction with insects, and do not eat unwashed fruits and vegetables.
If you suspect the presence of parasites in the body, you should immediately consult a doctor. A specialist will be able to choose the appropriate medications that will help remove worms from the intestines and organs. Also, in medical institutions, oxygen therapy can be carried out, which is an effective means of combating helminths.
Ascariasis
A common disease caused by ingestion of ascarids in the human body and further reproduction of it.
Symptoms
- allergic reactions;
- weakness;
- malaise;
- sweating
- digestive upset;
- bronchopulmonary syndrome and others.
This disease can cause complications, the main ones are:
- jaundice;
- appendicitis;
- asphyxia;
- pancreatitis
- liver abscess.
Finding roundworm in the brain
Parasites can live in the outer shells of the brain, then the "host" will experience frequent unbearable pain in the head.
Another place of stay of the worms are the grooves of the medulla. With this option, seals will begin to appear in the head of a person, which will cause manifestations of symptoms similar to unpleasant sensations in the presence of tumors:
- seizures
- cramps
- loss of consciousness;
- high blood pressure;
- mood swings;
- Depression
- neurosis.
Roundworms may also be near the auditory or optic nerve. Then a person has vision or hearing loss.
Helminths “migrate” to the brain with a blood stream through the brachiocephalic veins. Larvae can get there through the nasopharynx or through the hole made by them in the plate of the brain.
The auditory orifices are another way that parasites enter the brain.
Finding roundworm in human lungs
Recognizing the presence of worms in the lungs is very difficult, since the symptoms of this option are similar to many other diseases, such as acute respiratory viral infections, influenza, pneumonia, etc.
Symptoms
- wheezing in the throat;
- dry cough;
- increase in body temperature;
- dyspnea;
- the development of bronchitis.
If a person has pulmonary ascariasis, then the disease very quickly becomes chronic. This is expressed by seasonal colds in the "host" of parasites that can go into bronchial asthma.
The presence of worms in the lungs is the cause of foci of inflammation - this is due to the movement of larvae in the organ. The danger of pulmonary ascariasis is a possible complication in the form of hemorrhages, which will lead to the emergence of new diseases.
Finding roundworm in blood and heart
If in the intestine, roundworms enter the capillaries through the mucous membranes of the roundworm, then, together with a strong blood flow, they spread throughout the body and eventually settle in the internal organs of a person. Through the liver, roundworms can enter the right ventricle of the heart, where they become the causes of coronary disease, hemorrhage and frequent pain.
Finding parasites in the gastrointestinal tract and liver
Ascaridosis disease poses a major danger to humans in the form of the following harmful consequences: damage to the liver and intestines. Initially, nematode eggs enter the esophagus, and then into the intestine, where they “hatch” and begin their “migration”. Their first stop is the liver and bile ducts.
In the liver, roundworms press on its ducts, which causes jaundice in humans.
Then roundworms can get into the pancreas.
Symptoms of damage to the gastrointestinal tract and liver:
- nausea:
- impaired appetite;
- vomiting
- stomach ache;
- diarrhea;
- increased salivation;
- causeless weight loss;
- weakness;
- allergic reactions and redness.
Complications:
- appendicitis;
- intestinal obstruction;
- peritonitis;
- liver abscess
- pancreatitis
Benefit
Oddly enough, the presence of roundworms in the human body can be not only harmful, but also beneficial.
Scientists have conducted many studies on this topic among people infected with ascariasis. It turned out that women of the Bolivian Aboriginal tribes increase the likelihood of becoming pregnant, having a fetus and having a healthy baby without any complications if helminths are present inside their body. Local residents who were sick with ascariasis, on average, had two more children than healthy girls.
This is due, according to California researchers, with a decrease in immune resistance in this disease.
So worms have an indirect effect on the ability to conceive.