Surely many have heard about a disease such as echinococcosis. What it is? What are the causes of the development of the disease? What symptoms are associated with it and with what danger is it associated? This information will be interesting to many readers.
Echinococcosis - what is it?
Parasitic diseases can hardly be considered a rarity in the modern world. And often in medical practice they encounter a disease called echinococcosis. What it is? In fact, this is a relatively rare ailment that develops against the background of penetration into the body of the larva of the echinococcus Echinococcus glanulosus tapeworm.
The disease is accompanied by the formation of cysts inside the human body, which spread, affecting certain organs, which, accordingly, leads to disruption of their work. In the absence of timely and proper treatment, the ailment leads to serious, dangerous complications.
Epidemiology of the disease
As already mentioned, to date, echinococcosis is considered a relatively rare disease. On the other hand, in some countries and regions it is extremely common. For example, outbreaks of the disease are often observed in South America, including Chile, Uruguay, Brazil, Argentina. The disease is also often diagnosed in residents of North Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Southern Europe, India, Japan and some others.
As for Russia, outbreaks of echinococcosis are mainly recorded in regions where livestock production is developed. These are the Samara, Orenburg, Volgograd and Rostov regions, as well as the Stavropol, Altai, Khabarovsk Territory, Tatarstan, Bashkortostan and some other zones. In Ukraine, the disease is distributed mainly in the southern regions.
Description of the adult form of the pathogen
Echinococcus granulosis is a causative agent of the disease called echinococcosis. The photo shows an adult form of the parasite. In fact, this is the smallest tapeworm, whose body length does not exceed 8–9 mm. The sexually mature form of the worm has a head, neck and body, consisting of 3-4 segments. The parasite’s head is “equipped” with four suction cups and two rows of hooks.
Once in the body of the final host, echinococcus with the help of suction cups and hooks is fixed on the mucous membrane of the small intestine, where it reaches puberty and begins to multiply. As a rule, the last segment on the body of the parasite contains eggs. These segments come off from time to time, as a result of which the eggs enter the external environment along with the feces of the animal.
Echinococcal cyst and features of its vital functions
A man is an intermediate host for echinococcus - in his body the parasite does not reach puberty and does not multiply. That is why in modern medicine, the defeat of a person with this parasite is a kind of biological dead end.
After penetration into the body, the development of the worm larva begins. By the way, echinococcosis is most often diagnosed in children, since the likelihood of infection increases if hygiene rules are not followed, which is not uncommon in small patients. Under the influence of digestive juices, the embryo is freed from the membrane and penetrates into the mucous tissues of the gastrointestinal tract. Already from here it easily enters the blood and lymph, together with the current of which it quickly spreads to different organs. Most often it is the liver and lungs, although it is possible to defeat any other structure. Here, the transformation of the embryo into a bubble-shaped larva, which is called a cyst, occurs.
How does infection happen?
As already mentioned, the final owners of echinococcus are dogs, less commonly cats. Eggs of mature chains are excreted along with feces, then they enter the external environment: on the ground, grass, vegetables, fruits, etc. Of course, you can catch the infection by eating unwashed foods that have been in any way in contact with infected feces.
In addition, the pathogen enters the human body along with insufficiently cooked or cooked meat. And the infection is transmitted through physical contact with infected dogs. By the way, that is why echinococcosis in children is quite common, because they often forget to wash their hands.
The main symptoms of the disease
Most often, echinococcosis is diagnosed in children, although the likelihood of the onset of the disease in later adulthood is also quite high. Today it is customary to distinguish four stages of the development of the disease:
- Latent stage, at which subjective symptoms are practically absent. At this time, a person is infected, the oncosphere is localized and its gradual growth. It is worth noting that the duration of this stage largely depends on the location of the cyst - in some people the disease does not make itself felt for many years.
- In the second, initial stage of echinococcosis, subjective symptoms appear. It can be from time to time arising soreness, discomfort or weakness. Most often, patients attribute everything to a general malaise, nutritional errors, etc.
- The third stage is accompanied by severe symptoms, which is associated with a significant increase in the size of the cyst. The formation begins to squeeze neighboring tissues, including blood vessels, nerve endings, bile ducts, etc.
- The fourth stage is said in cases where patients have complications. The most dangerous is rupture of the cyst.
Hepatic form of the disease
Most often, echinococcosis (photo presented above) affects the liver. According to statistics, in more than 70% of cases of the oncosphere of the pathogen are localized precisely in the tissues of the liver. In the first stages, the disease proceeds without any symptoms.
In the second stage, symptoms such as nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite occur. Patients also complain of constant weakness and decreased performance. From time to time there are stitching pains in the right hypochondrium. Sometimes soreness extends to the epigastric zone. Changes in stool are also observed, which is associated with a violation of normal digestion processes.
In the third stage, the patient’s well-being is significantly worse. Perhaps the development of an abscess, severe pain in the upper abdomen, as well as fever. Cyst rupture is the most dangerous complication that can lead to liver echinococcosis. Treatment in this case should be carried out immediately, since getting the contents of the cyst into the tissues and blood is fraught with an intense allergic reaction until the development of anaphylactic shock.
Pulmonary echinococcosis
Echinococcosis of the lungs is the second most common form of this disease. As in the previous case, small cysts may not cause any inconvenience. But as this structure grows, compression of the lung tissue, bronchi, and blood vessels occurs.
In the initial stages, pulmonary echinococcosis is accompanied by breathing problems. In particular, patients often complain of shortness of breath and occasional chest pain. In addition, a cough appears. At first it is dry and bothers the patient mainly at night. But then, during a cough, purulent sputum begins to stand out.
Cyst rupture is extremely dangerous and is accompanied by severe coughing, cyanosis, aspiration pneumonia and severe allergic reactions. If the cyst breaks into the pleura, the likelihood of anaphylactic shock and instant death is high.
Echinococcosis of animals
As already mentioned, the intermediate owners for echinococcus are ungulate animals, but dogs, wolves, and less often foxes act as final ones. Echinococcosis of animals may look different - it all depends on the number of cysts in the body, as well as the quality of care for pets.
In the initial stages, as a rule, a gradual depletion develops, which is associated with a violation of the digestive processes. Herbivorous ungulates often have symptoms of liver and lung damage. As for the final hosts of the parasite, then they can note the appearance of signs of exhaustion, as well as constant diarrhea, constipation, itching in the anus.
Modern diagnostic methods
Human echinococcosis is a rather dangerous disease. That is why it is so important diagnosis. Today, medicine offers many ways to detect a disease. The most informative analysis for echinococcosis is the so-called Katsoni reaction, which in 90% of cases gives correct results. During the procedure, a small amount of echinococcal fluid is administered to the patient under the skin. With a positive reaction, marked redness appears at the injection site.
Naturally, in addition, the patient takes blood, urine, feces. Serological tests are also carried out, the specificity of which is quite high. All these studies help to establish the presence of echinococcosis.
But with such a disease, it is important to detect the location of the cysts. For this purpose, various procedures are used, including computed tomography, angiography of the celiac artery (with suspected liver echinococcosis), as well as scanning with radioactive isotopes and some other techniques.
Methods for treating the disease
Most often in modern medicine, liver echinococcosis occurs. Treatment in any case is carried out exclusively by surgery. Taking antiparasitic drugs does not have the desired effect, since cysts still remain in the body, and there is always a risk of purulent lesions. Naturally, conservative therapy is necessary, but is used as a prophylaxis. Patients are prescribed medications before and after removal of echinococcal cysts.
So how is echinococcosis treated? The operation is performed under general anesthesia and only after all cysts have been detected in the diagnostic process. During the procedure, it is extremely important to completely remove the pathogen, with all the membranes, and to prevent its contents from entering the surrounding tissues. The most effective surgical intervention is in the initial stages. If the human body is affected by a large number of cysts, then their removal is carried out in several stages: during the first operation, the most dangerous formations are eliminated, and after some time (usually from three to six months), the procedure is repeated.
To prevent complications and inflammation after surgery, patients are prescribed antiparasitic and antibacterial drugs.
Are there effective prevention methods?
Unfortunately, there are no vaccines that can permanently protect against such an ailment. Nevertheless, observing some preventive recommendations, you can reduce the risk of developing a disease such as echinococcosis. What is it and what does effective prevention look like?
Firstly, it is extremely important to adhere to all sanitary and hygienic standards in agricultural areas where animals are grown. Since dogs are most often the source of the causative agent for humans, it is necessary to regularly conduct appropriate checks on guard dogs.
As for personal prevention, experts recommend washing your hands thoroughly before eating, as well as after any direct contact with the animal. You can not drink water from natural reservoirs or contaminated sources, eat unwashed berries, fruits and vegetables, as well as eat insufficiently thermally processed meat products.