Fascioliasis is a parasitic infestation that is considered a dangerous and difficult to treat pathology, found mainly in animals. In humans, this disease is diagnosed less frequently, but it is also at risk of infection.
The development of fascioliasis in people occurs mainly in the liver and biliary tract, sometimes the helminth affects the pancreatic tissue.
Fascioliasis is caused by a microorganism such as hepatic hepatic fluke, a flat fluke worm from the genus Fasciola. This parasite has a body in the form of a leaf with two suction cups. Adults hepatik fasciola reach 20-30 mm in length and 7-12 mm in width. A large variety of this parasite reaches a length of 70 mm, a width of 12-14 mm.
The hepatic fasciola photo presented in the article provides an idea of this parasite.
The structure of the fluke includes:
- small esophagus;
- sucking machine;
- abdominal suction cup;
- two branches of the intestine;
- ovaries;
- zheltochnik;
- testes;
- the uterus.
Parasite development cycles
The main carrier of hepatik fasciola is cattle, goats and sheep. With the release of feces from infected animals, the parasite larvae penetrate the environment. At the next stage of development, they need freshwater warm water. The optimum temperature is considered to be 23 ° C. If the temperature is low, about 10 ° C, the development of parasites stops, and too high, about 30 ° C, is harmful to the fluke larvae.
Consider the fasciola cycle.
Under favorable conditions, after 10-17 days, parasites appear from the eggs, able to move independently. The next stage in development is an intermediate carrier - a freshwater snail. This phase is required for this microorganism and lasts approximately 1-2 months. After this, the larva again enters the liquid medium, but already in a special protective shell. Then it attaches to the leaves and stems of plants or is simply located on the surface of the water and awaits its sacrifice.
When a trematode enters the human or animal body as a result of ingestion, it reaches the digestive tract, where its protective membrane dissolves. Next, the parasite pierces the wall of the intestine and enters the abdominal cavity, where the process of its migration to the liver begins. Reaching this organ, hepatic fasciol tries to penetrate into the bile ducts.
There is another way to penetrate the habitat - the fluke enters the bloodstream from the intestines and reaches the liver through the bloodstream (hematogenous method). Parasite migration can last several months.
After sucking an infected person to the liver wall for 2 months, a hermaphroditic reproductive system forms in the trematode. Then, after about 4 months, the fasciola of the egg begins to lay. The disease in humans can take a very long time, about 5-10 years, in some cases and more.
Infection pathways
Infection of a person with fasciola hepatitis occurs during the consumption of untreated water and unwashed plants, the ingestion of eggs of the parasite during bathing in an open reservoir or in the process of using contaminated water for washing fruits and vegetables.
Therefore, residents of settlements far from cities that often use untreated water from water bodies are most likely to become infected with this helminth.
Hepatica cannot be infected from infected people, since the parasite needs to go through certain stages of development in the body of snails, and only after that the helminth is dangerous for humans.
What are the symptoms of fasciol hepatik provokes?
Symptoms and development of this disease
Parasitic larvae in the process of migration through the human body begin to damage the abdominal cavity, liver cells and the glisson capsule. As a result of this, allergic reactions, inflammatory processes in the biliary tract and stagnation of bile often occur.
Symptoms from fasciola hepatica are very unpleasant.
The chronic phase of this disease is characterized by significant damage to the liver cells, susceptibility to infection by extraneous microflora (as a result, abscesses), and the development of liver fibrosis.
The incubation period for this pathology
Before the first signs of infection become noticeable, some time passes - the incubation period. For hepatic fasciol, it is, as a rule, from one week to two months from the moment of infection. During this period of time, the parasitic microorganism assimilates in the medium of the carrier and begins the migration path to the bile ducts.
Early stage of the disease
The acute stage of fascioliasis occurs during the migration period of the larvae through the liver tissue and is due to the main symptoms:
- allergic reactions and itching;
- excessive weakness;
- abdominal pain;
- fever;
- nausea;
- headache;
- pain under the ribs on the right side;
- enlargement of the liver in size;
- jaundice (first of all, the sclera of the eyes and oral mucosa turn yellow);
- heart palpitations;
- Quincke's edema;
- chest pain;
- high blood pressure.
With this disease, the following changes are observed in blood tests:
- increased ESR;
- eosinophilia of the order of 80 - 85%;
- leukocytosis (up to 20-50 * 109 / l).
After the helminth reaches the bile ducts, in many patients any symptoms of the disease completely disappear. In certain cases, carriers of this parasite manifest a pain syndrome in the right hypochondrium and periodic symptoms of jaundice.
Sometimes, during the process of fasciol migration, hepatitis can enter other internal organs: kidneys, lungs, eyes, brain, or penetrate the skin. In such cases, the pathological process takes place with a variety of individual complications.
Chronic form of the disease
The transition of the disease to the chronic stage lasts about 3 months after invasion. All painful manifestations and symptoms at this stage are associated with pathological changes in the liver and biliary tract. The chronic form of the disease proceeds with such signs as:
- hepatomegaly - an increase in the liver;
- periodic pain in the right hypochondrium and abdomen;
- nausea;
- violation of the stool;
- decreased appetite;
- signs of cholestasis.
In the advanced form of the disease in a biochemical blood test can reveal:
- a change in the protein composition of the blood;
- increase in gamma globulin;
- increased activity of enzymes (GGTP, ALT, AST, alkaline phosphatase);
- increase in bilirubin level.
Complications of this pathology
Without proper and phased therapy, many negative consequences of the disease can develop. Long-term invasion of fasciola (in the photo you can see the parasite) causes the following pathologies:
- cirrhosis of the liver;
- hepatitis;
- chronic or purulent cholecystitis;
- subcutaneous abscess;
- anemia
- purulent angiocholangitis;
- liver abscess
- lung infection
- damage to the mammary glands.
Diagnosis of this unpleasant disease
Identifying the pathological process in the early stages is a rather difficult task, for this the patient needs to contact an infectious disease specialist. The diagnosis should be based on various data:
- Epidemiological, including such circumstances:
- The use of water from open water bodies, where water does not meet the standards.
- Swimming in polluted standing water.
- The use of untreated water when washing dishes or food.
- Eating dirty vegetables and herbs.
- Clinical data - determination of the presence of the above signs of an early or chronic form of the disease.
- The study of data obtained in laboratory studies, which, as a rule, differ for each stage of the development of the pathological process.
In the early stages of fasciola invasion, there is no need for coproovoscopy, because this helminth begins the egg laying process only after 3-4 months. Based on this, a comprehensive blood test for antibodies (RNGA, ELISA, RIF) is initially performed.
For chronic forms of the disease, a histological coprogram helps to get comprehensive answers. In case of fascioliasis, feces are examined twice to eliminate the risk of displaying in the analysis of untrue eggs that penetrated the human body when consuming canned liver or paste. Sometimes a specialist may prescribe an abdominal ultrasound or tomography.
Differential laboratory tests are also conducted, they help to distinguish pathology from diseases that have similar symptoms: hepatitis, allergic phenomena, various helminthiases, cirrhosis, cholecystitis, gastroduodenitis, cholangitis, etc.
To successfully get rid of the parasite, it is necessary to contact a medical institution in a timely manner, where making the correct diagnosis will allow you to prescribe adequate therapy and avoid the dangerous consequences of fasciola infection.
Treatment of this pathology
For each stage of the pathological process, a specific course of treatment is prescribed. In the early stages of the development of the disease, the patient is subject to hospitalization, as for the chronic course of fascioliasis - patients undergo outpatient drug therapy.
The appointment of pharmacological agents for parasites at the initial stage of the disease is prohibited. The destruction of fasciol can lead to the ingestion of a huge amount of toxic waste products of these parasites, which will significantly complicate the patient’s situation when prescribing anthelmintic drugs without prior preparation.
Therefore, pathogenetic and symptomatic treatment of hepatik fasciola is prescribed (in the picture), which is aimed at relieving painful sensations and acute manifestations of helminth infestation.
In this case, the following drugs are prescribed:
- choleretic;
- sorbents;
- hepatoprotective;
- probiotics;
- antispasmodics;
- with the onset of hepatitis symptoms, Prednisolone is used;
- with the development of the inflammatory process, antibacterial medications are prescribed;
- antihistamines.
After subsiding of the expressed signs of hepatik fasciola infection, treatment is continued with anthelmintic drugs. The main means are:
During the course of treatment, rest is necessary, and the therapeutic process itself must be monitored by the attending physician.
Antispasmodics and physiotherapeutic procedures are used to treat advanced stages of fascioliasis. When pain is not pronounced, choleretic drugs are used. Also, with therapy, “Chloxil” is prescribed and the means, the action of which is aimed at strengthening the body. In a chronic course, antibiotics can also be prescribed, in cases where the patient has inflammatory processes.
Anthelmintic drugs for fascioliasis are prescribed only after preliminary preparation. After the end of treatment with anthelmintic drugs, medications for symptomatic therapy are also continued. In addition, antihistamines are used: Tavegil, Suprastin, Tsetrin, Loratadin, etc.
All this will help get rid of fasciola hepatik.
Treatment with folk remedies
With this type of parasitic invasion, some traditional medicine are widely used, which include:
- 1 kg of sorrel leaves pour 1 liter of silicon water, cook in a water bath for 2 hours, after which the broth is filtered, the raw material is squeezed. It is necessary to add 50 g of sugar to it, boil down to a volume of 1 cup and take 1-2 sips during the day. In case of gallstone disease, disorders of salt metabolism, gout, kidney pathologies and during pregnancy, the use of sorrel or medicines based on it is not recommended.
- Drink from the flowers of a wolf (in a ratio of 1:50) to take half a tsp. 3 times a day. Tea helps reduce ascites. The flowers of this plant are highly toxic, so taking a drink requires caution and medical supervision.
- 1 tbsp. l centaury herbs pour 200 ml of silicon water, insist, strain. Take 1 tbsp. l
- Pour 100 g of barberry roots into 1 liter of grape wine, insist in a dark place for 1 month, shaking, then cook for 20–25 min., Strain. Take 20 ml 3 times a day.
Prevention of this pathology
In order to avoid infection with a hepatic hepatic, a number of preventive measures are carried out:
- Excluded the possibility of penetration into the body of untreated water from water bodies, simple boiling is used for this, and in cases where it is not possible to limit the risk of infection by this method, it is necessary to filter the water through the tissue.
- Eat only clean vegetables and herbs that have been thoroughly washed.
- Carrying out veterinary preventive measures aimed at reducing the incidence of livestock, and which involve the use of fresh hay, the fight against various mollusks in reservoirs near grazing animals.
- Ensuring the detection and timely treatment of the disease in animals and humans.
In most cases, with timely therapy, fascioliasis is subject to absolute cure.