Ascaris human refers to the species of roundworms. This nematode lives in the human body. It lives in the lumen of the small intestine. This parasite is dangerous to humans, as it causes some diseases, the most common of which is ascariasis.
Features
The human roundworm body consists of ten layers of protective cuticles and longitudinal muscles. These worms are distributed unevenly around the globe, which is associated with the characteristics of different countries. Parasites have become widespread in Japan, thanks to a specific type of approval of local soils with the help of human excrement. The main site of nematodes is the small intestine, but they can also be found in the blood, heart, lungs, liver, or brain.
The color of roundworms is the main indicator of their viability: after death, they change their usual red color to white.
If you look at the photo of the human roundworm, you can see its resemblance to an ordinary earthworm.
It is known that the "owners" of worms, on average, there are about one billion inworld.
Life cycle
The development of human roundworm occurs inside the person. The "host" organism is an ideal place for the existence of worms. During its life cycle, the human roundworm does not need to change the "carrier".
After fertilization, the female lays more than two hundred thousand eggs in the human intestine every day. They enter the external environment through the release of feces.
Human roundworm eggs are covered with five protective shells, thanks to which they acquire good resistance to adverse environmental conditions. You can destroy eggs only with the help of substances that destroy fat. These products include: hot water, alcohol, sunlight, 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 geohelminths fall into the soil environment, where the further maturation of the human roundworm takes place. 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 together with unwashed fruits, vegetables or water.
Within a microscopic host, roundworm larvae move from the stomach to the liver, blood vessels, lungs and heart.
Further geohelminths, which arestill in the egg shell, during coughing they enter the oral cavity, after which they return through the pharynx back by swallowing and stop in the small intestine, where further stages of development of the human roundworm take place. This is where the larvae reach sexual maturity. Reproduction is considered a prerequisite for the continuation of developmental stages. The adult larva is shaped like a "curled" worm.
The human roundworm cycle:
| Development stages | Ways of movement and place of development |
| Egg | Environment (soil) |
| Young larva | Through the walls of the intestine - with blood flow to the lungs |
| Adult larva | With sputum when coughing - through the throat into the stomach |
| Adult worm | Intestines |
Migration stages
Getting into the intestines, the young larva gets rid of the shells of the egg. The process of "hatching" the geohelminth is called "molting". The process of "birth" occurs due to its own enzymes, which corrode the structure of the egg and release a type of worm, the human roundworm.
Nematodes have a special process that sticks to the walls of the stomach and allows the larvae to penetrate the human veins. The helminths are delivered by the blood stream to the large vessels of the liver, from there they enter the heart by the same method.
Through an extensive network of blood vessels, parasites "migrate" into the lumen of the respiratory tract, from whererise to the trachea, the irritation of which causes a cough in humans. 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 the larvae ensures their uniform distribution throughout the body, which causes prolonged inflammation in humans, which contributes to the development of many pronounced ailments.
Reproduction
Roundworms are representatives of dioecious reproduction. Each individual has signs of its gender. The male organ is a tube that has an ejaculatory canal. Its opening passes into the cloaca. Females have a more complex reproductive system, which consists of the presence of ovaries, oviducts, sperm receptacle, uterus, oviduct and vagina.
The seed receptacle is the site of fertilization of eggs, which occurs through mating - it consists in attaching outgrowths at the end of the male's body to the body of the female.
Intestinal stage
In the intestines, the roundworm larva is formed into a full-fledged individual. It is at this stage that the final stage of the "growing up" of the parasite occurs.
The lifespan of one geohelminth in the body of the "owner" is one year. But in the human body there is a constant multiple increase in the number of roundworms, so the infected can be their "master" for many years.
The time interval from the entry of eggs into the human body until the appearance of new ones lasts about a hundred days. But the experiencesconducted by doctors found that immature larvae can appear in the feces as early as two months.
Food
At first, a very young larva feeds on blood plasma without fibrinogen. The adult consumes exclusively erythrocytes, which are blood cells. The worm prefers them because they contain more oxygen. With each stage of development, human roundworms require this gas in large quantities. During the migratory period, it is oxygen starvation that causes the parasites to move to the lungs.
Harm to the body
Worms irritate the intestinal lining 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 "owner" can be groundless fatigue, loss of appetite, decreased performance and other unpleasant symptoms.
Prevention measures
To exclude the possibility of nematodes entering the human body, you should not violate the rules of hygiene: wash your 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. The specialist will be able to select the appropriate medications that will help remove worms from the intestines and organs. Oxygen therapy can also be carried out in medical institutions, which is an effective meanshelminth control.
Ascariasis
A common disease caused by ascaris worms entering the human body and further reproduction in it.
Symptoms:
- allergic reactions;
- weakness;
- malaise;
- sweating;
- indigestion;
- bronchopulmonary syndrome and others.
This disease can cause complications, the main ones are:
- jaundice;
- appendicitis;
- asphyxia;
- pancreatitis;
- liver abscess.
Finding Ascaris in the brain
Parasites can live in the outer shells of the brain, then the "owner" will experience frequent unbearable pain in the head.
Another location for worms are the sulci of the medulla. With this option, seals will begin to appear in the human head, which will cause manifestations of symptoms similar to unpleasant sensations in the presence of tumors:
- seizures;
- convulsions;
- loss of consciousness;
- high blood pressure;
- mood swings;
- depression;
- neuroses.
Also, roundworms can be located near the auditory or optic nerve. Then the person's sight or hearing drops.
Helminths "migrate" to the brain with blood flow through the brachiocephalic veins. The larvae can get there through the nasopharynx or through a hole they made in the brain plate.
One morethe way parasites enter the brain are the auditory openings.
Finding roundworms in human lungs
It is very difficult to recognize the presence of worms in the lungs, since the symptoms of this variant are similar to many other diseases, such as SARS, influenza, pneumonia, etc.
Symptoms:
- wheezing in throat;
- dry cough;
- increased body temperature;
- shortness of breath;
- development of bronchitis.
If a person has pulmonary ascariasis, the disease becomes chronic very quickly. This is expressed by seasonal colds in the "owner" of parasites, which can turn into bronchial asthma.
The presence of worms in the lungs is the cause of foci of inflammation - this is due to the movements of the larvae in the body. The danger of pulmonary ascariasis lies in a possible complication in the form of hemorrhages, which will lead to the emergence of new diseases.
Finding Ascaris in the blood and heart
If roundworms enter the capillaries in the intestines through the mucous membranes, 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 cause coronary disease, hemorrhages and frequent pain.
Finding parasites in the gastrointestinal tract and liver
The disease of ascariasis poses the main danger to humans in the form of the following detrimental consequences:damage to the liver and intestines. Initially, nematode eggs enter the esophagus, and then the intestines, 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.
Gastrointestinal and liver symptoms:
- nausea:
- appetite disorder;
- vomit;
- abdominal pain;
- diarrhea;
- increased salivation;
- unreasonable weight loss;
- weakness;
- allergic reactions and redness.
Complications:
- appendicitis;
- intestinal obstruction;
- peritonitis;
- liver abscess;
- pancreatitis.
Benefit
Oddly enough, but the presence of ascaris in the human body can be not only harmful, but also beneficial.
Scientists have done a lot of research on this topic among people infected with ascariasis. It turned out that women of the tribes of the Bolivian aborigines are more likely to become pregnant, bear a fetus and give birth to a he althy child without any complications if helminths are present inside their bodies. Local women who were sick with ascariasis, on average, had two more children than he althy girls.
This is due, according to California researchers, with a decrease in immune resistance in this disease.
So worms have an indirect effect on fertility.
