When it comes to parasites in the body, most people think of worms in the gut. However, other parasites that are quite difficult to diagnose and affect organs other than the gut are also common.
These are the simplest microscopic ones (usually parasites), which may not appear in any way for a long time. However, the simplest parasites can cause significant damage to the body.
Garden
Giardia is a microscopically flagellated parasite that has two nuclei and two sets of organelles.
Giardiasis in humans is caused by the most common type of parasite - intestinal lamblia. In addition to humans, they can infect other mammals and birds. The parasite can form a cyst in the localization organ.
Giardia is present in poorly treated tap water, as well as in natural springs - springs, wells. They can be found in the meat of infected animals or birds, in small quantities in the stool of infected animals, sometimes they survive in the soil, so they are present on vegetables and berries.
Usually, the infection occurs by fecal-oral route, ie a significant number of parasitic cysts need to be swallowed for the development of the invasion. Usually sick children from three months and adults.
The disease is usually asymptomatic, and the patient accidentally finds out about it. But sometimes there is some symptomatology (constant or intermittent). Symptoms from the gastrointestinal tract are detected:
- Stomach pain;
- bloating;
- Nausea, sometimes vomiting;
- rumbling in the stomach;
- Constipation and diarrhea alternate;
- Biliary tract dyskinesia;
- Skin allergies;
- General weakness.
Like intracellular parasites, lamblia is treated mainly with metronidazole. However, in the first phase of therapy, it is necessary to remove the intoxication and normalize the work of the bile ducts. Only after that, antiparasitic therapy is prescribed. After that, therapy is carried out aimed at restoring the body's defenses and increasing immunity.
Amoeba
Amoebae are the simplest human parasites that cause amoebic dysentery or amoebiasis.
There are also types of amoebae that can affect the eyes. They cause amoebic encephalitis, but are less common. Invasion is not the most common, only 10% of people are sick from it, according to the WHO (while in giardiasis this number, according to some sources, is 50%).
Amoebae are transmitted exclusively by fecal-oral route, ie, as in the previous case, amoebae form cysts that must be swallowed in order for the infection to develop.
The probability of infection is higher in countries with hot climates and poor sanitation. Cysts can retain the ability to infect for a long time while in the soil, water, vegetables and berries grown on contaminated soil. Cockroaches and flies carry these cysts to some extent.
Like intracellular parasites, amoebae cause symptoms only 7-10 days after infection. Symptoms of colitis occur: abdominal pain (in the lower part), general weakness, a slight increase in body temperature. The liver is most often affected, because after two to three weeks, pain occurs in it, the organ grows and thickens.
Toxoplasma
Toxoplasmosis is a disease caused by Toxoplasma gondi. This is the simplest organism, distributed mainly by representatives of the cat family that are its carriers. An infected person is also capable of spreading it.
It is transmitted by faecal-oral route. You can get infected by eating poorly processed meat of infected animals and birds, as well as eggs. To a lesser extent, but it can still be transmitted through blood, in the presence of wounds (for example, when working with contaminated soil in the garden), as well as in contact with mucous membranes.
It is mostly asymptomatic and is diagnosed accidentally, as are many viruses, for example, during an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. In the acute form, healing often occurs on its own. Pregnant women require treatment with pyrimethamine (used to treat intracellular parasites).
Plasmodium
Plasmodia are intracellular parasites that cause malaria. Five types of pathogens are capable of parasitizing humans. Moreover, they are localized in the blood, located on the membranes of its cells.
The disease is transmitted through blood (for example, transfusion). It is also tolerated by some species of mosquitoes when they bite, because mosquitoes are the medium hosts of plasmodia. As a result, the person becomes infected with malaria.
These mosquitoes (and, consequently, the disease) are common in hot countries, mainly in Africa.
Malaria has severe symptoms that begin to manifest 5-7 days after infection. The first symptoms are joint pain, fever, severe chills. Then there are headaches, enlargement of the spleen.
Treatment is carried out with quinine preparations strictly under the supervision of a physician.
Trichomonas
These are the simplest human parasites that cause trichomoniasis. It affects the human genitourinary system. It is the most common sexually transmitted disease, and also the most common disease of the genitourinary system.
It is transmitted exclusively through sexual contact. In women they live in the vagina, Trichomonas in men - in the urethra, seminal vesicles, prostate.
In women, the symptoms are as follows: vaginal discharge, itching and redness of the genital skin, pain during urination and sexual intercourse, inflammation of the vaginal mucosa. In men: urethral discharge (rarely with blood), pain when urinating, symptoms of prostatitis with prostate damage.
It is necessary to treat the disease in both partners. It is treated with trichomoniasis drugs strictly individually and under the supervision of a doctor. In some cases, immunological or symptomatic therapy is required.