When it comes to parasites in the body, most people think of worms in the intestines. However, other parasites are also common, which are quite difficult to diagnose and affect other organs, not the intestines.
These are the simplest microscopic (most often parasites), which may not appear in any way for a long time. However, the simplest parasites can cause significant damage to the body.
Giardia
Giardia is a microscopic flagellate parasite that has two nuclei and two sets of organelles.
Giardiasis in humans is caused by the most common type of parasite: intestinal lamblia. Besides humans, other mammals and birds can also become infected with them. The parasite can form a cyst on the localizing organ.
Giardia is present in poorly treated tap water, as well as in natural sources: springs, wells. They can be found in the meat of an infected animal or bird, in small amounts in the feces of an infected animal, sometimes they survive in the ground, therefore they are present in vegetables and berries.
Usually, the infection occurs through the fecal-oral route, that is, for the development of the invasion it is necessary to ingest a significant number of parasitic cysts. In general, children from the age of three months and adults are sick.
Most of the time, the disease is asymptomatic and the patient finds out by chance. But sometimes there are some symptoms (constant or intermittent). The symptoms of the gastrointestinal tract are revealed:
- Stomach ache;
- Swelling
- Nausea, sometimes vomiting;
- Noises in the stomach;
- Constipation and diarrhea alternate;
- Biliary tract dyskinesia;
- Skin allergies;
- General weakness
Like intracellular parasites, lamblia is primarily treated with metronidazole. However, at the first stage of therapy, it is necessary to eliminate intoxication and normalize the work of the bile ducts. Only after this is antiparasitic therapy prescribed. After that, a therapy is carried out aimed at restoring the body's defenses and increasing immunity.
Amoeba
Amoebas are the simplest human parasites that cause amoebic dysentery or amoebiasis.
There are also varieties of amoeba that can affect the eyes. They cause amoebic encephalitis, but are less common. The invasion is not the most common, only 10% of people suffer from it, according to the WHO (while for giardiasis, this figure, according to some sources, is 50%).
Amoebas are transmitted exclusively by the fecal-oral route, that is, as in the previous case, amoebas form cysts that must be swallowed for the infection to develop.
The probability of becoming infected is higher in countries with hot climates and poor sanitary conditions. Cysts can retain the ability to infect for a long time while in soil, in water, in vegetables and berries grown in 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 appear: abdominal pain (in the lower part), general weakness, slight increase in body temperature. Most of the time, the liver is affected, because after two or three weeks pains appear, the organ grows and thickens.
Toxoplasma
Toxoplasmosis is a disease caused by Toxoplasma gondi. This is the simplest organism, which is distributed mainly by representatives of the feline family who are its carriers. An infected person is also capable of infecting it.
It is transmitted by the fecal-oral route. You can become infected by eating poorly processed meat from infected animals and poultry, as well as eggs. To a lesser extent, but still capable of being 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 diagnosed by chance, like many viruses, for example, during an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. In the acute form, healing often occurs independently. Pregnant women need treatment with pyrimethamine (which is used to treat intracellular parasites).
Plasmodium
Plasmodia are intracellular parasites that cause malaria. Five types of pathogens are capable of parasitizing in humans. In addition, they are located in the blood, being in the membranes of its cells.
The disease is transmitted through the blood (for example, through a transfusion). It is also tolerated by some types of mosquitoes when they are bitten, since mosquitoes are the intermediate hosts of the plasmodium. 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 themselves 5-7 days after infection. The first symptoms are joint pain, fever, severe chills. Then join headache, enlarged spleen.
Treatment is carried out with quinine preparations strictly under the supervision of a doctor.
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.
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 the following: vaginal discharge, itching and redness of the skin of the genitals, pain when urinating and during sexual intercourse, inflammation of the vaginal mucosa. In men: discharge from the urethra (rarely, bloody), painful urination, symptoms of prostatitis with damage to the prostate gland.
It is necessary to treat the disease in both partners. It is treated with anti-trichomonas drugs strictly individually and under the supervision of a doctor. In some cases, immune or symptomatic therapy is required.