Who among us has not been at one time or another of his life, a bearer of intestinal worms and has not experienced the martyr's squirming or scratching himself by complaining of severe pain in his stomach? These unwanted guests colonize the intestine and can sometimes be much more invasive by causing complications that would go well. Let us go on hunting down these nasty parasitoses!
Intestinal worms proliferate in our bodies and abound in stool. Anyone in contact with human or animal fecal matter is likely to catch. Hence the importance of hygiene so as not to be contaminated or contaminate other ...
What are the most common parasitic worms and foods or places that contain them?
There are several types of parasitic worms infesting the human small intestine of which here are those known to reputation:
The pinworms
These are the most common intestinal worms in children. These round worms, 10 mm long, appear mostly at night to lay eggs on the anal region causing itching.
Contamination occurs from one human to another. Pinworms are contracted when ingested by contact with infected objects (clothing, toys or bedding). Children's nails are fertile ground for this type of parasite when children scratch. They are contaminated by carrying their fingers to their mouth and thus perpetuates the life cycle of this infection. It is essential to treat the infected child by administering a suitable dewormer. They do not usually cause serious infections.
The solitary worm or Taenia
You have appetite disorders, either too hungry or not at all? It is often the first symptom that sustains the presence of a solitary worm. Abdominal cramps or diarrhea can also be alerted. Easily recognizable, it is often compared to noodles, it disintegrates and ends up on the sheets, clothes and saddles.
It is commonly known as the Latin Taenia saginata or Taenia solium and is contracted by eating beef or raw or undercooked pork, infected with live larvae. These infectious forms are cysticerci and are present in the muscles of these animals from which we consume the meat. The treatment of vermicides is very effective.
The Toxocara
Sandboxes and other playgrounds are often pointed at in this type of infection. This is called zoonosis, an infection transmitted from the animal to humans. Children are more prone to contamination because they carry everything that falls on their mouths, including soil contaminated with dogs, cats or other feces.
Contaminants have certain clinical manifestations including ocular inflammation if the parasite has migrated to the eyes. If the subject feels febrile, has fever, cough, wheezing, abdominal pain, these are symptoms that should put him on the path and confirm the spread of the parasite in other organs.
Toxocarosis is cured by the use of an anti parasite that will promote the action of white blood cells against larvae.
The Giardia (lamblia)
These do not tell you much, yet they evolve in the intestinal mucosa. Contamination occurs after ingestion of improperly washed food or a questionable hygiene of the hands. Abdominal pain and diarrhea are the main symptoms.
In which cases the parasite infection is more severe?
But recently, the resurgence of infections due to a potentially fatal parasite is worrying. The worms Angiostrongylus cantonensis are ingested by various animals, mainly this vector of serious diseases that is the rat. The rodent may be carrying in its pulmonary arteries the parasite in its adult form, which lays fertilized eggs that will turn into larvae. The infected rat droppings can then be ingested by other animals such as frogs, slugs, crabs, snails that, once eaten, affected, or in contact with fruits or vegetables that humans consume, infection in the body.
If, in most cases, contaminated individuals manage to eliminate these parasites, these larvae migrate to the bloodstream and make their way through the nervous system to take control of the brain. This is where things go wrong and the infection turns into eosinophilic meningitis, which causes, among other things, blurred vision, fever, neck stiffness, headaches, nausea, vomiting and can even causing death.
As for the solitary worm, banal parasite which almost everyone carries. Know that it is equally able to cause much damage in the brain. The non-eliminated embryophores cross the intestinal walls, this is called "cerebral cysticercosis". As explained above, parasitic infection is caused by the cysticercus of Tænia solium which can be found throughout the body, including, in some cases, in the brain.
Eating a pork meat, parasitized by cysticerques and undercooked can cause you to contract a cysticercosis. If the latter is not very severe in most cases, it may require surgery depending on the location of the larva in the brain.
Some hygiene measures:
Appropriate hygiene measures are recommended. It is therefore recommended to ensure hygiene and to wash your hands as much as possible; to cut off the nails; thoroughly wash and clean the anus upon awakening to dislodge the worms that may have been breeding there during the night; disinfect the bath seat and any parts or household linen on which eggs may be lodged; do not scratch the anal area, wash their hands after going to the toilet. It is also important to thoroughly wash fruits and vegetables before consuming them and cooking food well.