Various scientific studies have confirmed the association of many human pathological conditions with parasitic diseases. Often, worms in humans do not give any characteristic symptoms of the disease, so they can exist in the body for many years, provoking dangerous complications and pathology. Sometimes the only symptom of a parasitic disease may be blackheads in the feces or light-colored helminth eggs and worms in the feces. To find out if there are worms in the human body, it is necessary to make a diagnosis. First of all, they conduct a fecal study, so it is so important to know what worms look like in human feces, as well as to understand the types of parasites in humans. In addition to the types of parasites, our article will describe the symptoms of worms in humans and methods for diagnosing a parasitic disease.
Symptoms of worms in humans
It is easy to understand what the worm eggs in the feces and the worms themselves look like, from the photo. The different worms in a person in the picture can vary significantly. The size of some egg or adult worms is very small, other parasites in the feces and their eggs can be seen without a microscope. This is why, when answering the question of whether eggs can be seen with the naked eye, it is necessary to consider which worms live in a person.
Eggs in the feces do not always appear, sometimes the only symptoms of helminthiasis may be the following conditions:
- weight loss;
- general weakness;
- there is often rapid fatigue;
- the skin becomes pale;
- itching in the anal region.
However, some of the symptoms of the disease, which are caused by worm larvae or adults, the patient does not even associate with worms. These symptoms include the following:
- bloating, diarrhea and constipation;
- nausea and vomiting;
- pain in the navel and right hypochondrium.
When such symptoms appear, first of all it is necessary to carry out a study of fecal masses. In this case, the smallest worm eggs in the feces can be detected. Since self-identification of worm eggs is difficult, it is best to refer the faeces to the laboratory for analysis. Only a specialist knows what worm eggs look like.
Sometimes there are no parasites in the stool, but the patient has signs of general intoxication. When parasitic toxins affect the human nervous system, the following symptoms of the disease appear:
- dizziness;
- fatigue;
- headache;
- increased irritability;
- drowsiness;
- depression;
- convulsions;
- Increase in temperature.
If worms and their eggs are found in the feces of a child, then often the symptoms of the disease are complemented by various allergic manifestations:
- urticaria, dermatitis;
- skin rash;
- itching of the skin, redness.
Worms in the feces of an adult or a child can only be detected at a certain stage of the disease, and even then not always. This is why it is not so important to know what the parasite larvae look like, as it is necessary to understand the symptoms of a certain parasitic disease:
- Worms that cause enterobiasis usually provoke severe itching in the anal area, which worsens at night. This is due to the fact that these nematodes (roundworms) lay their eggs in the perianal folds, crawling out of the anus.
- A characteristic symptom of ankylostomiasis, diphyllobothriasis and trichuriasis will be anemia and beriberi.
- The symptomatology of ascariasis depends on the stage of development of the helminth. In the migratory phase the clinical picture is expressed with a complex of symptoms from the respiratory system (shortness of breath, cough, bronchitis, pneumonia). In the intestinal stage appear symptoms that are characteristic of gastrointestinal pathologies. In this case, black spots may appear on the stool.
- Fever, facial swelling, and muscle aches occur with trichinosis.
- If trematodes are placed in the liver, then pancreatitis develops, yellowing of the sclera and skin appears, and the spleen enlarges. With this form of the disease, fibers and blackheads in the fecal masses may be absent.
- Schistosomiasis provokes bleeding in the genitourinary system, so there may be urine mixed with blood. Often the parasite causes digestive disorders.
Types of worms
In the picture, worms in a person can vary dramatically depending on their belonging to a particular species. So tapeworms and roundworms parasitize on the human body. In the photo, helminths of the same variety may also vary. So roundworms, nematodes, trichinella, roundworms, roundworms belong to the order of roundworms. There are two classes of flatworms:
- cestoda (this is pig and bovine tapeworm, echinococcus, broad tapeworm, alveococcus);
- trematodes (these include schistosomes, opisthorchis, paragonim).
What this or that helminth looks like, you can find out from the photo. We will describe the features of the existence of the main parasites of the human body:
- Worms provoke enterobiasis, the symptoms of which appear on the third day after infection. Eggs enter the body with unwashed hands, fruits and herbs.
- Vlasoglav causes a disease called trichuriasis. Its first symptoms can be seen 21-35 days after the invasion. Infection occurs when cooked in unsanitary conditions. Usually the patient suffers from diarrhea, loss of appetite, abdominal pain. It may be an inflammation of the appendix.
- The culprit of diphyllobothriasis is a broad band. The disease appears in 2-5 weeks from the moment of infection. The parasite enters the body with badly fried infected fish. This helminth can live in the human body for decades, causing anemia, beriberi, intestinal obstruction, allergies and intoxication.
- Roundworms are the culprits of ascariasis. Exactly when infected with these worms black spots may appear in the feces of an adult and a child. From the moment of invasion until the appearance of a clinical picture lasts up to three months. The parasite enters the gut with plant foods.
- Roundworm - Breastworm provokes downhill worm. Infection can occur when working on the ground, walking barefoot on the ground. The disease appears 5-8 days after infection. First, there is itching and swelling at the site of penetration of the parasite, then cough with profuse saliva, dizziness, weakness.
- The giant liver tube causes fascioliasis. The parasite enters the body with contaminated water and plant foods. The first signs of the disease can be seen after 0, 5-1 months from the beginning of the invasion. The disease is manifested by dry cough, fever, abdominal pain and loss of appetite.
- A worm called trichinella is the culprit of trichinosis in humans. Helminths can enter the human body with poorly processed meat and fat. The first symptoms appear two days after infection. Usually the patient suffers from diarrhea, heartburn and vomiting.
Diagnosis of helminthiasis
When you diagnose multiple helminthiasis, a stool study is performed first. If you find black spots in the feces or white worms in the feces, then this analysis should be done as soon as possible.
However, it is not just blackheads that are an indicator of a coprogram. Often, even eggs invisible to the naked eye can be easily identified under a microscope. A more accurate diagnosis of fecal masses for the detection of helminth DNA particles is made using the PCR technique.
If a person has a lot of blackheads in the feces, then among the other diagnostic methods it is worth mentioning the following:
- Scratching from the area near the anus;
- Blood test with ELISA, PCR, RNGA and other methods;
- Be sure to do blood biochemistry and KLA;
- In some cases ultrasound, MRI and CT are performed to identify the sites of parasite localization;
- To diagnose the migratory phase of helminths, an X-ray examination is indicated.
In certain forms of helminthiasis, saliva, rectal mucus, urine, and gallbladder contents may be examined. Also, endoscopic examination is sometimes used in diagnosis.