Roundworms In Humans, Cats And Dogs: Types, Symptoms And Treatment

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Roundworms In Humans, Cats And Dogs: Types, Symptoms And Treatment
Roundworms In Humans, Cats And Dogs: Types, Symptoms And Treatment

Video: Roundworms In Humans, Cats And Dogs: Types, Symptoms And Treatment

Video: Roundworms In Humans, Cats And Dogs: Types, Symptoms And Treatment
Video: Roundworms of Dogs (and Cats) - Plain and Simple 2024, March
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  • Types of round worms in humans

    • Ascaris
    • Pinworms
    • Trichinella
    • Hookworm
    • Guinea worm
  • Roundworms in cats and dogs
  • Preparations for the treatment of round worms
  • Folk remedies
  • You can defeat parasites!

Nematodes, another name for round worms, are a type of primary cavity worms. Their variety is very great. Currently, about a million species of this worm have been discovered.

They are all distinguished into free-living and parasites. The structure is typical for all nematodes. The body of nematodes itself looks like a spindle, narrowed towards the ends: anterior and posterior.

What to do in such a situation? To get started, we recommend reading this article. This article details the methods of dealing with parasites. We also recommend contacting a specialist. Read the article >>>

They were called round because a cross section results in a circle. Their body is enveloped in a dense cuticle, under which the longitudinal muscles are located. This can be clearly seen in the photo below.

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There is no circulatory and respiratory system. Breathing is performed with the entire plane of the body or is anaerobic. The digestive system is uncomplicated and consists of the mouth and anus, between which there is a straight tube.

The head has a "mouth" that is surrounded by lips. Through it, nutrition occurs: food is sucked in. Several species of free-living nematodes also have developed eyes, which can be with different color pigments. The body sizes of worms range on average from 1 mm to 37 cm.

Types of round worms in humans

The most famous human parasites among roundworms:

  • roundworm;
  • pinworms;
  • trichinella;
  • hookworms;
  • guinea worm.

Ascaris

Ascaris (Ascaris lumbricoides) is a round parasitic worm that lives in the small intestine. An adult grows up to 20 cm in length and feeds on the food masses of its host. The body of the parasite is covered with a flexible cuticle, which keeps it from the effects of intestinal juice and digestive enzymes.

The disease caused by ascaris is called ascariasis. Living in the small intestine, the worms form dense lumps, causing obstruction of this organ. As a result, the intestinal walls can rupture and death can occur.

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Ascaris

The developmental cycle of roundworm is simple, only one host takes part in it, which is intermediate at an early stage, and final at a later stage (the development scheme and life cycle of the helminth are shown in the figure below). Infection with ascariasis occurs mainly through the mouth.

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Ascaris life cycle

Parasites in the body are held by twisting into an arc or ring, while they rest their body against the intestinal wall.

Infection symptoms:

  • Migration phase - cough, bronchitis, pneumonia, shortness of breath and other disorders of the respiratory system.
  • Intestinal phase - nausea, vomiting, constipation, weight loss, loss of appetite, etc.
  • Brain - meningitis, stroke, epileptic seizures, psychiatric disorders.
  • Eyes - abscess, strabismus, endophthalmitis, keratitis.
  • Liver - blockage of the biliary tract, parasitic hepatitis, cirrhosis.

Pinworms

Pinworms are a type of parasite that lives in the human digestive system. Enterobiasis, the infection they cause, is familiar to people all over the world. Infection usually occurs when the eggs of the worms are accidentally swallowed.

The length of the male is 2-3 mm, the length of the female is 9-12 mm. The tail end of the male is spirally bent towards the abdominal surface, and in the female it is spiny-pointed (therefore, the helminth is called "pinworm").

Pinworm eggs are oblong, somewhat asymmetric, as a rule, they are found in the skin folds around the anus, rarely found in feces. However, adult females passively emerge into feces. Sexually mature pinworms parasitize in the lower sections of the small and upper sections of the colon.

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Pinworms

Females, filled with 5000-15000 eggs each, are unable to stay on the intestinal mucosa, descend to the rectum and crawl out of the anus to lay eggs in the perianal folds.

After laying eggs, the female dies; her life span does not exceed one month. When pinworms enter the appendix, they can cause appendicitis.

During sleep, a person infected with pinworms contaminates his hands, nails, linen. Pinworm eggs fall from bed and hands on all household items, labor, household and food products. A handshake is also a way of transferring eggs.

Trichinella

Trichinella structure is typical for round worms. Females have larger parameters, reaching 4 mm in length, after the birth of larvae they die. Males grow up to 1.5 mm, after fertilization, they also die.

A feature of the structure and development of the larvae is the size and capsule protection that forms in the muscles of an animal or person. They can only be seen under a microscope.

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Trichinella

A characteristic sign of infection is a daily fluctuation in the temperature of the body within a few degrees (this condition can last for several weeks), muscle and joint pain, rashes on the human skin, swelling of the face.

Variants of the course of the disease can differ significantly in the severity of the pathology, the duration of the incubation period, the duration of the febrile state, respectively, and the outcome.

The following signs of trichinosis are distinguished:

  • Headaches.
  • General weakness and malaise.
  • Swelling of the eyelids and face.
  • Periodic increase in body temperature.
  • Muscle pain.
  • Inflammation of the mucous membrane of the eye.
  • Allergic reactions of different localization.

Hookworm

Hookworm or crooked head (Ancylostoma duodenale) - geohelminth, human parasite, roundworm-nematode, the causative agent of hookworm.

Like most other nematodes, the crooked head is dioecious. The female is 10 to 13 mm long, the male 8 to 10 mm. The color of adults is reddish. At the head end of Ancylostoma duodenale there is an oral capsule containing 4 teeth.

Crooked-head females produce eggs, which are excreted along with feces. If the eggs fall into moist and warm soil, then the so-called so-called “beetles” develop in the egg and soon hatch. rhabditic, incapable of invasion larvae.

Ancylostoma duodenale larvae lead a free life in the soil and after 7-10 become filariform, capable of invasion.

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Hookworm

Initial symptoms occur only with direct skin infection. Places of penetration by hookworms become inflamed, redden and itchy. If reinfection occurs, the reaction will be more severe. The skin will begin to peel off, crack, become covered with erosive lesions and blisters.

Because of itching, people often scratch the inflamed areas, which provokes self-infection with hookworm infection - hookworms fall under the nails and re-enter the body. Subsequently, purulent skin lesions develop.

If hookworms reach the lungs, additional symptoms will appear:

  • coughing fits;
  • suffocation;
  • disruption of the vocal cords;
  • false croup.

Guinea worm

The Rishta worm is a round filamentous helminth. It lives in countries with hot climates and enters the body when drinking poorly treated or fresh water, most often contaminated.

The Rishtu worm is also called the Guinean worm or the medical string, because the length of the adult female parasite can reach 4 meters, and the thickness is 2 cm, but such dimensions are very rarely recorded. Basically, worms are extracted from the human body, up to 1.5 meters long, and the male is generally not able to grow to such sizes. Its maximum length is 4 cm.

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Infection symptoms:

  • fever, hyperthermia, chills;
  • severe itching at the site of localization of the worm;
  • swollen lymph nodes;
  • swelling at the site of the lesion;
  • unbearable pain;
  • allergic reaction;
  • intestinal disorders.

Roundworms in cats and dogs

There are three types of roundworms in cats and dogs, each with its own carriers.

View Master Carrier
Toxascaris leonina Dogs, cats, foxes, other predators Small rodents
Toxocara canis Dogs, foxes Small rodents
Toxocara cati Cats Small rodents, beetles, earthworms

Toxocars are large dioecious worms 4–18 cm long, localized in the stomach and small intestine of dogs and cats, which are the final owners.

The incidence of toxocariasis in dogs in different regions of Russia ranges from 10 to 75%. To a greater extent, these are young animals. The average lifespan of sexually mature individuals is 4–6 months. The female lays more than 200 thousand eggs per day. In the soil, eggs mature in 5–36 days. The invasiveness of eggs in compost lasts up to 10 years.

Animals become infected by eating the meat of foxes, arctic foxes, as well as mice and rats, in the body of which the larvae remain in a state of diapause for a long time. The life span of helminths is 5 months or more.

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Toxocara canis

The disease is widespread, especially in large cities. Mostly young animals are sick, which lag behind in growth and development, and sometimes the death of animals is noted.

In urban conditions, playgrounds for children and dog walking areas are especially unfavorable, where eggs in large quantities are stored for months.

With age, the infection decreases (approximately from 76.5-85.0% to 8.0%). In older animals, pronounced clinical signs cannot be detected.

Puppies, for example, squeal, bark for no reason, bite, lose weight. Often, when they vomit, toxocars are thrown out in tangles. The blood picture is deeply disturbed: the number of erythrocytes, hemoglobin decreases, leukocytes and eosinophils increase.

Preparations for the treatment of round worms

For the treatment of round worms, the following are prescribed:

  • Nemazole
  • Nourished
  • Dekaris
  • Vermox
  • Piperazine
  • Levamisole.
Name Application features approximate price
Pirantel Safe. Has a wide range of effects. Can be given to children from 6 months. RUB 50
Dekaris Broad spectrum of action, but especially effective against roundworm. Used since 3 years. RUB 65
Vermox, Wormil Broad spectrum of action, most effective against pinworms, whipworm. Used since 2 years. RUB 80
Piperazine Only causative agents of enterobiasis and ascariasis. The least toxic to the child. RUB 20
Levamisole Against ascaris. Used since 3 years. RUB 100

Folk remedies

  • Papaya: Papaya seeds are very beneficial for the treatment and elimination of intestinal worms. They contain caricin, which is effective in killing roundworms. Add one teaspoon of seed powder to a glass of water or milk and drink on an empty stomach in the morning, daily.
  • Garlic: Very helpful for home remedies for intestinal worms. Eat three cloves of garlic every morning for best results.
  • Carrots: Very useful for getting rid of tapeworms. It is enough to take a few tablespoons of grated carrots in the morning on an empty stomach.
  • Pumpkin: Take about one tablespoon of pumpkin seeds, peel off the transparent husk, grind and place in 250 ml of boiling water to make an infusion. Then drink it to expel worms from your intestines. It is important with this method of treatment you need to fast during the day and empty the intestines, taking compote from prunes. The next day, you need to drink three to four glasses of pumpkin seeds.
  • Pomegranate: The bark, root and stems of the pomegranate are very effective in killing worms. The most effective is the pomegranate rind. Cold decoction of bark in a dose of 90 to 180 ml should be drunk three times a day, at intervals of one hour.
  • Turmeric: Turmeric dry powder or juice mixed with oil, milk or water is very beneficial not only for deworming, but also for intestinal problems, especially chronic diarrhea.
  • Tincture of birch leaves on cognac. Fill the third part of the dishes with birch leaves, top up with cognac and leave for three weeks. Then strain the tincture, mix in equal parts with the juice of beets, carrots and honey, mix. Take three times a day, 100 g of the resulting mixture, 30 minutes before meals.
  • Black poplar tincture. Take 40 drops of tincture 1 hour before meals 3 times a day for 20-30 days.
  • Infusion of corn stigmas. Take 10 g of corn stigmas, pour 200 g of hot boiled water, insist. Drink 1-2 tablespoons 3-4 times a day.
  • Flax seed and clove bud powder. This tool is convenient because it can be added to dishes. Take one clove mouth for ten parts of flax seed. Grind in a coffee grinder to a powdery state and put in a jar with a well-ground lid. Take 25 g of powder per 70 kg of weight. Course - month. It is carried out according to the scheme three in three: take three days, do not take three days.

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