Wide tapeworm is a helminth that parasitizes in the human body. It is very easy to get such a helminthic invasion, infection occurs when eating fish, which is a carrier of larvae. The parasite causes a serious disease - diphyllobothriasis, in which there are serious malfunctions in the work of internal organs and severe depletion of the body. Infection is especially dangerous for young children. The constant lack of nutrients due to invasion leads to a delay in the development of the child.
What an adult parasite looks like
Broad tapeworm refers to tapeworms. It looks like a long, flat, light-colored helminth, consisting of the following parts:
- Head (scolex). Its length is about 5 mm. There are two special suction cups on the sides, with the help of which the helminth is attached to the intestines of a person or animal.
- Neck. itintermediate part between head and body. It consists of ring-shaped parts and provides the growth of the worm.
- Body (strobila). It consists of segments (proglottids), each of which contains male and female reproductive organs. The body length of the worm can reach 15 m, and the width is only 3 cm. Eggs are formed in the segments. Proglottids can separate from the body and exit the intestines. This is how the eggs get into the environment.
A photo of a wide ribbon can be seen below.
The life expectancy of a worm is quite long - about 20 years. If you do not expel the helminth from the body, then it can live and parasitize in the human intestine throughout this time. The internal structure of the worm is primitive, it has neither a digestive nor a nervous system. His body is adapted exclusively to parasitic life. However, this helminth is very difficult to remove. For example, if the head remains in the body, then it can re-grow the body and produce eggs again.
Parasite Eggs
Eggs of a wide tapeworm are oval in shape and yellowish in color. On one side there is a lid through which the larva comes out. Every day, an infected person sheds about a million eggs in their feces. But these are immature forms. Their final development occurs in fresh water bodies. A photo of an egg under a microscope is shown below.
Often, patients are interested in: is it possible to independently detect worm eggs in the feces? It is impossible to see them with the naked eye,because they are microscopic. In the feces, only protruding segments can be found, they look like a white ribbon.
Development of the parasite
The development cycle of a wide tapeworm is quite complex and takes place in several stages. This helminth changes several hosts before entering the human intestine. However, not only people are infected, but also dogs, cats, bears, martens. Many warm-blooded animals are susceptible to invasion.
The following stages can be distinguished in the wide ribbon cycle:
- An infected person or animal releases eggs in their faeces into the environment.
- Together with sewage, eggs fall into the pond. Further development of the helminth is possible only in fresh water (lake, pond, river) at a temperature of at least +10 degrees.
- The larva matures in the egg within 1 month. She goes outside and can swim. If the conditions of the reservoir are unfavorable for the embryo, then the development of the larva may freeze. But that doesn't mean she will die. After 6 months, broad tapeworm development may resume.
- The larva is swallowed by small crustaceans (Cyclops, Daphnia). They become one of the intermediate hosts of the helminth. In crustaceans, it continues to develop to the procercoid stage. Its size becomes about 0.5mm.
- Fish eat small crustaceans, after which the larvae live in their body. Parasites settle in muscles, internal organs, and also in caviar. Helminths reach the plerocercoid stage, their size is already about 4 cm, they have a head. The worms are ready to settle inintestines of animals or humans.
- People and mammals get helminthic infestation by eating fish infected with plerocercoids. Humans and animals are the ultimate hosts of this parasite. The worm attaches itself to the intestinal wall and matures into an adult within 15-30 days.
- Man and animals excrete the eggs of worms in the feces into the external environment, and the cycle of the wide ribbon is repeated.
Usually, only some species of fish feed on crustaceans. Humans rarely eat them. However, large fish can eat small infected individuals and receive an invasion from them, which then passes to humans.
Methods of infection
A person cannot become infected with broad tapeworm from sick dogs, cats and other animals. It is also impossible to get infestation from other people. Infection does not occur when food or drinking water is contaminated. There is only one way of infection - it is eating fish from freshwater reservoirs. In this case, the danger is represented by a product with insufficient heat treatment. If the fish is well fried or boiled, then it can be eaten without fear. At high temperatures, the parasite quickly dies.
Harm to the body
When a wide tapeworm enters the intestine, the disease diphyllobothriasis develops. Helminth affects primarily the organs of the digestive tract. In the places of suction of the worm on the walls of the intestine, inflammation and ulcers form. If there is not one, but several parasites in the body, then they can clog the intestinal lumen, inresulting in obstruction. Helminth constantly irritates the walls of the gastrointestinal tract, which leads to violations of the digestive processes. In addition, it poisons the human body with waste products, which causes allergies. With a long stay of the parasite in the body, severe anemia and vitamin B12 deficiency develop.
Initial signs of infection
Some time a person may not notice changes in well-being. The incubation period for diphyllobothriasis is from 20 to 60 days. Then come the first symptoms of a wide tapeworm associated with gastrointestinal lesions:
- pain and discomfort in the abdominal cavity;
- nausea;
- diarrhea;
- bloating and gas;
- loss or increase in appetite.
Most often a person takes these manifestations for signs of food poisoning or gastritis. And the parasite continues to poison the host organism with waste products.
Late symptoms of invasion
In the later stages of the disease, a person feels signs of anemia and vitamin B12 deficiency. The following unpleasant symptoms are noted:
- weakness;
- constant feeling of tiredness;
- dizziness;
- blackout eyes;
- drowsy;
- decrease in blood pressure;
- palpitations;
- fainting.
A person has greatly reduced hemoglobin in the blood, most of the manifestations of invasion are associated with this. Besides,the patient is concerned about discomfort in the abdomen. It seems to him that someone is moving in his intestines. However, this is not due to the movements of the worm. The helminth secretes special toxins that cause intestinal contractions. Because of this, patients have a feeling of stirring in the abdominal cavity.
Sick children's behavior changes dramatically. Psycho-emotional disorders occur due to the poisoning of the body with neurotoxins, which are secreted by the helminth. A sick child becomes irritable, often cries. His performance in school is declining due to memory impairment. Children with diphyllobothriasis sleep poorly and often have headaches.
Diagnosis
During the examination and history taking, the doctor identifies symptoms characteristic of helminthic invasion. To clarify the type of parasite, the following studies are prescribed:
- Stool analysis helps identify worm eggs.
- A blood serological test detects the presence of specific antibodies.
- Polydimensional chain reaction analysis detects parasite DNA in feces.
- General blood test reveals a decrease in hemoglobin, neutrophils and basophils.
Based on the results of these tests, the specialist makes a diagnosis. Therapy of diphyllobothriasis is carried out by infectious disease doctors and parasitologists. If the patient's segments come out of the intestine during defecation, then it is necessary to save them and take them to the study. This will help the doctor identify the type of parasite.
Medicated treatment
Treatment of wide tapeworm is carried out with the help of anthelminticdrugs. It is necessary to remove the parasite from the body as soon as possible. To do this, prescribe medications containing substances toxic to worms:
- "Praziquantel";
- "Niclosamide";
- "Biltricid".
These drugs cause paralysis in the worm. It detaches from the walls of the intestine and comes out with feces.
The patient is also prescribed prebiotics and probiotics to restore intestinal microflora. With severe symptoms of anemia and vitamin deficiency, the introduction of vitamin B12 and the ingestion of iron preparations are indicated. Six months later, the diagnosis is repeated. If the presence of the parasite is again detected in the body, then the treatment must be carried out again.
Folk remedies for worms
With diphyllobothriasis, folk remedies should be used only after consulting a doctor. They should not replace medical treatment, but can only supplement it. The most commonly used recipe is with pumpkin seeds.
Pumpkin seeds are detrimental to many helminths, including tapeworms. They contain cucurbitin, a substance that destroys parasites. The seeds are ground with a coffee grinder or blender, then diluted with water to a mushy state. For adults, 300 g of seeds will be required, and for children - from 50 to 100 g. The prepared remedy is consumed in the morning on an empty stomach for 1 hour. After that, you should not have breakfast. After 3 hours, you need to take a laxative, and after another 30 minutes, doenema.
When the parasite comes out with faeces, it must be examined. You should pay attention to whether there is a head on one of the ends of his body. If it is not, then this means that only segments have come out, and the parasite will be able to grow the body again and secrete eggs. In this case, the course of treatment must be repeated.
How to prevent infection
What to do in order not to get infected with a wide tapeworm? Since the parasite is transmitted exclusively through fish, it is necessary to subject this product to thorough heat treatment. The tapeworm dies at a temperature of more than +55 degrees. Therefore, freshwater fish should be boiled for about 20-30 minutes, after cutting it into pieces. If the product is consumed s alty, then a strong saline solution should be used in the preparation. This helminth can only live in freshwater conditions. The s alty water environment destroys it. When frying, you need to flatten the fish in a pan so that it bakes better.
It is also useful to know about the types of fish most susceptible to tapeworm infestation. These are ruff, burbot, perch, pike, roach, carp, pike perch, carp. Such fish must be handled especially carefully. It is important to remember that an individual infected with helminths does not have any alarming external signs. It is impossible to determine the helminthic invasion by the type of product. Periodically it is useful to be examined for eggs of worms and at the first signs of anemia or problems in the gastrointestinal tract, consult a doctor.
