parasite(from Greek parasitos - parasite, parasite) - lower plant and animal organisms that live outside or inside another organism (host) and feed at its expense.
parasiteArose in the process of historical evolution of organisms from free-living forms.
Their adaptations to certain living conditions include the simplification of their organization, the development of specialized fixation organs, advanced development of the genital organs, and anoxybiotic respiration, which makes it possible to exist in an oxygen-free environment.
Many parasites include:
- Worm;
- fungus;
- virus;
- protozoa;
- insects;
- Crustaceans;
- Arachnids;
- Insects.
Hosts of parasites can be:
- bacteria;
- protozoa;
- plants;
- Animal;
- human being.
Parasites undergo a complex development cycle: sometimes they require a change of 2-3 hosts, whose organism is intermediate (the helminth passes through the larval stages) or final (the helminth becomes sexually mature, aggressive).
Classification of parasites
According to their distribution, parasites are divided into:
- omnipresent- Found everywhere.
- tropical- Common in tropical climate areas.
According to biological and epidemiological characteristics, parasites are divided into:
- geohelminthiasis- a disease in which parasites (helminths) develop first in the human body, and then on an inanimate substrate, most often in the ground.
- biohelminthosA disease in which the biological development cycle of a parasite (helminth) necessarily occurs in the body of living beings other than humans.There are final hosts, in whose bodies the helminths develop to a sexually mature stage, as well as intermediate hosts, where the parasite remains in the larval stage or reproduces non-sexually.Humans are often the final host, less often the intermediate host.
- Contact helminthiasis- a disease in which parasites leave the human body mature or almost mature, as a result of which it is possible to infect or re-infect another person (autoinfection, reinfection).
Depending on the location of the parasite in the human body:
- luminal parasite- living in the intestinal cavity and other cavities of the human body (for example, roundworms, tapeworms).
- tissue parasites- Living in the tissues of the human body (schistomatosis, echinococcosis).
According to the place of residence of the owner (person):
- ectoparasite(Mosquitoes, flies, leeches, lice).
- internal parasites(Helminthiasis):
- Roundworms (nematodes – roundworms, filariasis, whipworms, pinworms, Strongyloides, hookworms, Trichinella);
- Flatworms:
- trematodes (flukes – cat fluke (opisthorchid), clonorchid, fasciola, schistosome);
- Cestodes (Tapeworms – Bovine and pork tapeworms, Dwarf tapeworms, Broad tapeworms, Echinococcus).
- Bacteriosis(Leptospira, Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Shigella).
- protozoan or protozoan(Amoeba, Lamblia, Trichomonas, often host of Chlamydia and AIDS virus).
- mycoses(Fungal diseases) – Candida, Cryptococcus, Penicillium.
How do parasites enter the human body?
You can become infected with parasitosis not only through dirty hands.Animal fur is a carrier of worm eggs (Ascaris and Toxocara), Giardia.
Pinworm eggs that fall from wool remain viable for up to 6 months and enter the alimentary tract through dust, toys, carpets, underwear, bedding and hands.
DogThrough moist breath, it spreads eggs to a distance of up to 5 m (a cat - up to 3 m).
fleaDogs also carry worm eggs.Ascaris eggs enter the human body through poorly washed vegetables, fruits, berries, herbs, dirty hands, and are also spread by flies.
And improperly prepared kebab or homemade lard is a route of infection with trichinosis;Low-salted fish, caviar or "stroganina" - opisthorchiasis and tapeworms.
So, there are several ways in which parasites enter the human body:
- nutritious(through contaminated food, water, dirty hands);
- contact-domestic(through household items, from infected family members, pets);
- transmission(through blood-sucking insects);
- dermal,or active (in which the larvae enter the human body through the skin or mucous membranes during contact with contaminated soil while swimming in open water).
Adaptive properties of parasites:
- long life expectancy (helminths live in the human body for years, and sometimes as long as the owner of the parasite lives);
- The ability to suppress or modify the immune response of the host organism (a state of immunodeficiency arises, conditions are created for the penetration of pathogenic agents from the outside, as well as for "deinoculation" of internal foci of infection);
- Many types of worms, when entering the digestive tract, secrete anti-enzymes, which protect them from death;Digestive processes are disrupted, toxic-allergic reactions of varying severity appear: urticaria, bronchial asthma, atopic dermatitis;
- Developmental stages (egg, larva, change of host);
- The ability of eggs to survive for years in the external environment;
- Sexual reproduction, during which genetic information is exchanged, and is the highest stage of evolution, leading to an increase in heterozygous populations, that is, parasites become less vulnerable;
- Lack of immunoprophylaxis methods, since the immune response is weak and unstable;
- Worms have a wide distribution, many habitats (water, soil, air, plants and animals).
epidemiology of parasites
Due to increasing migration processes, the diversity of helminths parasitizing the human body is increasing significantly.Currently, out of more than 260 existing species of parasites, 70 species are common.There is a tendency for increased infection with enterobiasis, giardiasis, toxocariasis, opisthorchiasis, diphyllobothriasis, tenidosis and echinococcosis.Schistosomiasis and filariasis are common in countries in Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
"healthy people...Many people living a healthy lifestyle experience health problems due to the presence of parasites in the body.Improving the health of the body (proper nutrition, physical exercises, hardening procedures) without ridding the body of parasites does not give any obvious positive effect.
They are everywhere...According to the World Health Organization (WHO), helminths and other types of parasites are localized not only in the gastrointestinal tract, but also in vital organs: brain, heart, lungs, liver, kidneys.
cause of many diseases
During their life, helminths secrete special substances – toxoids, which are strong poisons and allergens.It is these parasites (protozoa, fungi and helminths) that are the trigger for many chronic diseases:
- cholecystitis;
- gallstone disease;
- pancreatitis;
- colitis;
- diabetes mellitus;
- Asthma;
- atopic dermatitis.
Chronic fatigue, irritability and anxiety, hyperactivity in children, anemia, brittle nails and hair, problematic skin, headaches, appetite disorders, decreased immunity - these can be signs of the current parasitic disease.
If not treated...When parasites live in the human body for a long time, great damage is caused to the immune system.In the process of constant struggle with foreign antibodies, exhaustion occurs, that is, secondary immunodeficiency develops.
Parasitosis leads to:
- Hypovitaminosis and deficiency of trace elements: potassium, copper, manganese, selenium, zinc, magnesium, silicon;
- For hematopoietic disorders;
- hormonal imbalance;
- Vascular permeability is impaired;
- The body's anti-cancer defense is affected.
How were you first saved?For thousands of years, people eating predominantly plant foods have carried with them antimicrobial, antiparasitic and antiviral natural active substances.Reducing the consumption of wild plants, fruits, berries, replacing them with cultivated vegetables and fruits, thermal and industrial processing has led to a reduction in the consumption of natural phytoncides and antibiotics.As a result, humans have become easy prey for many microorganisms.Antiparasitic immunity has decreased due to the intensive development of the pharmaceutical industry producing antibiotics.
Traditional medicine to eliminate parasites in the human body
Medicinal synthetic anthelmintic drugs have their own advantages and disadvantages.There are three main negative factors:
- Often they affect only the gastrointestinal forms of the parasite;
- Very poisonous to human body;
- Causes many adverse reactions.
Science does not stand still!Intensive scientific research on the antibiotic properties of plants is being conducted all over the world.In terms of effectiveness, they are not inferior to synthetic antibiotics, but do not cause side effects that are characteristic of synthesized drugs.The therapeutic components of plants are complex natural phytoncidal complexes that can rid the human body of many parasites at different stages of their development.
Nature!This is what will help us!Preparations of plant origin are much less toxic;If necessary, they can be prescribed in longer courses;They activate antiparasitic immunity and effectively suppress the vital activity and reproduction of parasites in the human body.
Parasites are widespread diseases with toxic and harmful effects on the human body.Since treatment with chemical drugs has a negative effect on the body, the optimal solution to the problem of combating parasitic disease is herbal products.