Ankylostoma

Ancylostoma is a type of helminth that parasitizes the human body. Let's look at the main types of harmful parasites, symptoms of infection, diagnostic and treatment methods.

Aniclostomiasis is a disease caused by parasitic roundworms. The disease has been known since ancient times under the names: miner's anemia, African cachexia, Egyptian chlorosis. The parasite is common in tropical and subtropical zones, that is, in Africa, South Asia, Central America. Infection foci have been registered in the south of Europe, in some regions of Azerbaijan and Georgia.

Infection occurs through contaminated soil and plant products grown on it, when walking barefoot or resting on the ground. There are three ways of transmitting helminthiasis: contact, drinking and food. Risk groups for infection include: agricultural workers, summer residents, miners. But children are at the greatest risk of infection, since they often walk barefoot and poorly observe hygiene rules. As soon as the larvae penetrate the skin, they move through the venous system to the alveoli, move to the larynx and trachea, move along the esophagus and enter the large intestine and stomach. Within a month, the helminths reach maturity and begin to lay eggs, causing symptoms characteristic of the disease.

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Structure of hookworms

Parasites that penetrate the human body and cause a number of negative symptoms in many organs and systems have a unique structure. The crooked head is a small nematode, 1-2 cm long, pale pink. The head end consists of a mouth capsule with four teeth. At the tail end of males there is a bell-shaped expansion of the cuticle, that is, the genital bursa. The eggs are oval with rounded ends and a thin shell, colorless or transparent. In the center of the egg there are 4-8 blastomeres, that is, germ cells.

Parasites enter the body in the following ways:

• They penetrate through the skin when working on the ground, walking barefoot or in light shoes, or when resting on the grass.
• They are swallowed from dirty food and unwashed hands.

But regardless of the route of penetration, the larvae enter the venous system and are carried throughout the body with the blood, penetrating all organs. Gradually, the parasite penetrates the respiratory system and the duodenum, where within 3-6 months the larvae turn into mature individuals.

Types of hookworms

To date, several varieties of parasitic worms have been identified that affect the human body. Two species are especially dangerous: ancylostoma duodenale and necator americanus. In both species, the head end of the worm has a curved shape, which is why the helminth is called a crooked head. The size of an adult reaches 0.5-1.5 cm. In addition to humans, hookworms can affect other mammals, for example, domestic animals, but these are other types of worms: brasiliensis, canatium. Canatium does not affect humans, brasiliensis infects, but cannot develop, so the larvae remain in the subcutaneous layer, causing severe allergic reactions and itching.

• Ancylostoma duodenale – parasitizes humans. It has a mouth with tooth-like growths, life expectancy is 5-8 years.
• Necator americanus – affects the human body. The mouth opening contains cutting plates, the life cycle is up to 15 years.
• Ancylostoma caninum – most often parasitizes dogs. The mouth opening has tooth-like growths. The larvae penetrate into humans, causing dermatological diseases.

Helminths cause anemia, vomiting, diarrhea. With total invasion, mental and physical development slows down. Infection can only be prevented if basic rules of personal and public hygiene are observed.

Hookworm duodenal

One of the varieties of helminths that parasitize the human body is the Ancylostoma duodenale. The female parasite is 10-18 mm long, and the male is 8-10 mm long, the head end of the worm is bent to the dorsal side. At the head end there is a funnel-shaped oral capsule with cuticular teeth, with which the parasite attaches to the mucous membrane of the small intestine. The rear end of the male's body contains a copulatory bursa (two large lateral lobes).

Infection occurs through the skin of the feet when walking barefoot on the ground and dirty hands. There are several ways of infection:

• Transplacental is an intrauterine infection by hematogenous route, that is, through the placenta or due to penetration from the peritoneum into the uterus and placenta.
• Alimentary - the larvae enter the body through the oral cavity with food or water. The parasite lives in the duodenum, attaching to the mucous membrane with its sharp teeth. The individual does not migrate throughout the body.
• Percutaneous - the worm actively penetrates through the skin into the venous bed, penetrating into the right atrium, lungs, trachea, pharynx. Together with saliva, it penetrates into the small intestine, where it undergoes biotransformation into an adult.

The worm is localized in the intestines and feeds on blood. Each individual absorbs from 0.36 to 0.7 ml of blood per day. The development cycle from egg to adult takes 1-2 months, and the duration of parasitism in the body is 5-15 years.

This type of helminth causes the development of ancylostomiasis. The main symptoms of the disease are: anemia, geophagy, vomiting and diarrhea. If there was a percutaneous infection, then patients complain of itching, pain at the site of penetration of the larva and erythema with red papules.

The main preventive measures to prevent infection are: public and personal hygiene methods. First of all, this is sanitary and educational work and protection of the environment from fecal contamination. At the first symptoms of the disorder, it is necessary to seek medical help, undergo diagnostics and begin urgent treatment. This will minimize the harm caused to the body by the worm's vital activity.

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Hookworm caninum

A living organism is susceptible to various parasitic infections. Ancylostoma caninum parasitizes dogs. An adult worm has a mouth opening with tooth-like outgrowths. When an animal is affected, the main symptoms of the disorder are: anemia, vomiting, geophagy.

Helminth larvae can infect humans, causing skin dermatitis. This type of parasite does not migrate throughout the body, so it does not cause problems in the circulatory system and internal organs. At the first symptoms of the disease, you must seek medical help. Since without proper diagnostics, self-medication will not only fail to eliminate the disease, but will lead to complications.

Treatment of skin lesions is carried out with topical preparations, as well as special tablets and injections. As a preventive measure, it is recommended to limit any contact with stray animals and regularly eliminate parasites from domestic four-toed pets.

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Hookworm eggs

An adult worm can lay about 25 thousand eggs in the intestines during the day. Hookworm eggs are oval-shaped with a transparent or colorless shell and bluntly rounded poles. The dense cuticle acts as a cover, but there is no segmentation. Each egg contains 4-8 blastomeres. Together with feces, the larvae get into the soil and after 10 days they are able to infect a person. The parasites live in deep layers of the earth, in a special capsule and under favorable conditions they remain viable for several months. The larvae can also live on damp grass, but die when it dries out.

After entering the body, the parasites attach to the mucous membranes of the small intestine and, using the cutting plates of the oral cavity, destroy the integrity of the organ. This causes bleeding ulcers. The cervical glands of the helminths secrete substances that reduce the level of blood clotting. The total blood loss per day per hookworm is up to 0.3 ml. The secretions of harmful microorganisms create favorable conditions for fungal diseases, streptococcal, chlamydial and staphylococcal infections.

Ancylostoma nosodes

Special preparations are made from cultures of many parasitic microorganisms, pathological excretions and secretions. Ancylostoma nosodes are made from source materials, adhering to homeopathic rules. Sterilized material is diluted with alcohol or water and used only as prescribed by a doctor.

There are several groups of nosodes, let's consider them:

• Hereditary – used to treat hereditary disorders.
• Specific – involved in the treatment of diphtheria and influenza diseases.
• Autonosodes are made from material that is secreted from the pus, organs or blood of the patient.

Treatment with nosodes is considered one of the most effective methods of removing toxins from the body that remain after a viral infection or the action of parasites. The medicine is selected by the attending physician, based on the symptoms of the underlying disease and the presence of other diseases.

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Life cycle

The development of the parasite larvae begins with the ingress of feces with eggs into the soil. The life cycle is not disturbed by increased soil moisture and temperature fluctuations. The optimum temperature is considered to be 28-30° C, but the larvae survive at 14-40° C. After 7-10 days of development, they become infectious and transform into filariae with a cylindrical esophagus. The parasites actively move along the soil, so when the skin comes into contact with the soil, the warmth of the human body attracts them. Ancylostomes penetrate through the skin into the blood vessels and alveoli, rupturing the walls of the capillaries.

If infection occurs through unwashed food, the larvae immediately enter the duodenum, where they develop to the sexually mature stage. During their migration, the human body is sensitized by the products of their decay and metabolism. As a result, seemingly causeless skin rashes, itching, blood eosinophilia, bronchitis and pneumonia appear. The next generation of larvae comes out with feces. After about 8-10 weeks, sexually mature helminth eggs are excreted from the patient's body. The life cycle of the crooked head is 4-5 years.

Symptoms of hookworm

The first signs of infection appear after the end of the incubation period, which lasts 40-60 days. The symptoms are weak, but as soon as the worm reaches sexual maturity, the signs of the disease progress. If the helminth penetrates the skin, allergic reactions similar to stinging nettles and itching appear. Penetrating through the skin, the parasite can introduce pathogenic flora, anthrax microbes, tuberculosis and much more.

Symptoms depend on the individual characteristics of the patient's body. Let's look at the main signs of infection:

• Nausea and vomiting
• Pain and disorders of the gastrointestinal tract
• Heartburn and belching
• Flatulence, diarrhea
• Headaches, dizziness
• Cardiovascular pain
• Allergic reactions
• Cough, shortness of breath
• Menstrual irregularities
• Infertility and impotence
• Increased weakness, rapid fatigue
• Increased body temperature
• Hair loss
• Inflammation of the mucous membrane of the eye
• Nervousness, irritability

Since the worm lives in the intestines and feeds on blood, this leads to poor coagulation and intestinal bleeding. Long-term non-healing bleeding wounds appear at the site of the bites. If the parasite enters the body of a pregnant woman, it penetrates the fetus, disrupting the vital functions of its organs, death and miscarriage. If the fetus survives, children are born with various defects, deformities and diseases. When a child or teenager is infected with a parasite, there are disturbances in mental and physical development, the functioning of many organs and systems.

Diagnostics

When the first symptoms of the disease appear, it is necessary to seek medical help. With the help of early diagnosis, it is possible to quickly begin treatment and minimize complications and adverse effects.

The diagnosis is made based on the following criteria:

• The doctor conducts an examination and collects anamnesis.
• Clinical symptoms characteristic of a certain phase of the disease are observed.
• The blood test results show changes: increased levels of eosinophils, decreased levels of hemoglobin, red blood cells and color index.
• Pathological changes are visible on radiography. There are eosinophilic infiltrates in the lungs, intestinal hypotension, and fecal stagnation.
• Parasite eggs were found in stool tests.

Let us consider in more detail the main research methods:

1. Stool analysis is one of the simple and accessible tests that can be taken in infectious and parasite hospitals and laboratories. A few grams of feces are enough to conduct it. If eggs or adult worms are found during the analysis, the diagnosis is confirmed. The absence of eggs does not mean that the person is not infected; two months must have passed after potential infection to detect the disease using this method.

1. Complete blood count – infected individuals have elevated levels of eosinophils in the blood and iron deficiency anemia. Such changes do not confirm the presence of the disorder, but allow one to suspect it.
2. Chest X-ray – allows to identify inflammatory lesions of the respiratory system caused by the migration of helminth larvae.

Unfortunately, there are no express diagnostic methods today. But with the help of the above, traces of the parasite's presence in the body can be detected within 1-14 days.

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Hookworm treatment

For the treatment of ancylostomiasis, it is very important to correctly diagnose the disease. Treatment is aimed at identifying the cause of the pathology, that is, eliminating the ancylostoma. Therapy is carried out under strict medical supervision, with regular monitoring of the patient's blood counts. If the disease is mild, then treatment is carried out on an outpatient basis, more severe forms require inpatient treatment. The patient is prescribed a number of drugs that can cause side effects and have contraindications.

The most commonly used medications to kill parasites are:

• Pyrantel - this drug is taken first. The dosage is 10 mg per kilogram of body weight per day. Taken during meals, the duration of treatment is 2-3 days. Analogues: Gelmintoks, Combatrin.
• Levamisole (Decaris) – is prescribed for both adults and children. Patients under 14 years of age are prescribed to take 2.5 mg per kg of weight, patients over 14 years of age and adults – 150 mg once a day.
• Naftamon - this drug is prescribed to pediatric patients. A single use is indicated, dosages of 2-5 mg. Before use, the medicine must be mixed with sweet syrup and consumed only on an empty stomach, two hours before meals.

In addition to drugs for the destruction of worms, patients are prescribed medications for pathogenetic therapy. First of all, this is the use of iron preparations, vitamin B12, folic acid. In some cases, patients are prescribed sedatives and tranquilizers, antihistamines.

Treatment with folk remedies

Many methods are used to eliminate helminths. Treatment with folk remedies deserves special attention, as it has proven itself to be effective, with minimal side effects and contraindications.

• You can make a medicinal tincture from onions. Take a liter jar and fill it halfway with chopped onions, pouring in vodka. The remedy should be infused for 10 days in a dark, cool place. The finished tincture should be filtered and taken a tablespoon twice a day.
• Grind green walnuts with the peel and pour boiling water over them. The remedy should be infused for 30-40 minutes. The infusion is taken throughout the day, combined with laxatives.
• Peel and chop 2 heads of garlic (7-10 cloves), pour boiled milk over them and drink. If the above method seems radical to you, then you can pour milk over the garlic for a day, then strain and drink throughout the day.
• An excellent remedy for helminths is a decoction of birch buds. Take a spoonful of buds and pour a glass of boiling water over them. The decoction should be infused for 20-30 minutes. The remedy is taken 2-3 times a day, two tablespoons at a time.

Prevention

To prevent infection with parasitic worms, special attention is paid to personal hygiene methods. Prevention involves thoroughly washing hands and feet after contact with soil and before eating. Any vegetables, fruits, berries and greens grown on the ground must be thoroughly washed and, if possible, peeled.

Minimize contact with stray animals that may carry hookworm. Undergo regular medical examinations. This is a mandatory method of prevention for people who are at high risk of infection. At the first symptoms of the disease, seek medical help immediately.

Forecast

The outcome of worm infestation largely depends on the correct diagnosis and the selected treatment regimen. The prognosis is usually favorable, but in particularly severe cases and in the absence of proper therapy, it can cause death.

Hookworm is a parasitic worm, which, when infected, causes pathological changes throughout the body. By observing personal hygiene rules and following recommendations for disease prevention, infection can be avoided.

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