10 of the most dangerous parasites that can live in the human body
Everyone has heard about terrible diseases that are carried by mosquitoes and other parasites, such as malaria, but not everyone knows that right now they can already live inside us. Scary? Parasites, namely worms and beetles, are living creatures that crawl freely inside the human body. The worst thing is that they can live inside a person for years and decades and not make themselves known.
Zombies are mindless creatures that feed on human brains. Naegleria Fowlera behaves in the same way, it also eats the brain and attacks the nervous system. Symptoms that accompany the presence of this parasite include headache, nausea, vomiting and even death. This is a very rare parasite; only about a thousand cases of infection with it are known in the world. The source of infection is bodies of warm water, so swim carefully.
Filaria onchocerciasis is a worm, a helminth, that causes blindness in humans. There is a high chance of contracting it in uncivilized regions. The parasite infects only the human cornea, causing river blindness. The human immune system is unable to recognize the parasite, so blindness is inevitable.
This parasite is often called the elephant parasite, but not because it is huge, but because of the way it externally disfigures the human body. After entering the human body, filaria behaves in the same way as other parasites. After a year, the worm becomes an adult and enters the lymphatic system, which controls the outflow of fluid from the body. When an adult worm and its “comrades” block the drainage channels, the fluid does not drain, but accumulates, resulting in the limb becoming like an elephant’s leg.
“Loa loa” sounds more like the name of a cocktail on a tropical beach on an exotic island. But in fact, it is a parasite that can be infected by an insect bite. The larva penetrates the human body through the bite and lives in the area of the bite for some time, causing inflammation and pain. Over time, the worm grows and can penetrate the eye, a person will even feel how it moves there. The worm can live in the body for up to 17 years.
The gadfly is capable of laying eggs in the human body. If the gadfly has chosen someone as a victim, then it will bear thousands of larvae that will hatch from the eggs. The larva, in order to grow, will eat everything it finds around, that is, flesh, as a result a hole will form on the skin, and the person will feel how the larva moves under the skin. To remove the parasite or eggs, you will need the help of a surgeon.
When a person swims or bathes in ponds with unfiltered water, he can swallow a water flea. These fleas love polluted lakes and ponds, where they sit and wait for their prey. When they enter the stomach, the gastric juice dissolves the flea, but the guinea worm that was inside the flea (guinea worm) passes on. A year later, the worm already reaches a length of 60-90 cm. The human body becomes small for it, and it tries to get out of it to the surface. The body begins to burn, there is a desire to plunge into cold water to get rid of the burning and pain. But that’s what the worm needs! It releases thousands of its larvae into the water, but remains in the body.
Both parents and government officials always remind that peeing in a river or lake or swimming pool is prohibited. Now, for sure, no one will do this after reading about the ordinary vandellia. This is a very small fish that lives in the Amazon and enters the bladder during urination. In the body, it feeds on blood and flesh, causing severe pain.
The roundworm, an annelid, can grow up to 30 cm in length in humans. It is easy to become infected in rural areas. Her residence inside is not accompanied by any symptoms until the number of worms reaches a maximum. If this happens, then you will suffer from headaches, fever, nausea, diarrhea, etc. In general, roundworms affect children more often than adults, since they wash their hands less often.
Scabies causes itching and red spots on the skin. This small parasite digs tunnels in the host's skin, where it reproduces; feeds on blood. Ticks can infect any area of the skin, but are most often found on the back of the hands, in the spaces between the fingers, armpits, and perineum.
The tapeworm is the most terrible parasite, so to speak. It mainly settles in the human brain and lives for 20 years. During this period, symptoms arise that are so widespread that it is extremely difficult to associate them with the vital activity of the parasite. When it grows up, it seeks to kill its owner. You can become infected with the parasite by drinking contaminated water and meat.