What do you know about human parasitic diseases? The diversity of human parasites is not limited to internal intestinal worms.
There are certain types of parasites that penetrate and live under the skin and cause the same unpleasant symptoms as internal parasites.
In addition, diversity is not limited to helminths - there are ticks, insects and protozoa.
Each has certain symptoms and manifestations that you need to be aware of.
It is equally important to know how to get rid of parasites under the skin.
Types of parasitic skin diseases
What parasites can live under human skin? They are the most diverse, including insects, intestinal worms, ticks, and unicellular unicellular organisms. Lesions of the human skin caused by different types of parasites are classified into a separate category of parasitic diseases.
Pathogens that characterize all groups of diseases combine:
- The simplest organisms cause protozoal skin diseases.
- Ticks cause acariasis lesions on the skin.
- Insects can cause entomotic skin changes.
- Helminthiases are formed as a result of worm infection.
All of these pathogens of human skin parasitic diseases are equally unpleasant and require diagnosis and treatment. Forms neglected for a long time can lead to irreparable consequences from blindness to death. Fortunately, it can be added that much of the list of parasites living under human skin is primarily found in countries with hot and humid climates.
Diseases caused by protozoa
Leishmaniasis
Leishmaniasis is caused by the simplest unicellular pathogens carried by mosquitoes. A person infected with leishmaniasis becomes a reservoir for further spread of the infection. After being bitten by a mosquito, which is the main host of Leishmania, skin or visceral leishmaniasis develops. Skin leishmaniasis manifests itself in the form of deep ulcers or pustules and extensive skin lesions. The mucosal form of the disease leads to significant deformations of the appearance, especially on the face. Respiratory edema can be fatal in leishmaniasis.
Leishmaniasis occurs in 90 countries around the world and is a very common disease in Syria, Iran, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Peru.
Diseases caused by ticks
Demodecosis
It is a disease caused by a parasite that lives under the skin in the sebaceous glands and follicles of human living hair. This is a microscopic mite - demodex. It is mainly localized on the eyelids, facial skin and auditory canals. Rarely - on the chest and back.
Demodex damage causes complicated acne, dermatitis, which worsens in spring and fall. The skin appears red, hyperemic, bumpy, inflamed. The ciliated edge of the eyelid is usually swollen, red, the lashes are stuck together, a crust-like discharge flows along the edge of the eyelid, and loss of lashes is characteristic. Sometimes the disease progresses without obvious manifestations, so the tick is considered conditionally pathogenic. In general, demodicosis is exacerbated in people with impaired immunity, gastrointestinal disorders, lung, and metabolic disorders.
Scabies
Another ubiquitous disease caused by mites is called itchy itching. These mites gnaw passages in human skin into which eggs are placed. The development of an adult tick is accompanied by a complex cycle. This process usually occurs at night, so itching of the skin increases during this time. The main diagnostic symptom of the presence of parasites under the skin of a person looks like double red small dots nearby. These are double passages that are chewed by ticks.
The disease is complicated by a variety of infections that the patient brings in to relieve the itching: streptoderma, nodular seals, blood clots around scratches, rashes in the form of bloody blisters, and other skin changes. Complex scabies can resemble hives, pyoderma, dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis.
Infection usually occurs during prolonged contact with sick people (scabies has been shown to require skin-to-skin contact, lasting up to 30 minutes; the rather low probability of infection should not be discarded when using common household items).
Diseases caused by insects
All skin diseases caused by dipterans are collectively called myiasis.
Wolfarthiosis
The disease is caused by an insect called wolfarth fly, which places the larvae in the mucous membranes or wounds of the human body. The larvae destroy the tissues and release a special enzyme that causes severe pain, necrosis, edema, pus and gangrene in the affected tissues. They usually parasitize the eyes, the nose, the ears. The wolfland fly is widespread in countries with hot and temperate climates.
Diseases caused by intestinal worms
Dirofilariasis
Disease caused by round intestinal worms. The source of infection is pets - cats and dogs. The carrier is a mosquito. After biting, mature individuals of nematodes begin to develop in the human body, which usually parasitize under human skin. The insect bite becomes denser, inflamed and itchy. A characteristic feature of the pathogen is its ability to move under the skin, so the disease is accompanied by a sense of movement that crawls inside the inflamed seal. Sometimes nematodes can be seen under the skin; describe cases where a person exits the mucosa of the eye.
Allergic reactions, fever, nausea and weakness may be accompanied by symptoms.
Strongyloidosis
A disease caused by parasitic larvae that penetrate human skin when walking barefoot on the ground. Strongyloidosis foci are found in Georgia, Ukraine, Krasnodar, Stavropol. Roundworm larvae penetrate the skin and migrate beneath it, causing redness, itchy skin and the formation of red blisters.
Treatment recommendations
General recommendations have been developed for the treatment of diseases caused by one or another human subcutaneous parasite. The most important treatment for our region is strongyloidosis, scabies and demodicosis. Treatment is prescribed after the disease has been diagnosed and only by a specialist. Certain complications and manifestations of the disease require an individual approach to treatment.
- Helminthiasis should be treated with antiparasitic drugs.
- Ointments, creams and other effective treatments are used to treat itchy itching. In the fight against scabies, a treatment system and a system of preventive measures for contact persons have been developed.
- Demodex treatment is performed with complex measures to strengthen the immune system, treat gastrointestinal diseases and other procedures. Ointments for the treatment of scabies are used directly on the skin, as well as various cosmetic procedures.
Treating parasitic diseases under the skin requires effort, so it is best to prevent infection by applying basic rules of personal hygiene. It is not superfluous to know the common symptoms that accompany such diseases so as not to come into close contact with sick people.