What do you know about human parasitic diseases? The variety of human parasites is not limited to internal helminths.
There are certain types of parasites that penetrate and live under a person's skin, causing the same unpleasant symptoms as internal parasites.
In addition, the diversity is not limited only to helminthiases: there are ticks, insects and protozoa.
Each of them has certain symptoms and manifestations that you should know.
It is also equally important to know how to get rid of subcutaneous parasites.
Varieties of parasitic skin diseases.
What Kinds of Parasites Can Live Under Human Skin? The most diverse, among which are insects, helminths, ticks and protozoa single-celled organisms. Lesions of human skin by various types of parasites are distinguished in a separate category of parasitic diseases.
Each group of diseases is linked by characteristic pathogens:
- The simplest organisms cause protozoal skin diseases.
- Ticks cause acariasis lesions on the skin.
- Insects can cause entomotic skin lesions.
- Helminthiases develop as a result of helminth infection.
All of these pathogens of human skin parasitic diseases are equally unpleasant and require diagnosis and treatment. Long-term neglected forms can have irreparable consequences, from blindness to death. Fortunately, it can be added that most of the list of parasites that live under the human skin is typical mainly of countries with hot and humid climates.
Diseases caused by protozoa.
Leishmaniasis
Leishmaniasis is caused by the simplest single-celled 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 for Leishmania, a person develops cutaneous or visceral leishmaniasis. Cutaneous leishmaniasis manifests as deep ulcers or pustules and extensive skin lesions. The mucocutaneous form of the disease leads to significant deformities of appearance, especially of the face. Airway edema in leishmaniasis can be fatal.
Leishmaniasis occurs in 90 countries in the world and is a very common disease in Syria, Iran, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Peru.
Diseases caused by ticks.
Demodecosis
Disease caused by a parasite that lives under the skin in the sebaceous glands and follicles of living human hair. This is a microscopic mite - demodex. It is mainly located on the eyelids, facial skin and ear canals. Rarely, on the chest and back.
Demodex damage causes complicated acne, dermatitis, which is aggravated in spring and autumn. The skin looks red, hyperemic, lumpy, inflamed. The ciliated edge of the eyelid is usually swollen, reddened, the eyelashes are glued together, along the edge of the eyelid there is scab-like discharge, and loss of eyelashes is characteristic. Sometimes the disease progresses without obvious manifestations, which is why the tick is considered conditionally pathogenic. Usually demodicosis is aggravated in people with impaired immunity, with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, lungs, and metabolic disorders.
Scabies
Another ubiquitous disease caused by mites is called itching. These mites gnaw the ducts of human skin, in which they lay eggs. The development of an adult tick is accompanied by a complex cycle. Usually this process occurs at night, so at this time the itching of the skin intensifies. The main diagnostic symptom of the presence of parasites under a person's skin is seen as small double red dots located nearby. These are double passageways gnawed away by a tick.
The disease is complicated by various infections that the patient brings when trying to relieve the itch: streptoderma, nodular seals, crusts of blood around the scratches, rashes in the form of bloody blisters and other skin lesions. Complicated scabies can resemble hives, pyoderma, dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis.
Infection usually occurs through prolonged contact with sick people (scabies has been shown to require skin-to-skin contact, lasting up to 30 minutes; the fairly low probability of infection when using common household items should not be ruled out).
Diseases caused by insects.
All skin diseases caused by Diptera are collectively called myiasis.
Wolfartiosis
The disease is caused by an insect called the wolfarth fly, which lays the larvae on mucous membranes or wounds in the human body. The larvae destroy tissues, releasing a special enzyme that causes severe pain, necrosis, edema, pus, and gangrene of the affected tissues. They usually parasitize the eyes, nose, ears. The wolfarth fly is widespread in countries with hot and temperate climates.
Helminth Diseases.
Dirofilariasis
Round helminth disease. The source of infection is domestic animals: dogs and cats. The carrier is a mosquito. After their bite, individuals of sexually mature nematodes begin to develop on the human body, which, as a rule, parasitize under the human skin. The insect bite becomes denser, inflamed, and itchy. A characteristic feature of the pathogen is its ability to move under the skin, therefore the disease is accompanied by a sensation of movement, crawling inside the inflamed seal. Sometimes a nematode can be seen under the skin; Cases of an individual emerging from the mucous membrane of the eye are described.
Allergic reactions, fever, nausea, and weakness can accompany symptoms.
Strongyloidosis
A disease caused by parasite larvae that invade a person's skin if he walks barefoot on the ground. The foci of strongyloidosis are in Georgia, Ukraine, Krasnodar, Stavropol Territory. Pinworm larvae invade the skin and migrate underneath, causing red, itchy skin and the development 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 relevant for our region is the treatment of strongyloidosis, scabies and demodicosis. Treatment is prescribed after the diagnosis of the disease and only by a specialist. Some complications and manifestations of the disease require an individual approach to treatment.
- It is recommended to treat helminthiasis with antiparasitic drugs.
- For the treatment of itching, ointments, creams and other effective remedies are used. In the fight against scabies, a treatment regimen and a system of preventive measures have been developed for contact persons.
- Treatment with Demodex is carried out with complex measures to strengthen the immune system, treat gastrointestinal diseases and other procedures. Ointments for the treatment of scabies are used directly for the skin, as well as various cosmetic procedures.
Subcutaneous parasitic diseases require an effort to treat, 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.