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It is a dangerous parasite that causes echinococcosis. You can get it from animals, but also by eating dirty fruit straight from the bush.
Bubble gum – how can you get infected with it?
The larvae of the two most common forms of echinococcus (Echinococcus granulosus or Echinococcus multilocularis) cause echinococcosis. Man is a random and atypical intermediate host for both of these tapeworms. Echinococcosis is rare in humans (several dozen cases are reported annually in Poland). However, it is a dangerous disease, leading to irreversible and serious complications, therefore its symptoms should not be ignored.
The most common source of infection with echinococcosis for humans are infected animals – dogs and cats. The tapeworm can exist asymptomatically in the body of our pet for many years. In a young dog or cat, it can cause diarrhea, vomiting, inhibition of absorption of food from the intestine and, as a result, emaciation. The animal may experience persistent itching associated with the excretion or active filling of tapeworm members from the anus. Getting rid of echinococcosis from the animal’s body is usually not troublesome. It requires the use of a worming preparation recommended by a veterinarian.
You can get infected with echinococcosis by stroking an infected animal or while playing or caring for it. Children who, when playing with pets, put their hands or items stained with parasite eggs in their mouths most often become infected through direct contact.
Wild animals (foxes, wolves) are also often carriers of echinococcus. They expel the parasite’s eggs with the faeces, thus contaminating the environment (soil, plants). Under favorable conditions, eggs may remain invasive for up to 1 year.
Tapeworms can also be infected by eating unwashed vegetables or fruit, most often plants growing in the forest (e.g. blackberries). This does not mean, however, that we have to refuse ourselves from eating forest delicacies. All you have to do is wash the wild strawberries or blueberries that you bring home and scald the mushrooms in hot water.
What happens when a person becomes infected with echinococcosis?
However, an infection with echinococcosis does not always mean disease. Whether a larva hatched from an egg will nest in a human depends on the individual level of immunity of the organism and whether the larva finds favorable conditions for itself.
Larvae hatch from the eggs that enter the human digestive tract, which then penetrate the intestinal wall and enter the blood or lymph vessels, which are distributed throughout the body. They stop in tiny blood vessels of various organs (including lungs, liver, kidneys, brain), blocking their lumen. E. granulosus causes single-chamber echinococcosis. It is most often found in the liver and lungs. The larva can develop in the organ for several years. The body, in a defense mechanism, separates itself from it, surrounding it with a connective tissue sheath. This creates a cyst (bubble) filled with fluid. Secondary blisters form on its inner and outer walls, inside which tapeworm heads develop, ready to infect the final host (cat, dog, wild animals). There can be several hundred thousand tapeworm heads in the entire cyst. The expanding bubble compresses the surrounding tissues, impairing their function, causing inflammatory changes and even necrosis. Tapeworms can also release toxins and cause allergic reactions.
Echinococcosis – symptoms
The symptoms of echinococcosis are closely related to the location of the cyst. If it is present in the liver, it can cause liver failure, portal hypertension, inflammation of the bile ducts or mechanical jaundice. Tapeworm located in the lungs may cause inflammation of the lower respiratory tract, cough, and shortness of breath. If the tapeworm is located in the brain, it can cause visual disturbances, impaired consciousness and even epileptic seizures.
If the bladder becomes large, it may rupture spontaneously. Then, small bubbles with echinococcal protocolleks (the so-called secondary echinococcosis) are spread throughout the body. The accompanying release of large amounts of toxins can even lead to anaphylactic shock.
The E. multilocularis tapeworm causes multilocular echinococcosis. The parasite is most often located in the liver. The human body does not form an envelope around its cyst. The parasite creates a rich network of projections in the liver, it spreads among others. along the blood vessels (e.g. to the lungs) which may resemble the process of tumor metastasis. Liver enlargement, jaundice and ascites are characteristic of this form of echinococcosis.
Tapeworm cysts are often a random find (so-called incidentaloma) in ultrasound, X-ray, computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging.
Bubble gum and treatment
Drug treatment of echinococcosis is usually aimed at shrinking the cyst. This is a type of preparation that keeps the walls of the blister as tight as possible and minimizes the risk of the cyst tearing during the procedure.
Read also:
- The five most dangerous parasites that live in the human body
- How to recognize the symptoms of echinococcosis?
- They can live in our body for years. They are wreaking havoc without knowing their presence!
Initial diagnosis of echinococcosis is made by the doctor on the basis of an interview, reported complaints and imaging tests (X-ray, ultrasound, etc.). A certain diagnosis can be made only on the basis of the results of fluid examination or histopathological examination of the cyst. These materials are collected during a biopsy or during surgical resection of the lesion formed by the parasite.