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 invade and live under a person's skin and cause the same unpleasant symptoms as internal parasites.
In addition, the variety is not limited to just helminthiases - there are ticks, insects and protozoa.
Each of them have specific symptoms and manifestations that you should be aware of.
Knowing how to get rid of subcutaneous parasites is equally important.
Types of parasitic skin diseases
Which parasites can live under human skin? The most diverse, including insects, helminths, ticks, and unicellular protozoa. Injuries to human skin caused by different types of parasites are classified into a separate category of parasitic diseases.
Each group of diseases is united by characteristic pathogens:
- The simplest organisms cause protozoal skin diseases.
- Ticks cause acariasis lesions on the skin.
- Insects can cause entomotic skin lesions.
- Helminthiases arise as a result of infection with helminths.
All of these pathogens causing human skin parasitic diseases are equally unpleasant and require diagnosis and treatment. Long-term neglected forms can lead to irreparable consequences ranging from blindness to death. Fortunately, it can be added that most of the parasites that live under the human skin are mainly typical of countries with hot and humid climates.
Protozoal diseases
Leishmaniasis
Leishmaniasis is caused by the simplest, single-cell pathogens transmitted by mosquitoes. A person infected with leishmaniasis becomes a reservoir for the further spread of the infection. After a mosquito bite, the main host of 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 deformations of the appearance, especially of the face. Airway edema in leishmaniasis can be fatal.
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
A disease caused by a parasite that lives under the skin in the sebum glands and follicles of human living hair. This is a microscopic mite - Demodex. It is mainly localized on the eyelids, facial skin and ear canals. Rarely - on the chest and back.
Demodex damage causes complex acne, dermatitis, which worsens in spring and autumn. The skin looks red, hyperemic, bumpy, inflamed. The ciliated edge of the eyelid is usually puffy, red, the eyelashes are glued together, there is discharge in the form of crusts along the edge of the eyelid, and eyelash loss is characteristic. Sometimes the disease proceeds without obvious manifestations, therefore the tick is considered conditionally pathogenic. Usually demodicosis worsens in people with impaired immunity, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, lungs, and metabolic disorders.
scabies
Another ubiquitous disease caused by mites is called itching. These mites gnaw passages in human skin where they lay eggs. The development of an adult tick is accompanied by a complex cycle. Usually this process takes place 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 looks like double red small dots nearby. These are double passages that have been gnawed by a tick.
The disease is complicated by various infections that the patient brings with them to relieve the itching: streptoderma, nodule sealing, blood crusts around scratches, rashes in the form of bloody blisters, and other skin lesions. Complicated scabies can resemble urticaria, pyoderma, dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis.
The infection usually occurs through prolonged contact with the sick (scabies has been proven to require skin-to-skin contact, which can last up to 30 minutes; you should not neglect the rather low probability of infection when using household items).
Insect Diseases
All skin diseases caused by Diptera are collectively referred to as myiasis.
Wolf arthosis
The disease is caused by an insect called a wolfarth fly, which the larvae deposits in mucous membranes or wounds on the human body. The larvae destroy tissue and release a special enzyme that causes severe pain, necrosis, edema, pus, and gangrene of the affected tissue. They usually parasitize in the eyes, nose, and ears. The wolfarth fly is widespread in countries with hot and temperate climates.
Diseases caused by helminths
Dirofilariasis
A disease caused by round helminths. The source of infection are pets - cats and dogs. The carrier is a mosquito. After its bite, sexually mature nematodes develop in the human body, which usually 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 that creeps into the inflamed seal. Sometimes a nematode can be seen under the skin, cases are described when an individual emerges from the mucous membrane of the eye.
Allergic reactions, fever, nausea and weakness can be accompanying symptoms.
Strongyloidosis
A disease caused by parasite larvae that invade a person's skin when walking on the ground with bare feet. Strongyloid foci are found in Georgia, Ukraine, Krasnodar, Stavropol Territory. The larvae of the roundworm penetrate the skin and migrate under it, causing redness, itching of the skin and the formation of red blisters.
Treatment recommendations
General recommendations have been developed for the treatment of diseases caused by one or the other subcutaneous parasite in humans. Most relevant to 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 anti-parasitic drugs.
- To treat itching, ointment, cream and other effective means are used. In the fight against scabies, a treatment regimen and a system of preventive measures for contact persons have been developed.
- The Demodex treatment involves complex measures to strengthen the immune system, to treat gastrointestinal diseases and other interventions. Ointments for the treatment of scabies are used directly on the skin, as well as in various cosmetic procedures.
Subcutaneous infestations require treatment, so it is best to prevent infection by applying basic personal hygiene rules. It is not superfluous to know the usual symptoms of such diseases in order not to come into close contact with sick people.