Worms in Humans

A commonly found worm in humans, who live in the United States and the European countries, is the pinworm. You are likely to get infested with this worm in childhood. 50% of the world's population harbor either the hookworm, large roundworm or the whipworm. Most of these people live in areas where shortage of clean drinking water and absence of a proper sanitation system, contributes to the infestation of worms in humans.

Intestinal Worms in Humans
Most of the time, proliferation of intestinal parasites in humans occurs when you eat infected food or when come in the contact with infected feces, which contain worms themselves or their eggs. The following, is a list of most commonly found worms in humans.

Pinworms in Humans: As is the case, pinworms in humans spread through infected feces. Almost every child below the age of 12 years is infected by them. This parasite inhabits the large intestine. The female pineworms in children sneak out of the anus, late at night when the children are sleeping, to lay the eggs on the surrounding area of skin. The eggs are itchy and when children scratch them, they are transferred to their nails, fingers and other items such as food etc, leading to their spread. Pinworms are present everywhere, especially in areas that have four seasons in a year.

Tapeworms in Humans: This is a really tricky customer which attaches itself to the intestinal walls with the help of hooks and suckers. This worm in humans can grow up to 20 feet in length, without you having any indication of its presence in your body. Tapeworm in humans may infest you after eating raw or undercooked pork. Alternatively, you may ingest human tapeworm eggs (contaminated water) which after reaching the stomach, hatch into larvae and move to the small intestine. The fact that it may enter your bloodstream and travel to the eyes giving you a headache, and to the brain which could lead to a fatal brain swelling, by eating infected and undercooked pork, tenderloin and sausages is proof to the extent of harm it can do. The acid present in the stomach dissolves the protective covering that encapsulates the larvae and sets them free, the hatchlings that manage to survive the stomach acid then move to the small intestine and grow into adults which are 0.1 inch in length. The larvae laid by the Trichenella female travel in the blood and hide within the muscles. Trichenella worms in humans may give rise to vomiting, diarrhea, fever and pain in the abdomen.

Schistosomes Worms: You might find the mode of the proliferation of these intestinal parasites amusing. These worms first infect snails which release schistosome larvae into the water. The larvae penetrate the human skin and then enter the blood stream. The adult schistosomes which measure up to 0.6 inch in length, lay eggs which spreads to different parts of the body with the help of the bloodstream. These eggs and not the worms in humans itself, can make your life difficult by causing inflammation, scarring or enlargement of the liver, bladder, lungs or intestine. According to WHO (World Health Organization), at least 200 million people, a majority of them living in Africa, are infected by these worms in humans.

Lyphatic Filariae: This is not your regular run of the mill worm, which employs dumb tactics. This worm is unusual in that it conspires with the mosquito, man's age old enemy, to gain entry inside a human body and in choosing lymphatic vessels and nodes for residence. When a mosquito carrying the of the lymphatic filariae bites you, the larvae rush out of the mosquito's proboscis and gains entry inside your body. Infestation of this worm in human beings can cause elehpantiasis, a severe inflammation and swelling of the legs, arms, genitals and breasts. Adult worms in humans, of this species can grow up to 4 inches in length. According to WHO reports, at least 120 million people all over the world, especially living in the warm and humid climate of south Asia, Africa and the Americas are infected by these worms. At least, 40 million people are bearing the curse of disfigurement, which are characteristics of the infestation of the lyphatic filariae worm in humans.

Whipworm: Whipworms in humans are also known as Trichuris trichiura. Its resemblance to a cow whip has given it, its name. An adult whipworm in humans grows to 2 inches in length. Commonly, children catch whipworm infestation by ingesting dirt containing human feces infected with its eggs. Whipworms in humans usually inhabit the large intestine and can cause severe diarrhea, loss of weight, anemia and rectal prolapse. Out of 800 million victims of whipworm, most are children living in the tropics and subtropics.

Roundworms In Humans: The cause of the most common worm infestation, Ascariasis, in humans is the roundworm infestation. As many as 1.5 billion people, especially, those living in tropics and subtropics, all over the world are suffering from it. The common mode of infestation of the roundworms in humans is by ingestion of infected food. The eggs of the roundworms in humans are hatched into larvae in the intestine. The larvae move through the bloodstream and lymph system to the lungs and cause shortness of breath, wheezing and fever. In its most severe form, infestation of roundworms in humans can lead to the blockage of the small intestine and death. The information from the WHO paints a bleak picture, that as many as 60,000 deaths, mainly in children are caused by ascariasis due to roundworms.

Hookworm: Hookworms fall under a class of roundworms. The larvae of the hookworm can gain the entry into the human body through the openings of the sweat glands or hair follicles in the skin. This may happen with you, if the soil you are walking, laying or sleeping on is contaminated by the hookworm larvae. Moving across the skin and through blood vessels and lungs, the hookworm larvae reaches the throat, where they are swallowed and transported to their destination, the small intestine. The adult hookworms in humans are 0.4 inches in length and may cause abdominal pain. These hookworms in humans suck blood out of the intestinal walls which leads to anemia in the person suffering from hookworm infestation.

Worms in humans causes signs and symptoms such as anemia, constipation, diarrhea and fatigue. The symptoms such as gas and stomach bloating, nervousness, and immune dysfunction can also be observed due to parasitic worms in humans. Read more on:

• Guinea Worm Infection In Humans
• What Are The Different Types Of Flatworms

Colon cleanse along with the expert medical advice and treatment, may help you to get rid of worms in humans.