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Intestinal parasites are parasites that populate the gastro-intestinal tract in humans. They can live throughout the body, but most prefer the intestinal wall. The mucoid plaque buildup provides an ideal breeding environment for parasites. Means of exposure include: ingestion of undercooked meat, drinking infected water, and skin absorption.

The major groups of parasites include protozoans (organisms having only one cell) and parasitic worm
Parasitic worm

See also Parasitic worm Parasitic worms or helminths are a division of eukaroytic parasites that, unlike external parasites such as lice and fleas, live inside their host....
s (helminths).






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Intestinal parasites are parasites that populate the gastro-intestinal tract in humans. They can live throughout the body, but most prefer the intestinal wall. The mucoid plaque buildup provides an ideal breeding environment for parasites. Means of exposure include: ingestion of undercooked meat, drinking infected water, and skin absorption.

The major groups of parasites include protozoans (organisms having only one cell) and parasitic worm
Parasitic worm

See also Parasitic worm Parasitic worms or helminths are a division of eukaroytic parasites that, unlike external parasites such as lice and fleas, live inside their host....
s (helminths). Of these, protozoans, including cryptosporidium, microsporidia
Microsporidia

The microsporidia constitute a phylum of spore-forming unicellular parasites. Loosely 1500 of the probably more than one million species are named now....
, and isospora
Isospora

Isospora is a genus of internal parasites classified under Coccidia.It is responsible for the condition isosporiasis.External links...
, are most common in HIV
HIV

Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that can lead to AIDS , a condition in humans in which the immune system begins to fail, leading to life-threatening opportunistic infections....
-infected persons. Each of these parasites can infect the digestive tract, and sometimes two or more can cause infection at the same time.

Infection


Parasites can get into the intestine by going through the mouth from uncooked or unwashed food, contaminated water
Water

Water is a common chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of life. In typical usage, water refers only to its liquid form or States of matter, but the substance also has a solid state, ice, and a gaseous state, water vapor or steam....
, or hands, or by skin
Skin

The skin is the outer covering of the body, also known as the epidermis. It is the largest organ of the integumentary system made up of multiple layers of epithelial biological tissue, and guards the underlying muscles, bones, ligaments and organ s....
 contact with larva
Larva

A larva is a young form of animal with indirect developmental biology, going through or undergoing metamorphosis .The larva can look completely different from the adult form, for example, a caterpillar differs from a butterfly....
 infected soil
Soil

Soil is the naturally occurring, unconsolidated or loose covering on the Earth's surface. Soil is composed of particles of broken rock that have been altered by chemical and environmental processes including weathering and erosion....
. When the organisms are swallowed, they move into the intestine, where they can reproduce and cause symptoms. Children are particularly succeptible if they are not thorougly sterilized after coming into contact with infected soil that is present in environments that they may frequently visit such as sandboxes and school playgrounds. People in developing countries are also at particular risk due to drinking water from sources that may be contaminated with parasites that colonize the gastrointestinal tract!

Symptoms


A list of common symptoms:

  • Abdominal pain
  • Myositis
    Myositis

    Myositis is a general term for inflammation of the muscles. Many such conditions are considered likely to be caused by autoimmune conditions, rather than directly due to infection It is also a documented side effect of statins....
     
  • Constipation
    Constipation

    Constipation, costiveness, or irregularity, is a condition of the digestive system in which a person experiences hard feces that are difficult to expel....
     
  • Anaemia
  • Anorexia
    Anorexia

    Anorexia can refer to:Eating conditions* Anorexia , the symptom of poor appetite whatever the cause* Anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder of excessive weight loss and usually undue concern about body shape...
     
  • B-12 deficiency
  • Rectal hemorrhage
    Rectal hemorrhage

    Rectal hemorrhage refers to bleeding in the rectum. There are many causes of rectal hemorrhage, including hemorrhoids , rectal varices, proctitis , stercal ulcers and infections....
     
  • Blindness
    Blindness

    Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define "blindness." Total blindness is the complete lack of form and visual light perception and is clinically recorded as "NLP," an abbreviation for "no ligh...
     
  • Hematochezia
    Hematochezia

    Hematochezia is the passage of bright red, bloody feces from the rectum. It is also known as "bright red blood per rectum" and abbreviated BRBPR....
     
  • Hemoptysis
    Hemoptysis

    Hemoptysis or haemoptysis is the expectoration of blood or of blood-stained sputum from the bronchi, larynx, vertebrate trachea, or lungs ....
     
  • Dysuria
    Dysuria

    In medicine, specifically urology, dysuria refers to painful urination. This is typically described to be a burning or stinging sensation. It is most often a result of a urinary tract infection....
     
  • Central nervous system impairment
  • Chest pain
  • Chills
  • Chronic fatigue
  • Colitis
    Colitis

    Colitis is a Chronic digestive diseases characterized by inflammation of the colon .Colitis is one of a group of conditions which are inflammatory and auto-immune, affecting the tissue that lines the gastrointestinal system ....
     
  • Coughing
  • Diarrhea
    Diarrhea

    In medicine, diarrhea, also spelled diarrhoea , is characterized by frequent loose or liquid bowel movements. The spelling of "diarrhea" is an appropriation of the Greek "diarrhoia" meaning "a flowing through." ....
     
  • Digestive disturbance
  • Dizziness
  • Fever
    Fever

    Fever is a frequent medical sign that describes an increase in internal body temperature to levels above normal. Fever is most accurately characterized as a temporary elevation in the body's thermoregulatory set-point, usually by about 1?2 ?C ....
     
  • Enlargement of various organs
  • Headaches
  • Vaginitis
    Vaginitis

    Vaginitis is an inflammation of the vaginal mucosa and often associated with an irritation or infection of the vulva leading to vulvovaginitis....
  • Jaundice
    Jaundice

    Jaundice, also known as icterus , is a yellowish discoloration of the skin, the conjunctival membranes over the sclera , and other mucous membranes caused by hyperbilirubinemia ....
     
  • Joint Pain
  • Weight loss due to malnutrition
  • Weakness
  • Immunodeficiency
  • Nausea
    Nausea

    Nausea is the sensation of unease and discomfort in the stomach with an urge to vomit....
     / Vomiting
    Vomiting

    Vomiting is the forceful expulsion of the contents of one's stomach through the mouth and sometimes the nose. Undesired vomiting may result from many causes, ranging from gastritis or poisoning to brain tumors, or elevated intracranial pressure....
  • Swelling of facial features
  • Sweating
  • Insomnia
    Insomnia

    Insomnia is a symptom of a sleep disorder characterized by persistent difficulty falling sleep or staying asleep despite the opportunity. Insomnia is a symptom, not a stand-alone diagnosis or a disease....
  • Skin ulcers
  • Rectal prolaspe
  • Mental problems
  • Lung congestion
  • Memory loss
  • Night sweats
  • Muscle spasms


In some people, intestinal worms do not cause any symptoms, or the symptoms may come and go. If you have some of these symptoms, it does not necessarily mean that you are infected. This is because symptoms are signs of other diseases. Common signs and complaints include coughing, cramping abdominal pain, bloating, flatulence and diarrhea. In more serious infections, diminished sex drive, skin-itching, fever, nausea, vomiting, or bloody stools may occur. Some parasites also cause low red blood count (anemia), and some travel from the lungs to the intestine, or from the intestine to the lungs and other parts of the body. Many other conditions can result in these symptoms, so laboratory tests are necessary to determine their cause.

In children, irritability and restlessness are commonly reported by parents.