Parasitic infection: symptoms, types and treatment

Infections are not only caused by bacteria or viruses. Other microscopic creatures called parasites can also make us sick. What should you know about parasitic infections?

Definition of parasitic infection

Parasites are microscopic organisms that depend on other species of organisms by taking a supply of nutrients from the host's body.

Some of them do not really affect their hosts. Others can grow and reproduce wildly to attack organ systems that make their hosts sick. This is what is known as a parasitic infection.

Parasitic infection is a serious health problem in subtropical and tropical countries, such as Indonesia. Worms and toxoplasmosis (toxoplasma) are examples of types of parasitic infections that are quite common in Indonesia, while malaria is one of the most deadly.

Common types of parasites cause infection

There are 3 types of parasites that can infect your body, namely:

1. Protozoa

Protozoa are single-celled organisms that can live and reproduce in the body. One of the infections caused by protozoa includes giardiasis. Giardiasis is a serious infection that usually occurs after you drink water that is contaminated with protozoa Flagellates .

In addition, there are also other types of protozoa, such as:

• Amoeba, causes of amebiasis
• Siliophores, causes of balantidiasis
• Sporozoa , causes of cryptosporidiosis and toxoplasmosis

2. Worms

Worms are multicellular organisms that can live inside or outside your body. Most worms live in the intestines, such as:

• Flat worms
• Tapeworm
• Pinworms
• Roundworms
• Hookworm

3. Ectoparasite

Ectoparasites are multicellular organisms that are spread by insects or arachnids, such as mosquitoes, ticks and mites that act as disease-carrying hosts.

An example of ectoparasites is malaria, which is spread by the parasite-carrying Anopheles mosquito Plasmodium. These ectoparasites can be transferred to humans when the mosquito bites the skin to suck blood.

Here are other examples of ectoparasites:

• Pediculus humanus capitus or head lice
• Pthirus pubis or lice on the pubic skin
• Sarcoptes scabiei, mites that cause scabies or scabies skin disease

Signs and symptoms of a parasitic infection

Symptoms of infection usually vary depending on what the organism is causing and the organ systems it is attacking. Thus, one case of infection can produce a different set of signs and symptoms from other cases. However, usually the symptoms that appear tend to take a long time to heal.

In general, here are the symptoms that indicate the presence of parasites in your body:

1. Weight loss drastically

Don't be happy just yet if you suddenly lose weight. Sudden weight loss can be a symptom of many diseases.

Especially if you are not on a diet or simply do not have the desire to lose weight. This could be a symptom of a parasite living in your body.

One of the types that most often causes weight loss is tapeworms. Tapeworms generally take up the nutrients that are in your intestines. As a result, the body doesn't get enough nutrition.

Not infrequently, people who have tapeworms in their bodies experience stomach aches and lose their appetite, which causes sudden and drastic weight loss.

2. Suffering from diarrhea

Viruses, bacteria and parasites are the main causes of diarrhea. The types of parasites that make you have diarrhea are Giardia lamblia .

Giardia is a small parasite that lives in the intestines of humans and animals, which can be transmitted. You can become infected if you ingest it by accident, through undercooked food or water that is contaminated with feces and other bacteria.

3. Experiencing an allergic reaction

As reported by the American Association for The Advancement Science, an allergic reaction can be a sign that parasites are living in your body.

Allergies occur when the body's antibodies recognize proteins in parasites (such as protein in peanuts) as allergens, causing an overreaction. Reactions can range from a cold to anaphylactic shock.

The researchers believe that this reaction is one of the body's defense reactions.

If you experience a sudden allergic reaction, such as irritation, or a sudden skin rash accompanied by hives, please consult a doctor even though there are not necessarily parasites in your body that cause allergies.

4. Abnormal vaginal discharge

Types of parasites that affect a person's female organs are Trichomonas vaginalis . Parasite Trichomonas most often attacks the female parts, such as the vagina, vulva, cervix, to the urethra. However, men can also get this infection on their penis.

These parasites live in your body and are spread through sexual contact. It is not certain what causes this parasite to appear. For preventive measures, use contraceptives, such as condoms.

Parasites that are transmitted through sexually transmitted diseases can cause changes in your vaginal discharge, such as:

• Whitish color turns yellow to green
• The discharge smells fishy

In addition, you may feel pain in your genitals, uncomfortable urination, and pain during intercourse.

Other symptoms

In addition to the symptoms mentioned above, you may also experience the following symptoms of a parasitic infection:

• There are white patches in the stool; can appear after traveling from a new place.
• Difficulty sleeping or waking up several times during the night
• Aches and pains, muscle aches, joint pains that can last up to a month.
• Often tired, tired, always tired
• Swollen lymph nodes
• Dehydration

Some types of parasites that live in the body may not cause symptoms or special signs. If you suspect your body is infected with parasites, consult a doctor immediately to get treatment early.

Causes and transmission of parasitic infections

Parasitic infections can be spread in several ways. The most common way parasites enter the body is through the mouth, from food and drink contaminated with protozoa. Drink raw water, eat raw / undercooked meat, eat seafood Unripe / undercooked, or eating unwashed or thoroughly cooked fruit and vegetables are the main ways you can become infected with parasites.

Protozoa and worms can also be spread through intermediary streams of water, household waste, feces and blood (which are positively infected), to direct exposure between skin and contaminated soil. Certain types of parasites can be spread through sexual contact.

Once infected, it is very easy for someone to pass the parasite on to other people. This is especially true if you are infected and do not wash your hands after cooking, feeding or cleaning animal feces, or after finishing the bathroom. You can transmit microscopic parasitic eggs to whatever object you touch next.

Apart from food and touch, this infection is also very easily transmitted when handling or rubbing the hair of an animal with parasites.

Parasitic infection risk factors

Anyone can get this disease. However, there are several factors that make you more likely to have a parasitic infection, namely:

• Likes to eat raw food
• Do not wash food ingredients thoroughly before cooking
• Wash your hands rarely
• Have a weak immune system or are already sick with other diseases
• Living or traveling in the tropics or subtropics of the world
• Lack of clean drinking water supply
• Swim in lakes, rivers, ponds, or floodwaters where water is contaminated
• Work close to the land, for example farmers or construction workers
• Work in other contexts where you have come in contact with human waste (babysitter / baby sitter or kindergarten / early childhood teachers, for example) or with animal feces (employees pet shop or pet salons) continuously.

Diagnosis and treatment of parasitic infections

In the case of contagious infections that affect the digestive tract such as giardiasis and certain worm infections, the best way to test whether you are infected is to do a stool test.

There are conventional stool tests that use a sample from your stool. The feces will then be taken to the laboratory to see whether or not harmful organisms are present under a microscope

Doctors can also determine a diagnosis through a comprehensive stool test. This test is carried out by testing fecal samples using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technology to strengthen the presence of parasitic DNA.

Apart from the stool test, here are other options for testing methods to determine whether you are really infected with parasites:

• Blood test
• Endoscopy or colonoscopy
• Image capture test (X-ray, MRI scan, or CAT scan)

What are the treatments for parasitic infections?

Treatment of infection depends on your specific diagnosis. Some infections require no medical treatment because symptoms go away on their own.

Usually, your doctor will prescribe an anti-parasitic medication or worm medicine to treat the infection. However, you usually have to take several medications at once, as no single drug can work against all types of infections.

There are certain antibiotics and antifungal drugs that are effective against some parasitic infections, so they can be prescribed sometimes as add-ons.

However, there are also several types of infections for which there is no cure or cannot be treated using chemical drugs.

Your doctor may also recommend other treatments to relieve your symptoms. For example, many protozoan and worm infections can cause diarrhea that often leads to dehydration. Your doctor will likely advise you to drink lots of water or electrolytes (ORS) to replenish lost body fluids.

Parasite infection prevention

There are steps you can take to lower your risk of getting an infection:

• Wash your hands and feet regularly, especially after handling raw food, after defecating, after farming, gardening, or cultivating the soil, and after handling human or animal waste
• Wash food and cook until cooked.
• Make sure to drink clean mineral water, preferably from bottled water when you are traveling.
• Avoid swallowing water from lakes, rivers, or ponds.
• Avoid handling directly animal litter, especially cat litter