home Calculators Infection of human brain with parasites. Can there be parasites in the human brain? And here is my story

Infection of human brain with parasites. Can there be parasites in the human brain? And here is my story

Worms in the brain are diagnosed quite rarely, since the clinical picture of the pathological process does not have specific symptoms. In addition, the larvae of some types of worms can remain dormant for a long time, without showing any signs of their existence.

The penetration of worms into the human body occurs in several ways:

through dirty hands;
contacting animals;
when eating raw meat and fish;
through untreated water;
while eating unwashed vegetables and fruits;
through the ground.

First of all, the pathogenic agent enters the digestive system, where it develops and transforms into a larva. In the intestines, the pathogen secretes harmful enzymes that disrupt the functioning of the digestive system.

The disease can be detected in the early stages using x-rays and other diagnostic methods.

Cysticercosis

It is an infectious disease caused by pork tapeworm in its larval state. Helminthiasis has a toxic effect and reactive inflammation of brain tissue.

The pathological process is accompanied by cerebral edema, episodes of epileptic seizures, speech impairment, and neurotic disorders.

The disease can occur in a latent form for a long time without showing any symptoms.

Alveococcosis

A helminthic infestation, the causative agent of which is tapeworms in the larval stage. It is characterized by a chronic form of the course and a blurred clinical picture, which makes it difficult to diagnose and detected at fairly late stages.

The presence of a pathogenic agent in an organ provokes the development of an inflammatory process, which subsequently leads to pathologies such as meningitis, encephalitis, meningoencephalitis.

Symptoms of the lesion

Drug treatment includes the use of anthelmintic drugs - Praziquantel, Aldbenazole, Medamin, Metosept, Cimed.

Video

The functional unit of cysticercosis is the cysticercus, a fluid-filled sac. On average, its diameter reaches 15 mm. Cysticerci are localized in the pia mater, cortex and cerebrospinal fluid of the ventricles, where helminths swim.

The unit of echinococcosis is the echinococcus, a dense capsule of connective tissue surrounded by inflamed brain tissue. Necrotic changes in the brain tissue develop around the echinococcus. In these places, the brain matter softens. Areas of hemorrhage are also identified here.

How do they get into the brain?

The path from the external environment to the brain consists of a chain:

Symptoms of worms in the brain can be considered using the example of two diseases: echinococcosis of the brain and cysticercosis.

Causes the following syndromes:

The second disease is echinococcosis.

The disease begins with headache, dizziness, vomiting, blurred vision and seizures - these are nonspecific, general cerebral symptoms.

Focal symptoms depend on the zone and lobe in which the echinococcus is located. Most often, epileptic seizures occur and muscle weakness develops.

The clinical picture of psychiatric disorders includes delusions, hallucinations, and depressive syndrome. Diffuse echinococcosis can lead to dementia.

Causes

Cysticercosis is caused by the larva of the pork tapeworm. The disease develops after worm eggs enter the gastrointestinal tract through dirty hands or dirty foods. There is a concept of reinfestation, when worms from the intestines enter the stomach in the vomit.

Foci of worms are treated by surgical removal. Open and closed operations are used. Additionally, anthelmintic drugs are prescribed: Praziquantel and Albendazole. The prognosis for damage to the central nervous system is unfavorable.

After entering the gastrointestinal tract, helminth eggs begin to actively develop and transform into a larva, which attaches to the walls of the epithelium using special suction cups. The larva can travel through the veins in the intestines with the bloodstream, ending up in the brain. If worms enter the respiratory system, they also move through the respiratory tract to the brain.

Sometimes worm eggs can enter the brain when a person bathes in contaminated water through the ears. Helminths can be present in brain tissue asymptomatically for more than twenty years.

When the helminth dies, its body remains in the human body, provoking intoxication with decay products, which provokes the appearance of a chronic inflammatory process or cerebral edema.

The disease can be detected in the early stages using x-rays and other diagnostic methods.

Cysticercosis

It is an infectious disease caused by pork tapeworm in its larval state. Helminthiasis has a toxic effect and reactive inflammation of brain tissue.

The pathological process is accompanied by cerebral edema, episodes of epileptic seizures, speech impairment, and neurotic disorders.

The disease can occur in a latent form for a long time without showing any symptoms.

Alveococcosis

The presence of a pathogenic agent in an organ provokes the development of an inflammatory process, which subsequently leads to pathologies such as meningitis, encephalitis, meningoencephalitis.

Echinococci (bovine tapeworm), which are tapeworms that form an echinococcal vesicle in one of the hemispheres of the brain, which over time forms secondary and then grandchild vesicles.

Note! Echinococci in the brain provoke the development of a cyst with several cavities containing fluid. As it grows, it bursts, and cystic fluid flows out of the person’s eye sockets or nasal sinuses.

Note! In modern times, there are two types of helminths that often affect the human brain. These include echinococci and cysticerci.

Routes of infection by helminths

The symptoms of cysticercosis should alert anyone who cares about their own health and a full life:

sudden changes in mood, aggressiveness and irritability, which is not typical for the patient;
migraines that cannot be relieved even by strong analgesics and painkillers;
constant vomiting;
pain in the eye area and frequent dizziness;
seizures similar to epilepsy;
confusion and hallucinations.

General symptoms of the disease:

malaise;
pain in the liver area;
sudden weight loss;
allergic reactions.

Signs of a disease that first develops in the gastrointestinal tract or liver should prompt a person to visit a doctor. Helminthiasis of this type rarely ends with infection of the brain, the symptoms of which the patient feels from the first days of the development of the disease. Echinococcosis of the brain is diagnosed along with an examination of the whole body, where characteristic hydatid cysts are found in the internal organs.

A heartworm infection can be determined by a blood test, which will show the antibodies produced by the immune system in response to the infection. Positive laboratory results indicate a common cause, but finding the exact location of the worms is not the easiest task even for an experienced specialist.

Brain diseases caused by worms

Helminths in the brain are a relatively rare phenomenon; most often, bladder worms - cysticercus and echinococcus - can exist in it, less often roundworms.

Manifestation of cysticercosis of the brain

A patient with cysticercosis often falls into extreme states: from depression to severe agitation with inappropriate reactions. In severe cases, mental degradation occurs.

In addition to the symptoms characteristic of brain tumors, epileptic seizures often appear (sometimes as the only symptom). The seizure can result in death. In very rare cases, this disease is asymptomatic.

The symptoms of cysticercosis in many cases are similar to cancer. The difference is the periods of regression, accompanied by a long period of maintaining the patient’s subfebrile body temperature.

Symptoms of cerebral echinococcosis

The symptoms of the disease are very similar to the clinical picture of tumor diseases described above. In addition, they are accompanied by epileptic seizures of cortical origin; paresis may subsequently develop in the limbs in which convulsions were observed during seizures. When echinococcosis of the brain is characterized by mental disorders:

depression,
rave,
dementia.

Ascariasis and its symptoms

Ascariasis can manifest itself with both inflammatory and tumor symptoms, causing a variety of damage to the body - from dropsy of the brain to stroke.

Symptoms and signs of cysticercosis

The symptoms of the disease depend on the location of the cysticercus. The helminth can be located in the cerebral hemispheres, ventricles, and the base of the brain. The first signs of the disease appear in the form of increased intracranial pressure, pain, and dizziness.

Often the patient's head must be in a certain position to reduce pain. Movement and mental disorders, as well as paresis, often occur.

Severe pain accompanied by vomiting;
Changes in body temperature;
Development of meningitis or epilepsy;
Retardation developing into mental degradation;
Violation of the central nervous system;
Mental disorders expressed in inadequate neurotic reactions.

Note! It is important to correctly diagnose the disease, since its symptoms are similar to those observed in malignant brain tumors.

What is cysticercosis and how cysticerci develop

As practice has shown, in approximately 6 out of 10 cases, the larvae settle in the brain, and not other organs; here they can exist for up to three decades, causing problems for a sick person.

The structure of cysticerci and their effect on the body

In addition to death and inflammation, cysticerci also negatively affect the nervous system. During their life, they release toxins that affect the brain tissue and membrane. Often, in the absence of treatment, the patient develops swelling, disruption of brain function, and as a result a number of diseases.

If the vesicles with cysticerci are small, then in general the symptoms of the disease are much easier, usually they are noted in speech impairment, and sometimes the sensitivity of organs is impaired. But with larger sizes, they have a more serious impact on the human body. In this case, epileptic seizures often occur, which indicates damage to a significant part of the brain.

Diagnosis of cysticercosis

Treatment takes place on an outpatient basis under the supervision of a physician. As a rule, to treat cysticercosis, the patient is administered Praziquantel for two weeks, during which time after the injections seizures may intensify due to the death of larvae in the brain and additional intoxication. Additionally, it is recommended to take Albendazole for 1 month.
To alleviate the patient’s condition, doctors prescribe various anti-inflammatory and anticonvulsant drugs. In rare cases, surgery may be required.

Making a diagnosis is difficult. To determine the causes of the pathology, X-rays of the brain and muscles of the upper and lower extremities are used, which shows the presence of compactions with distinct contours.

Also used as diagnostic methods are cerebral angiography, encephalography, RNGA tests, NRIF, as well as PCK and ELISA studies.

Puncture of the cerebrospinal fluid indicates the presence of an inflammatory process due to the high content of protein and leukocytes, as well as eosinophils.

https://youtu.be/waIR-s-mWUk

There are several types of cysts:

https://youtu.be/cB0LHvfQUyY

The disease can last a long period of time; cysts grow slowly, increasing in volume by more than one centimeter annually.

Symptoms of the lesion

Symptoms and signs of the disease

aIn 99% of cases, a person goes to a medical facility after the tumor grows to gigantic proportions.

According to the signs of development, echinococcosis is similar to a malignant tumor. A person experiences severe pain, accompanied by vomiting, spasms, epileptic seizures often appear, and visual and speech disturbances occur.

Pain also occurs when moving the eyeballs. With untimely treatment, impaired coordination of movements, inability to perform simple movements of the upper limbs, paralysis, mental disorders, and convulsions develop. The disease can occur with long periods of remission.

All these symptoms can increase over time due to the development and growth of the cyst.

Note! A dangerous phenomenon with echinococcosis is damage to the bones of the skull with their further depletion, which can lead to complications in the form of fractures with minor head injuries.

Laboratory diagnostic methods are ineffective in this case; eosinophilia is detected in the blood only in a third of patients. In some cases, doctors use skin allergy tests and ELISA.

When a dead helminth is detected, an area of changes in brain tissue is detected. In frequent cases, chemiluminescence of cerebrospinal fluid is used.

An accurate diagnosis is also made if the following factors are present:

Prolonged epileptic seizures;
Presence of meningitis;
Brain damage that develops slowly;
Data from diagnostic studies.

Note! Identifying echinococcosis is very problematic; in frequent cases, the disease is confused with a brain tumor. This diagnosis is refuted during the operation or after the autopsy.

Diagnostics

The results obtained are assessed collectively. They are compared with the symptoms and course of the disease.

Treatment of brain lesions with helminths

If surgery is not possible for some reason, doctors use palliative treatment. Usually after treatment there are no relapses.

If the disease does not cause damage to the central nervous system and the appearance of other symptoms, the operation is not performed, and the patient is constantly monitored.

Note! For multilocular echinococcus or cysticercosis, surgical intervention is also not performed; the prognosis in this case will be unfavorable.

The patient is prescribed glucocorticoids, Praziquantel, which help reduce the inflammatory process and eliminate tissue swelling.

After treatment, the person remains under medical supervision for some time. For four years, the patient must undergo immunological blood tests.

What is the danger

When the bubble reaches the edge of the brain, its contents spill out through the eye socket, nose, ears, and mouth. This indicates irreversible damage to the central nervous system. As a result, a person's death occurs.

Consequences and complications

The presence of helminths in the brain often leads to irreversible changes in the organ, which can lead to death. Diseases often cause the development of the following complications:

The most dangerous complication is the rupture of a cyst or bladder, which often leads to death. Therefore, it is so important to identify the disease at an early stage of its development, as well as undergo a course of therapy.

Treatment of the disease

Popular article: Necatoriasis - characteristics of the disease, symptoms and treatment methods

Cysticercosis is treated with potent drugs:

"Praziquantel";

Along with anthelmintic drugs, drugs are prescribed that reduce inflammation and relieve symptoms (convulsions and attacks). In case of advanced helminthiasis, when drug treatment does not bring relief to the patient, a decision is made on surgical intervention.

Prognosis and prevention

In most cases, the prognosis of the disease is favorable. If the central nervous system is affected and surgical intervention is impossible, the prognosis for the person will be negative.

Note! It is important to properly heat treat foods; you should not try unwashed food at bazaars.

If you suspect the presence of worms in the body, you need to undergo an examination and a course of therapy to eliminate the risk of them getting into the brain. Otherwise, the risk of developing complications with a fatal outcome increases.

What is echinococcosis and how can you become infected with echinococci?

Infection often occurs after the owner of a dog or cat has stroked the animal, or perhaps offered the pet something tasty from the table, or even worse, from their dishes. As a result, this leads to a complex disease, and if timely treatment is not carried out, serious consequences, including death, are possible. Most often, children or people who do not take care of personal hygiene suffer from echinococcosis.

Symptoms of infection with echinococci

Treatment of echinococcosis in a medical setting

Two types of helminths - cysticercus and echinococcus - most often cause brain damage in our country. There are other subspecies that can infect this vital organ, but they are mainly found in exotic countries, and such infection is extremely rare in our country.

Cysticerci and echinococci

Treatment

Treatment of neurocysticercosis is carried out with medication and surgery. It must be individual and selected based on the location and number of cysticerci, as well as the characteristics of the host’s immune response.

Symptoms may worsen after using these medications. Therefore, anti-inflammatory drugs and, if necessary, hormonal drugs are added to the treatment. Anti-edematous therapy is carried out. If necessary, antiemetics and painkillers are prescribed.

If there are single cysts, as well as if cysticerci are located in the IV ventricle, or in relatively easily accessible areas of the cerebral cortex, then surgical intervention is performed to remove them. This intervention can sometimes lead to recovery. With numerous cysts, such removal is impossible, and the prognosis for life is very unfavorable.

But more often it is not possible to remove all cysticerci. Some may go completely unnoticed. Therefore, surgical treatment is supplemented with medicinal anthelmintic drugs.

Chemotherapy was previously used to treat inoperable patients, but its indications have now been expanded.

Symptoms

Headache

It is especially important to pay attention to such manifestations in patients who have helminthic infestations. Since almost any worm is capable of migrating throughout the host’s body, it can also penetrate the brain, so such symptoms should be alarming.

Dirofilariasis

The symptoms of this helminthiasis characterize a strong allergic reaction to helminth secretions:

Nausea, urge to vomit.
Weakness.
Increased body temperature.
Pain at the location of a large number of worms, which radiates along the nerves.

A characteristic symptom is the feeling of a worm moving under the skin or in the eyeballs (about 50% of infections).

In addition to the diseases described, the human brain can be affected by Toxocara larvae, causing toxocariasis, as well as:

Amoebas (Nigeria fowler), causing amoebiasis, symptoms similar to meningoencephalitis.
Toxoplasma, which causes a serious disease called toxoplasmosis, the symptoms of which include a radical change in human behavior.

Carrying out diagnostics

Tired of dizziness and headaches, a person goes to the doctor. A good specialist does not just examine the patient and interview him, but usually recommends additional examinations before prescribing medications:

take a blood and urine test;
take an X-ray of the head;
undergo magnetic resonance imaging;
undergo a computed tomography scan.

Most often, helminths are detected during magnetic resonance imaging - as cystic neoplasms. This is exactly the option when a simple accident can sometimes save a person’s life.

It is important: You should definitely take an analysis to determine the level of eosinophils. It is this analysis that helps establish that there are helminth larvae in the brain cavity.

The best option, if you suspect the development of helminthic invasion in the brain, is to take an enzyme-linked immunosorbent blood test, an eosinophil test, and undergo magnetic resonance imaging. To clarify the diagnosis, a study of the level of eosinophates in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid is carried out (a sample of cerebrospinal fluid can be taken from the spinal cord).

Worms in a person’s head - symptoms (signs) and treatment

What types of worms live in the brain?

The illness lasts throughout the ear, where it is possible that there is a strong Amoeba Naegleria fowleri. This is either the organ of vision, pressure and depression

What are the symptoms of worms in the brain?

Frequent nervousness, lack of paralysis; two of your vital functions. That is why it is necessary to destroy it. Often the membranes that serve as a protective patient experience severe necator; in the human brain, in the form of cephalic Echinococcus - Finns microscopic appetite, sleep disturbances, epilepsy; a variety of worm, it is necessary to observe all measures

Such infection leads to a screen of nervous tissue. visual impairment. not to the death of the patient. This leads to Headache symptoms caused by:

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Cysticercosis: symptoms in humans, treatment, prevention

Life cycle of helminth

Routes of infection

We often have picnics in nature and cook barbecue. There are few opportunities to maintain hygiene. Many of us love half-cooked steaks and chops. All this is good, you just need to remember that the easiest way to catch cysticercosis, the symptoms of which are difficult to distinguish from ordinary irritation and fatigue, is:

Dirty hands.
Poorly cooked pork, hare, wild boar meat.
Unwashed vegetables, herbs (sorrel, dill, parsley).
Water from reservoirs.

That is, in order not to get sick with a deadly infection, you just need to follow the basic rules. In addition to personal hygiene, it is advisable to inspect the meat before cooking. Worm larvae can be seen with the naked eye. It’s even better to buy meat only with the seal of the sanitary and epidemiological inspection services.

Eggs get onto vegetables and herbs when fertilizing gardens and fields with manure taken from infected animals.

Brain damage

The most dangerous type of disease is cysticercosis of the brain. Symptoms in the first stages are:

mild paresis (weak muscles, sluggish movements);
minor difficulties with speech;
depression;
hallucinations;
mental seizures alternating with enlightenment;
rave;
forgetting current events (memory of past events is retained).

Subsequently there are:

cerebral edema;
severe headaches;
vomit;
epileptic seizures (changed by calm intervals).

If cysticerci settle in the ventricles of the brain, the following symptoms are added:

headaches to the point of loss of consciousness;
breathing problems;
disruptions in the functioning of the heart.

Cysticercosis of the spinal cord

pain in the legs, arms, back;
girdle pain in the abdomen and chest;
movement dysfunctions;
in severe cases, paralysis.

This all happens because the larvae cause adhesions on the roots and membranes, as well as the formation of cysts. Compression of the spinal cord cannot be ruled out.

Diagnosis is carried out using a serological reaction, MRI, and myelography.

There is no specific treatment.

Worm in the eyes

A very unpleasant disease is cysticercosis of the eye, the symptoms of which are:

inflammation of the eye tissues (retinitis, uveitis);
dystrophic changes in them;
conjunctivitis;
deterioration of vision up to its complete loss.

When the larva enters a person's eye, it lives and develops in the retina, eyeball and vitreous body. Periods of vision deterioration are followed by remission, the duration of which decreases from time to time. Diagnostics is carried out using:

ophthalmoscopy;
biopsies;
RSC blood;
RSC of cerebrospinal fluid;
specific blood test.

Treatment, if possible, is surgical, if not possible, with Praziquantel.

Affected skin

It has already been noted above what causes cysticercosis. Symptoms and treatment for each organ affected are different. Cysticercosis of the skin, for example, can be called the most successful variant of the disease. It’s a pity, it occurs in only 6% of pork tapeworm infections. In this case, the worm larvae are located in the fatty layer under the skin. In those places small tubercles appear, hollow to the touch. But they are not empty, but filled with liquid, in which the cysticercus floats. Most often, such tubercles occur on the palms, the inner surface of the shoulders, in the muscles, and in the chest area. The larva grows from two to ten centimeters in length. There may be no symptoms. In some cases, urticaria appears. Treatment is surgical.

Pulmonary cysticercosis. Symptoms, signs, treatment

cough (sometimes with sputum or streaks of blood);
shortness of breath after exercise;
low temperature;
moderate pain in the chest.

Diagnosis includes x-rays, stool analysis for helminths, and a specific blood test for the presence of eosinophils.

Treatment is very rare and for isolated lesions it is performed surgically. In most cases, a course of taking Mebendazole or Parasiquantel is prescribed.

Cysticercosis during pregnancy

In other organs, such as the heart and kidneys, it is extremely rare that cysticercosis, or pork tapeworm, can also appear. Symptoms and treatment depend on the location. Thus, when the heart is damaged, the patient experiences disturbances in heart rhythms. A small number of people affected may develop heart failure.

Prevention

To prevent illness, it is necessary to follow preventive measures:

wash your hands before eating;
do not eat raw meat or fish;
carry out preventive treatment of pets.

Anyone who notices unpleasant symptoms of helminthic infestation should urgently consult a doctor and begin treatment. If preventive measures do not help, it is better to treat the disease at an early stage, without allowing significant effects on the brain.

The symptoms of amoeba infection are quite severe: fever, convulsions, hallucinations. Toxoplasmosis in adults occurs with virtually no symptoms.

Entering through the skin, intestinal eel spreads throughout the body, causing strongyloidiasis. If the disease is advanced, it can affect the central nervous system. Against the background of pathology, the following manifestations are possible:

nausea;
vomit;
convulsions;
loss of consciousness and reason.

Neurocysticercosis can progress asymptomatically. However, a deterioration in a person’s mental state is possible: from simple sadness to severe depression with hallucinations. Cysticercosis is similar in symptoms to cancer and leads to epilepsy.

The causative agents of echinococcosis form formations in the brain in the form of bubbles with liquid. The patient experiences fever, severe headache, possible epileptic seizures and the development of paralysis. When the cyst grows to a significant size, its edges cut into the walls of the brain. The formation bursts, which is accompanied by the release of fluid through the eye sockets and nose.

Crazy about kote? Toxoplasma loves them as much as you do

Pork tapeworm

Echinococcal tapeworm

Ascaris

This type of worm prefers to be in the intestines, but is capable of infecting the soft tissue of other organs, including the brain. It can get there through blood. Being in the brain, roundworms create a lot of problems for the patient, and diagnosing this pathology is difficult due to contradictory symptoms.

Amoebas

Toxoplasma

Gift from the fish

Article on the topic

Killers in the liver

Infection is characterized by an incubation period, which is different for each worm:

Pork tapeworm makes itself felt after 5-7 years.
Echinococcus develops slowly. After about six months to a year, the worm forms an echinococcal vesicle with a diameter of only 1 cm in the human head. It grows by several centimeters every year.
Alveococcus forms cysts from small blisters and spreads throughout the body like a cancerous tumor. This lasts for a long time - 5-15 years.
Ascaris grows and develops quickly, so the patient will feel its penetration into the brain within a few months.

A separate group consists of heartworms (nematodes), the eggs of which are carried by mosquitoes. They are localized exclusively under the skin, for example, on the head.

For worms, a person can be either an intermediate host (or one of them) or a definitive host.

For example, pork tapeworm and roundworm use the human body as a reservoir for development and reproduction. Echinococcus and alveococcus are inside us only in the larval stage - the fins or bladder, inside which there is a scolex (the head of a worm with hooks and suckers). Humans are not suitable for these worms to develop into a full-fledged individual.

But there is no difference to pork tapeworm. Under the right circumstances, he can use the human body as a place for the development of larvae (a dead-end path, since further development of the tapeworm into an adult is impossible in this case).

Pork tapeworm

Petting the dog and not washing your hands.
After playing with the rabbit and not washing your hands.
By eating poorly cooked contaminated pork or rabbit meat.

Echinococcus and alveococcus

Echinococcus provokes the disease echinococcosis, alveococcus - alveococcosis. Both occur without symptoms for a long time and can be detected during a routine examination or an MRI.

Ascaris

Its typical habitat is the human intestine. Here, adult worms reproduce, producing hundreds of eggs in cycles. The life cycle of roundworms is associated with migration through the systemic bloodstream to various organs - the heart, lungs, liver and bile ducts. The worm can enter the brain in three ways:

From the inferior vena cava through the superior vena cava to the brachiocephalic and then to the brain.
Through the pharyngeal openings of the auditory tubes, the middle and inner ear, then through the pyramids of the temporal bones directly into the brain.
Through the nasopharynx and paranasal sinuses, then through the perforated plate of the brain.

Such worms in the brain are not very common. They are usually discovered during operations for completely different pathologies.

Heartworm

The movement of these worms occurs inside the epidermis, and they are localized not only on the head. When the worm does not move, a painful swelling forms under the skin. If you scratch it or open it, you can remove a live worm from there.

Neurocysticercosis

Finns of the pork tapeworm are usually localized on the surface of the cerebral cortex, they also like the soft meninges, the base of the brain and the ventricles - here they are in free swimming. Due to cysticerci, constant irritation of the nerve endings of the brain occurs, tissue compression occurs, and the circulation of the cerebrospinal fluid (cerebrospinal fluid) is disrupted.

There are single (cystic) and cluster-shaped (racemotic) neurocysticercosis. The cystic type of the disease usually develops in the parenchyma or subarachnoid space, closer to the base of the brain, and occurs in the ventricular cavity, but this is a rather rare occurrence. Racemotic neurocysticercosis forms in the subarachnoid space at the base of the skull.

The symptoms are different in each case.

Subarachnoid form

The patient is worried about headache, photophobia, nausea, and tension in the neck muscles. Vomiting often occurs, intracranial pressure increases, the eyes begin to hurt, and vision deteriorates. All of these symptoms are characteristic of meningoenfetsalitis.

Intraventricular neurocysticercosis

It is also characterized by increased intracranial pressure. This is the main symptom of this form of neurocysticercosis. There is seizure-like behavior and a sharp deterioration in the condition.

No less characteristic is Bruns syndrome, which includes the following set of symptoms:

Severe dizziness to the point of falling and loss of consciousness.
Vomiting, pale skin, sweating.
Slowing heart rate.
Sharp headache.

Breathing problems often occur. Sick people are forced to keep their neck in one position so as not to provoke a worsening of the condition.

Parenchymal and spinal neurocysticercosis

In the parenchymal form of the disease, all the signs of epilepsy, tremor, paresis, impaired speech and coordination of movements, as well as other symptoms of impaired brain activity are observed.

Spinal cysticercosis occurs in 1 case out of 100. Most often, the cervical and thoracic spine are affected, causing paresis of the limbs, dysfunction of urination and defecation, and girdle pain.

Ocular cysticercosis and asymptomatic form

The development of Finnish pork tapeworm in the eyeballs causes quite specific symptoms in the form of a sensation of a foreign body, displacement of the eyeball relative to its axis, and chronic conjunctivitis.

The asymptomatic form of neurocysticercosis accounts for almost 25% of the total number of patients. Identified during examination of other pathologies.

Treatment methods

In the case of a brain worm (cysticerci), surgery will be required. The danger is not the worm itself, but its remains, which are the cause of neurocysticercosis.

If echinococcosis is detected, immediate surgery is performed to remove the cyst.

It is not advisable to resort to traditional medicine.

A human brain infected with a pork tapeworm.

It is impossible to remove such a worm from the skin in one attempt, as it breaks easily. The remaining portion of the worm in the body dies and causes a fatal infection. In biblical times, it was necessary to pull the worm out of the body for a week by wrapping it around a rod so that the worm remained alive. It is possible that this very process is immortalized in the form of the world famous medical symbol, the caduceus: it depicts a rod entwined with two snakes.

Both protozoa and helminths can influence human consciousness and behavior. But the forms of this influence vary. When infected with pork tapeworm larvae, the symptoms are clear and obvious: from hallucinations to epileptic seizures. Whereas Toxoplasma infection has not yet been fully studied by science and affects human behavior in a hidden form. Theoretically, one seventh of the world's population is infected with toxoplasmosis, and the influence of toxoplasma can explain the rise to power of dictators, religious cults and world wars.

They eat your brain

Protozoa are single-celled organisms, some of which can be dangerous to humans. They can cause amoebiasis, malaria, sleeping sickness and toxoplasmosis.

Of the causative agents of amoebiasis, the most widely known is Fowler's naegleria, which the American media and medical TV series have nicknamed the “brain-eating amoeba.” Naeglerias live in fresh bodies of warm water - ponds, lakes, rivers, hot springs or in pools with non-chlorinated water.

The life cycle of the organism includes three stages: cyst, amoeba and flagellate. A cyst is a protective vesicle in the form of which Naegleria exists in unfavorable conditions. Cysts do not form in the human body. The amebic stage is the most dangerous to health. Under a microscope, an amoeba looks exactly as you imagine it: a shapeless, sluggishly moving blob, producing pseudopodia legs. The flagellated form (a blob with a wriggling tail) exists mainly in bodies of water, but it can also survive in human cerebrospinal fluid.

The first case of human infection with Fowler's naegleria was described in Australia in 1965, and it involved flagellated naegleria. In the United States, 121 people died from infection with naegleria from 1937 to 2007. In total, 300 cases of infection were recorded in the world in 2008, of which 97% were fatal.

Damage by Naegleria to the human brain and central nervous system is called amoebic meningoencephalitis. Infection occurs through the nose, then Naegleria travels along the olfactory nerve to the olfactory bulbs and to the cortical olfactory center of the brain. There, Naegleria begins to devour brain cells and multiply. In place of the consumed cells, dead tissue is formed, causing inflammation of the brain. All the symptoms of encephalitis are observed: severe headache, weakness, nausea and vomiting. Within 14 days the person falls into a coma and dies.

The first antiamoebic drug was an alkaloid from the South American plant ipecac. Nowadays it is rarely used due to its severe toxicity. In modern conditions, treatment is carried out in a hospital using amoebicidal drugs, symptomatic and pathogenetic agents. Specifically, emetine hydrochloride is used, which causes nuclear degeneration and reticulation of the cytoplasm of amoebas.

Prevention of amoebic dysentery consists of proper water supply and personal hygiene measures. You need to drink only boiled water, disinfect toilets, and protect food from contamination by amoeba cysts. Cyst carriers should not be allowed to work in the water supply system, food processing plants, public catering chains or serving children.

These are worms

Infection with pork tapeworm larvae is known as cysticercosis. A large number of larvae have a toxic effect on the nervous system and cause reactive inflammation of the surrounding brain tissue and membranes. Cysticercosis is accompanied by cerebral edema, its symptoms are speech disorders, epileptic seizures, depression, hallucinations and Korsakoff's syndrome.

The main method of treating cysticercosis of the eye and single larvae of the brain is surgery. In inoperable cases, praziquantel is used, an antihelminthic drug that increases the permeability of the membranes of helminth cells and causes their paralysis and death. The drug also causes damage to the worm's protective coating, making it vulnerable to digestive enzymes and the human immune system.

Cysticercosis develops as a result of pork tapeworm eggs entering the stomach with contaminated foods, through dirty hands, and when mature segments are thrown from the intestines into the stomach during vomiting. For prevention, it is enough to wash your hands and vegetables before eating.

For bedtime

Trypanosome is another simple unicellular organism, the habitat of which is mammals (including humans). The name comes from the Greek word trypanon (“drill”). Under a microscope, trypanosomes look like narrow silvery ribbons. When moving, they rotate like a drill or auger. Trypanosomes enter the bloodstream through the bite of a tsetse fly. Once in the human blood, trypanosomes begin to steal oxygen and multiply, remaining out of sight of our immune system. They flood the internal organs and make their way into the brain, causing sleeping sickness.

First, the patient experiences attacks of fatigue, followed by manic hyperactivity, then the sleep-wake cycle is disrupted (which is why the disease got its name). Without treatment, the disease lasts about five years and ends in coma and death.

Sleeping sickness threatened people everywhere where the tsetse fly lives: throughout the African continent south of the Sahara. To this day, about 12 million square kilometers of Africa are closed to livestock due to sleeping sickness, and where livestock are still raised, 3 million animals die from sleeping sickness every year. During the sleeping sickness epidemic of 1896-1906. Uganda's population decreased from 6.5 to 2.5 million people.

But it was not possible to completely defeat trypanosome - wars and the disastrous economic situation of African countries took care of this. Sleeping sickness kills up to 300 thousand people a year. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, it kills more people than AIDS. In the early stages of the disease, only ten days of pentamidine injections into the buttock are needed - but frequent military conflicts force qualified European doctors to leave parts of the continent (for example, Sudan) where preventing sleeping sickness is most important.

Prevention of sleeping sickness is based on three principles. Firstly, you need to avoid visiting sites of illness unless absolutely necessary. Secondly, you need to do everything possible to protect yourself from tsetse fly bites (wear light-colored clothes with long sleeves, use repellent). Thirdly, to prevent the disease, you need to give an intramuscular injection of pentamidine every six months.

Puppeteers

Toxoplasma is a eukaryotic organism found in the brains of more than a billion people. According to the results of a study conducted in 1999, 33.1% of US residents over 12 years of age were found to have Toxoplasma-specific antibodies.

It is more difficult for Toxoplasma to successfully complete its life cycle in the human body than in the mouse body. But some facts suggest that Toxoplasma is capable of manipulating humans. People infected with Toxoplasma exhibit slower reactions, increased neuroticism and a tendency to take risky actions - a complete set of factors necessary for you to be eaten by some large predator. Other studies have linked Toxoplasma infections to symptoms of schizophrenia and paranoia. And who will undertake to say that among the infected billion people, under the influence of toxoplasma, the instinct of self-preservation does not decrease and the tendency to rash, risky actions does not increase? How many human disasters can be explained by Toxoplasma infection?

Most cases of toxoplasmosis go undiagnosed and untreated. But the most serious complications lead to damage to the central nervous system, eyes, skeletal muscles and heart. Then antimalarial drugs are used to combat toxoplasma - for example, metakelfin. In general, it is intended to combat another type of protozoa (plasmodia that causes maleria), but it also helps against toxoplasma. Taken internally, once a day, two to three tablets. Metakelfin contains the drug pyrimethamine, which inhibits the conversion of dihydrofolic acid to tetrahydrofolic acid. This has a double blocking effect on the metabolism of Toxoplasma, which leads to their death.

Human infection with Toxoplasma occurs when consuming meat products and eggs that have not undergone sufficient heat treatment. In addition, infection is possible when Toxoplasma gets on mucous membranes and damaged skin and intrauterine infection. Therefore, for prevention, you need to wash your hands after cleaning the cat litter, fight toxoplasmosis in pets, follow general sanitary rules when caring for pets and handling food, and pregnant women should undergo a thorough examination for toxoplasmosis.

All people are susceptible to infection, regardless of whether they are old or young, male or female. But the main thing is that these dangerous microorganisms are identified as early as possible, at the initial stage of infection.

Entry into the brain and infection with dangerous helminths

The main sources of worms entering the human body are: dirty fruits and vegetables, poorly processed meat, water from the tap or from unknown sources, contact with animals; work related to land. If the eggs of these microorganisms penetrate the intestines, they transform into larvae. With the help of so-called suckers, they attach to the mucous membrane of the organ, thus developing and feeding. This is why unpleasant changes and sensations occur in the stomach. As for the brain, it is necessary to note some routes of entry:

What diseases occur in a person’s head during infection with dangerous microorganisms, how to identify them and get rid of them?

Symptoms and diseases of the brain during helminth infection

What is cysticercosis and echinococcosis?

The most common worms living in the human brain are cysticercus and echinococcus. They are the most dangerous for people and their lives.

grape-shaped;
cystic.

Cluster cysticercosis

Vesicles that look like clusters (cysticerci) form in the brain. They are filled with liquid. These so-called “clusters” grow quickly and can reach 12 cm. Blisters (cysticerci) accumulate at the base of the skull.

Cystic cysticercosis

Symptoms of cysticercosis

irritability towards others;
severe headaches;
increased body temperature;
high intracranial pressure;
mental disorders;
disruption of the nervous system;
depression;
hallucinations;
lethargy, which over time turns into mental degradation.

Symptoms of echinococcosis:

increased pain in the head, leading to vomiting;
when neglected, paralysis occurs;
epilepsy;
weakness;
the state of the nervous system is deteriorated;
lethargy;
depression.

Treatment and prevention of cysticercosis and echinococcosis

Cysticercosis can only be treated in a hospital setting under the strict supervision of medical personnel. During the treatment of people with cysticercosis, Praziquantel is administered. The drug is taken for 14 days. During the course of treatment, a seizure state may clearly appear. It is observed because the larvae in the brain tissue die. Additionally, a drug called Albendazole is taken for 30 days. Surgery is often used. If the cystic form of cysticercosis can be cured, then the grape-shaped type of pathology can be fatal. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out an operation.

As for treatment for echinococcosis of the brain, it occurs only in a radical way, requiring surgical intervention. If intracranial pressure is low, then Praziquantel is prescribed. Otherwise, the operation is performed without preliminary preparation, only according to indications after the disease has been identified. If the surgical intervention was carried out on time and safely, then the patient is completely free from echinococcosis. And most importantly: recurrent disease is excluded.

As an additional preventative measure, you should take anthelmintic medications twice a year, after consulting with your doctor.

The cause of the disease is T. Solium(). People become infected by eating improperly cooked pork. Lack of hygiene is also risky.

If a person swallows an egg, the stomach and duodenum release larvae, which enter the bloodstream through the intestinal wall and spread throughout the body. In the place where the larva attaches (for example, in the muscles or in the human brain), it turns into a cysticercus, which matures within 2-3 months and lives for several years.

Diagnostics

Treatment

In the case of ophthalmic cysticercosis, surgical removal of the cysticerci can be used.

Manifestations

Symptoms of the disease vary depending on the location of cysticerci in the body. Neurocysticercosis, in which cysticerci are found in the human brain and spinal cord, has the following symptoms:

epileptic seizures;
intracranial hypertension (increased intracranial pressure);
mental disorders.

Brain toxoplasmosis – neurotoxoplasmosis

Treatment

Toxoplasmosis in immunocompetent (with an intact immune system) and non-pregnant women does not require specific treatment. As an alternative, symptomatic therapy is chosen (relief of individual symptoms - such as pain, fever, etc.). In certain cases, drugs of the antiprotozoal group are administered - in particular, Pyrimethamine, possibly in combination with Sulfadiazine (a group of sulfonamide chemotherapy drugs). In rare cases, a decision is made to surgically remove the localization or abscess.

Manifestations

Symptoms of cerebral toxoplasmosis are quite varied and include the following types:

epileptic seizures;
intracranial hypertension;
headache;
vomiting/nausea;
anxiety;
apathy or irritability;
disturbance of consciousness;
focal neurological symptoms (impaired speech, walking, sensations, feelings);
cranial nerve palsy;
hemiparesis (paralysis of a limb on one side);
mental disorders;
mental changes (slow reaction, changes in behavior, personality disorders);
visual impairment.

Some experts suggest a connection between the latent form of Toxoplasma and the effects of T. gondii on the human nervous system, for example:

changes in brain hormone production;
schizophrenia;
increased irritability and aggressiveness;
symptoms of cerebral allergy;
increased sexual activity while decreasing the social and emotional depth of relationships (superficial relationships);
increased selfishness and resentment;
decreased social intelligence (communication disorders, lack of social tact);
decreased sense of self-preservation;
phobias of subjectively or objectively dangerous places and situations;
increasing the likelihood of road accidents.

Elevated levels of testosterone, dopamine, inflammatory markers, and other brain responses to toxoplasmosis may also increase aggression in the affected person or trigger the development of schizophrenia if a predisposition is present.

However, other studies have not demonstrated an association with the risk of road traffic accidents, schizophrenia, violent and non-violent behavior change, suicide attempts, decreased reaction time and short-term memory, and others. The results of many subsequent studies were also largely negative.

Echinococcosis

(caused by E. granulosus);
alveolar echinococcosis (caused by E. multilocularis).

There are 2 less common forms - polycystic and cystic echinococcosis.

The disease has a relatively long incubation period. Signs depend on the location and size of the cysts. Alveolar disease usually begins in the liver, but can spread to other parts of the body, such as the lungs or brain.

Forecast

Manifestations

Signs of the disease are largely reminiscent of brain cancer and include the following symptoms:

dizziness;
cephalgia;
epileptic seizures;
intracranial pressure.

Diagnostics

Cysts are imaged using ultrasound or CT. An ELISA test can also be used to detect antibodies and antigens.

According to doctors, the mortality rate during infection is more than 98%.

Initially, the person suffers from fever, nausea, vomiting, stiff neck and headache. Death occurs within 5-7 days. The disease does not spread from person to person.