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Tapeworm Rising allergy risk by eradicating worms
Around two million people worldwide have been attacked by worms. Some worm diseases lead to relatively harmless symptoms such as abdominal pain or diarrhea. Others, in turn, can rob people of their eyesight. In Germany, worm diseases have become rare. Physicians see this as a problem, because worms can also protect.
Two billion people are infected by worms
Around two billion people worldwide are attacked by worms, most of them in tropical areas. The various species can trigger or transmit numerous ailments and diseases. Depending on what type of tapeworm it is, headache, dizziness, chronic fatigue and, more rarely, more serious problems such as pancreatitis may be the cause. In Germany or Europe, worm diseases are rather rare. Physicians see this as a problem.
Those affected often do not realize that they have contracted a fish tapeworm. Only with heavy infestation do symptoms occur, such as Diarrhea up. (Image: Juan Gärtner / fotolia.com) Infected people may go blind
A worm infestation can also cause people to go blind. River blindness (onchocerciasis) is estimated to affect 20 to 40 million people worldwide. Especially in the tropical regions of Africa and America, the worm disease is widespread. It is transmitted by blood-sucking blackflies that carry roundworms of the Onchocerca volvulus type in their bodies. The symptoms of the disease are caused on the one hand by the microfilariae, but also by the reaction of the body's own defense system to the invasion of these parasites. Infected individuals may experience symptoms such as itchy rash, swollen lymph nodes, lumps under the skin, thickening of the skin, inflammation of the veins, and eye problems such as eye irritation or conjunctivitis. The eye can be damaged so much that it leads to blindness.
Great danger in poor tropical countries
Experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) rank worm diseases among the most dangerous "neglected diseases". However, that should change. Already at the G-7 meeting in the Bavarian castle Elmau was talked about worm diseases. In poor, tropical warm countries with a lack of medical care and living conditions that complicate the necessary hygiene, worms are a great danger. Especially if drugs against worm infections no longer work, this risk could spread again. About travelers, for example, in industrialized nations such as Germany. But it would be wrong to assume that the solution would be to eradicate worms.
Up to 20 meters long worms
In Germany, most worm diseases have been under control for a while. This results in another problem, because worm infections protect against allergies, as studies have shown and the elimination of such infections eliminates the protection. For millennia there is a symbiosis between man and worm. One of the researchers involved in this ambivalent connection is the biologist Heinz Mehlhorn. In Dusseldorf he explores the world of worms that can infest humans. Some worms are less than a millimeter in size, others around one centimeter, like the tapeworm that was operated on from a man's brain last year. And the fish tapeworm is considered the largest parasite that can affect humans, although it grows only in the body to its considerable length of up to 20 meters. "Worm is not the same worm," said Mehlhorn.
Life-threatening infections in Germany
Most worms develop only in the body of the person who receives eggs or larvae through the mouth. In some cases, larvae also penetrate the skin. The worms can affect the entire body. Also in this country it can - very rarely - come to life-threatening infections with the dog powder worm and the fox tapeworm. About 40 to 130 infections of notifiable diseases are reported annually at the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) in Berlin. Experts assume a slightly higher number of unreported cases. For example, the worms can enter the body via contaminated food or drinking water. Even toilets that are not clean are a problem. Even the smallest traces of faeces are enough to transfer the eggs or larvae.
Too much hygiene hurts
However, too much hygiene can be wrong. Even in countries such as Germany were formerly worm diseases to childhood. But the comprehensive prevention by perfect hygiene is now also viewed critically. Thus, according to the "hygiene hypothesis", the number of people suffering from allergies increases as cleanliness increases. As a result, children can use them to play in the dirt and thus have contact with bacteria and worms. Studies have shown that eradicating worms increases the risk of allergies. Researchers believe that contact with worms can have an immunological protective effect. (Ad)
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