Fecal helminth testing is primarily indicated for carrier detection to prevent the spread of parasite infestation among people in contact. Passing such an analysis is mandatory for catering workers, as well as other professions that require a he alth book.
Who else can get a referral for a stool test?
Such a study is needed when children enter school and preschool educational institutions, when applying for a job, undergoing treatment in a sanatorium, visiting a swimming pool, hospitalization.
Among other things, a fecal helminth test may be prescribed as a diagnostic measure if intestinal helminthiasis is suspected. The reliability of the results of the study is largely determined by the correctness of the collection of biological material. Below we will consider all the details of passing such an analysis.
Purpose of the study
It is formally impossible to approach the delivery of fecal analysis for helminth eggs. The person to whom it was assigned mustrealize that it is important to determine the helminthic invasion, primarily for his own he alth. Parasites are seriously harmful to he alth, certain types of them can enter the heart, brain, liver and other organs.
If timely treatment is not carried out, then severe forms of helminthiasis can lead to the death of a person. In addition, being a carrier of parasites, the patient can infect all family members with them, unwittingly causing pathologies in the he alth of loved ones and relatives.
Not always laboratory tests of feces reveal the invasion of worms in an adult and a child, since a small amount of biological material submitted for research may not contain helminth eggs. Parasites do not always lay eggs, so they are unevenly distributed in feces.
In addition, incorrect collection, non-compliance with the rules of preparation and violation of storage may affect the results. That is why it is necessary to strictly follow the rules for the preparation, collection, storage of biomaterial, to realize the need to retake if parasites are absent in the analysis of feces for helminths.
Symptomatology when infected with worms
Definitely indicates the presence of worms such a symptom as stirring and itching in the anus, especially it is felt at night and in the evenings. This characterizes enterobiasis, that is, pinworm invasion. With invasion by other types of helminths, there will be no such characteristic and obvious clinical picture, the symptoms are not too pronounced, or it is characteristic of many others.diseases.
Warning
According to statistics, more than one billion people are infected with parasites. Sometimes you may not even notice that parasites have settled in the body.
You can easily establish the presence of worms in the body by one sign - bad breath. You need to ask your loved ones if there is a smell in the morning (before brushing your teeth). If yes, 99% chance of infection.
Infection causes fatigue, neurosis, sudden mood swings, then more significant illnesses begin.
Worms in adult men cause: bladder and kidney stones, sand, cystitis, adenoma, impotence and prostatitis.
In women: inflammation and pain of the ovaries. Myoma, fibroma, inflammation of the kidneys, bladder and adrenal glands, fibrocystic mastopathy appear. In addition, there may be cancerous and cardiac pathologies.
You need to immediately reassure that there is no need to run to the pharmacy and buy expensive drugs that, according to pharmacists, will get rid of parasites. Many drugs are generally ineffective, moreover, they can greatly harm the human body.
Suspicion of helminthiasis is possible if the following symptoms are present:
- intestinal disorders and flatulence;
- deterioration of appetite and even its complete absence;
- presence of mucus and blood in feces;
- frequent headaches and sleep disturbances;
- weight loss;
- constant feeling of low energy;
- weak immunity, which is expressed in susceptibility to permanentcolds;
- skin pallor;
- grinding teeth in sleep;
- skin problems.
If at least a few of the above symptoms appear, you need to be examined, including to determine the infestation with parasites.
Where can I have a stool test?
To determine the presence of worms in the human body, tests can be taken at a private or public clinic, or at a laboratory that offers such tests. In a private clinic, you can often get results much faster.
Preparing for analysis
To increase the degree of reliability of the result of the analysis of feces for helminths, you need to follow some rules before passing it.
There is no point in testing faeces for helminths in the following situations:
- when using antiparasitic drugs and immediately after treatment with them;
- after applying oil enemas;
- after X-ray examination using barium medicines.
In all these situations, the possibility of diagnosing helminth eggs is close to zero, and as a result, the results of the analysis will no longer be indicative.
In addition, the use of some strong drugs can reduce the effectiveness of research. If they are not essential for life, they should be stopped three days before the collection of biomaterial for analysis.
When a patient undergoes a course of treatment that is forbidden to be interrupted, for example, a course of antibiotics, taking an analysisit is better to postpone the biomaterial for helminths until completion, since under the changed conditions in the intestines, the reproduction of worms slows down, and their eggs can not be found.
When a patient undergoes antibiotic therapy, biomaterial analysis for worm eggs should be taken no earlier than three days after the completion of the course.
The composition of the food that a person consumed before collecting biological material also affects the results of fecal analysis for helminth eggs. If foods are consumed that promote excessive gas production and intestinal relaxation, masses of food quickly pass through the intestinal tract, and the likelihood of parasites in the feces of eggs is reduced. That is why a day or two before collecting biomaterial for helminth analysis, it is advisable to exclude from the diet foods that relax the intestines.
The set of such products is individual for each person, however, they generally include:
- sauerkraut and fresh cabbage;
- plums and apricots;
- melon and watermelon;
- fresh beets;
- legumes;
- prune;
- pumpkin, zucchini, cucumber;
- grapes;
- kefir;
- persimmon.
In addition, it is undesirable to eat foods that color feces in specific colors - for example, blueberries, beets, blackcurrants, cherries.
By adhering to such simple recommendations, you can significantly increase the possibility of determining helminthic invasion and start treatment on time.
How to collect feces for analysis?
Recommendations forbiomaterial collection
Subject to all the rules for preparing for the analysis of fecal masses for the presence of eggs of parasites listed above, it is allowed to take a sample of material for research. This point usually raises a lot of questions: how much feces is needed for helminth analysis, what are the recommendations for collecting it, is it allowed to store the material, and others. The answers to these questions will be discussed in detail.
Stool container
The laboratory will not accept feces for analysis in matchboxes and other cardboard packages; to collect biomaterial, you can take a small glass container with a tight lid or purchase a special plastic container for collecting feces from a pharmacy. The convenience of this container is that it has a spatula with which you can collect the material, and a tight-fitting lid that prevents odor from passing through.
Glass containers need to be sterilized, but those bought at a pharmacy are not necessary. The lid and jar can simply be cleaned with baking soda and rinsed well with hot clean water, there is no need to wash the container for collecting biomaterial.
When collecting in a home stool container, it is most convenient to do this with a disposable spoon. You can also use a few matches and a cotton swab. It is impossible to use twigs and wood chips brought from the street for this purpose, as they may contain worm eggs, which will distort the results of the study.
Should I wash my face?
When a person passes urine, he is recommended to wash himself to prevent microflora and secretions from the genitals from entering the biological material. When collecting feces for helminth research, it is not recommended to wash yourself.
Some types of helminths, such as pinworms, lay their eggs near the anus, in addition, the anus may contain parasite eggs from a previous bowel movement.
When passing masses of feces, they may be in the first portion of the material, thereby increasing the possibility of determining helminthic invasion.
It should be noted that if it is necessary to donate feces to the eggs of worms, it is recommended not to wash yourself before the collection, as mentioned above. It is better to do this after it is completed.
How to collect feces for analysis is interesting to many, but it's easy to do.
Rules for collecting biomaterial for research
You need to defecate in a dry, clean vessel or in a pot. It is not allowed to take feces from the water in the toilet. In addition, you need to make sure that urine does not get on the feces, empty the bladder should be in another place.
You need to take the material from several places of feces: from the initial portion, from the middle from the end, from the depth and from the surface. Not everyone knows how much feces are needed for an ovarian test. The test sample should be approximately the size of a walnut.
Immediately after taking the material, you need to tightly close the container so that the feces do not dry out and do not wind.
Ways to call defecation
Physiological processes are not always amenable to conscious control, to force the intestines to give out waste products immediately on demandwhen it is needed, it is not easy. The easiest way to collect feces for the study of eggs of worms is for those patients who are used to going to the toilet after waking up in the morning, since laboratories usually take all biomaterials for analysis in the morning.
To stimulate the intestines for emptying, it is undesirable to use anal suppositories, enemas, as this reduces the likelihood of obtaining the correct result of the study for helminths, which is already not very high.
You can have a natural bowel movement in the morning if you follow some guidelines:
- drink after waking up cool water;
- have breakfast in 15-20 minutes;
- if there is no desire to go to the toilet within twenty minutes after breakfast, you need to do a light massage of the abdomen, as well as exercises that enhance intestinal motility.
Self-massage of the abdomen is done in the supine position. It is necessary to relax the stomach, strokes should be made in a spiral near the navel, movements are directed clockwise. It is more convenient to do this if you clench your fingers into a fist.
After the massage, you need to do such exercises that stimulate the intestines to empty: relax and pull in the stomach, standing on all fours. Lying on your back, you need to pull your knees up to your chin, and then return to the starting position.
In the absence of the effect of all the measures listed above, the material for analysis will have to be collected in advance.
It is important to find out in advance how to take a stool test for worms.
Timingstorage of collected material
A sample of material for research on helminths should be stored in a tightly closed container, in a refrigerator, packed in a plastic bag, at a temperature of six to ten degrees. With such storage, it will not dry out, in the presence of worm eggs there will be no modifications, that is, they will be available for analysis. Storage period - no more than 8-12 hours.
Features of the study of feces in the laboratory
To determine the presence of worm eggs in the biomaterial, as well as their varieties, the following laboratory analysis methods are used:
- Defending. With this method, the material is mixed with water, then settled, the liquid fraction is drained. They do this several times. Enzymes and helminth eggs have a higher specific gravity, therefore they are always in the sediment. The sediment after repeated washing of feces is visible under a microscope, the parasites are clearly visible.
- Eluvation. This method is used to determine the particles of helminths. The sample submitted for analysis is brought to a semi-liquid state, placed in a Petri dish, light particles are removed with tweezers and examined under a microscope or magnifying glass. In this way, helminth particles can be identified and their type can be established.
- Thick smear. This method is more informative, it makes it possible to analyze a large amount of feces, unlike other methods. A pea-sized sample is placed on glass, then pressed against a transparent polymer plate soaked in a liquid that has an antireflective effect. An hour later the materialacquires the desired degree of transparency and is analyzed under a microscope. This method is the most progressive, its reliability is approximately 85%.
- Native smear. This research method is done under a microscope, you need a drop of emulsion made by diluting feces with water. Thanks to this, it is possible to determine the eggs of protozoan parasites and worms. But with a small amount in the biomaterial, they may simply not be in the analyzed feces, because of which the negative result will be false.
The implementation of the study of feces for helminths by any of the listed methods does not require much time, the result can be obtained within a day. Usually delays are due to the workload of the laboratories.
Deciphering the analysis of feces for helminth eggs is described below.
Transcript
Feces are examined only for the absence or presence of parasites that multiply in the gastrointestinal tract: flukes, tapeworms and roundworms. To determine other helminthiases, for example, echinococcosis, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay is used.
If fragments and eggs of worms are not found in the submitted material, then the result of the analysis will be negative in the transcript. But he doesn't say there's no parasite infestation.
It should be noted that even if all the recommendations for preparation for research and collection are followed, it may not be in the analyzed fragment of the material of helminthic invasion. That is why, to be convinced of a negative result, you need to pass a fecal analysis two more times withat intervals of two to four days.
If the result of the decoding is positive, the patient is prescribed treatment. In the feces, the simplest microorganisms, and not just helminths, can also be found: cyclosporidia, dysentery amoeba, giardia.
So, the article discussed how to properly pass a fecal analysis for helminths.
