Everyone has heard about the terrifying consequences of parasite infection. Many, not knowing whether they actually have worms or not, start taking anthelmintic medications supposedly for the purpose of prevention. However, the funds in this category are extremely toxic, so their use must have real reasons. In order to prevent complications that can be caused by helminthic infestations, it is necessary to undergo preventive diagnostics periodically. We will talk about what tests to take for worms in this article.
Varieties of research
Since many types of worms are capable of parasitizing in the human body, various laboratory and clinical methods are used to identify them. Each of the possible procedures is, to varying degrees, informative and reliable, but differs from other features of the process, preparation, method of obtaining results and their interpretation. For reasons that force you to take tests for worms (what research you need to do, you will learn later), there are several types of diagnostics.
The most common is preventive. Laboratory tests are carried out with the aim of timely confirmation of helminthiasis, regardless of the presence or absence of characteristic symptoms. Such studies are done on the personal initiative of the patient or in the event of hospitalization. The optimal frequency of preventive research is once a year. What are the most recommended worm tests?
Another type of diagnosis of helminthic invasions is a complex of barrier procedures. They are carried out in order to minimize the likelihood of spread of parasites among the population. Barrier diagnostics are mandatory for children who enter kindergarten and school. To undergo annual preventive examinations and design a medical book, it is necessary for workers in the food industry and catering establishments, medical workers to take tests for worms (no matter how great they feel).
Who is recommended to be diagnosed
According to the doctor’s prescription, this type of analysis can be indicated if any of the existing types of helminthiasis is suspected. When characteristic symptoms appear, the patient will be given direction and will be told what tests should be taken for worms. The following manifestations serve as a reason for undergoing laboratory and clinical diagnosis:
- nausea;
- frequent diarrhea;
- constipation
- itching and burning of the anus;
- rapid weight loss;
- poor appetite;
- fast fatiguability;
- dizziness.
In some cases, even with a negative result, it is necessary to repeat the study to be sure of its reliability. Periodically, antiparasitic diagnostics should be carried out for people who have pets, those who are engaged in agricultural labor, as well as veterinarians.
If you have a habit of drinking water from a tap, from wells that have not gone through all the necessary cleaning steps, as well as eating unwashed vegetables and fruits, it is advisable for you to take tests to detect worms. Which studies are suitable specifically for your case, the doctor will determine. At risk for helminth infections are lovers of sushi, raw, jerky and other thermally unprocessed delicacies. Think about the feasibility of undergoing tests and those people who have noticed a sudden loss of body weight.
Examination of feces on parasite eggs
What analysis is passed to determine worms in the first place? The answer is unlikely to surprise anyone - this is an analysis of feces. This research method involves microscopic examination of feces in order to identify worm larvae or fragments of sexually mature helminths. Analysis of feces allows you to detect the presence of various types of parasites in the body, but it is most effective for confirming intestinal worms. This old, proven over several decades, simple laboratory method is suitable for enterobiosis, ascariasis, hookworm, trichocephalosis and other helminthic invasions.
How to take an analysis
To undergo research, you will need special sterile dishes for stool collection. The patient can get it at the clinic or purchase it at the pharmacy. The rest is simple:
- The capacity must be filled with excrement by a third.
- It is advisable to perform an act of defecation in the morning, but evening (yesterday's) feces are also suitable for analysis.
- It is important to ensure that no impurities (urine, female discharge, mucus, blood) get into the jar.
- Then the container for collecting feces is tightly closed with a lid, and the jar itself is signed with a marker (the patient data is indicated on the dishes).
Before undergoing this procedure, you must responsibly prepare for it. After about 5-7 days, you should stop taking medications, especially antibiotics, anthelmintics. Rectal suppositories or enemas should not be placed immediately before collecting the biomaterial. Ideally, a few days before the test, you should abandon the use of high-calorie, fried foods, red meat, flour, so as not to provoke constipation or, conversely, upset stomach.
The results will be known the day after the analysis. Among the shortcomings of this laboratory method, it is worth noting the low efficiency of the diagnosis of helminthiasis. On average, the reliability of the conclusion reaches 50%, since intestinal worms do not lay eggs every day. Therefore, if worms are not detected in the feces, it is advisable to retake the analysis again after 3-4 days. If the result is negative three times in a row, then there can be no doubt about the absence of helminths.
Scraping
Among the tests for worms to a child (which tests to do in childhood, only the attending physician decides), scraping is one of the paramount. It passes with the onset of the first symptoms or with a preventive purpose. Using scraping for the presence of pinworms around the anus, enterobiosis can be detected. This type of worm is localized in the intestine, and at night adult individuals lay eggs in the perineum and anus. To detect other types of helminths, this analysis is not suitable.
Since enterobiosis is a disease of kindergarten children, babies need to be examined at least once every six months. An adult is recommended to undergo scraping if he has the first signs of helminthiasis, for example:
- itching and burning in the rectum;
- sleep disturbance;
- headache;
- irritability;
- weight loss;
- loss of appetite.
How is scraping taken
The procedure can be performed in two ways. For the smear, you will need a sterile spatula or an ordinary cotton swab, which is moistened before scraping in saline or warm water. With a spatula or cotton swab, a smear is removed around the anus and the perineum.
The second option is to attach adhesive tape or tape to the skin around the anus. Then it is removed and glued to a clean, dry surface of the laboratory glass. The procedure must be carried out in the morning, and before taking the biomaterial directly, you can not go to the toilet and take a shower. A smear can be taken at home alone, without the help of doctors. To do this, you need a cotton swab, which was used to contact the anal area, carefully and hermetically sealed in a sterile bag. By the way, it is advisable to deliver the scraping to the laboratory on the day of collection of the material. If necessary, scraping can be stored in the refrigerator, but not more than five hours.
What tests to pass to check for worms, the attending physician decides in each case. The results of the study will be ready for the next day. Re-examination is recommended if the results of the previous analysis were negative, and the symptoms typical of enterobiasis still appear. The procedure should be repeated after 1-2 days. As in the case of the analysis of feces for worm eggs, the maximum efficiency of scraping is guaranteed by 2-3 negative test results.
Why do blood tests for worms
Whatever types of worms parasitize in the human body, they will in any case affect the general indicators, since as a result of their life the parasites secrete toxic substances and affect the internal organs, mucous membranes. Accordingly, there are changes in the composition of the blood.
First of all, the level of immunoglobulin rises - these are antibodies that are produced by the immune system as a response to the presence and activity of pathogenic agents in the body. After some time from the moment of infection with helminths, changes become noticeable according to the results of the study.
What tests do you have for worms in adults besides this? At the earliest stages of helminthiases, the most effective examination option is enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. This is a very informative test, which gives the most reliable result (more than 85%). However, its success largely depends on the qualification of the specialist, his ability to decipher the results.
What parasites can be detected by a blood test
The study allows to recognize the presence of giardia, round and tapeworms, hepatica, trichinella, trematode. Their individuals parasitize not in the intestine, but in such internal organs as the liver, lungs, and bile ducts; therefore, using other analyzes, these types of parasites cannot be detected. For the study, you need venous blood (3-5 ml is enough).
The patient will have to go through the preliminary stage of preparation before passing an analysis for the presence of worms. What actions must be performed before blood donation? The patient will get acquainted with the instructions for preparing for a blood test at an appointment with the attending physician. It looks something like this:
- A week before the analysis, you should stop taking medications, especially hormonal, immunostimulating and antibacterial agents.
- The day before the procedure, it is important to completely exclude fatty dishes, sweets, flour, soda, coffee and alcohol from the menu.
- Manipulation is performed on an empty stomach in the morning.
Finished test results can be obtained in 2-3 days, but in some cases, the study requires more time, which depends on the variety of the identified parasites.
Deciphering the results
The blood obtained is subject to study in the laboratory, specialists determine the presence or absence of specific antibodies in it:
- IgG - an indicator indicates the chronic stage of helminthic invasion;
- IgM - increases in the period of exacerbation of helminthiasis;
- the increased activity and multiplication of parasites can be indicated by a simultaneous increase in IgM and IgG.
It is difficult to imagine what tests to test for the detection of worms. Often, to confirm assumptions about helminthic invasion, they begin with a general blood test. When decoding, the hemoglobin level is also taken into account (when infected with worms, it is reduced) and leukocytes, which significantly decreases with helminthiasis. This type of study has the maximum informative value for diseases such as ascariasis and enterobiosis.
If giardiasis is suspected, an appropriate diagnosis is prescribed. To identify any of the varieties of worms, a separate type of study is carried out. What tests for worms to take in a particular case and how much they cost, the patient learns directly at a specialist appointment. On average, the price of one analysis varies between 400-500 rubles.
Where can I get helminth screening?
In some cases, a referral for tests is issued not only to those patients who have symptoms characteristic of helminth infections, but also to those who suffer from the chronic form of this infectious disease in order to control the dynamics of recovery. In addition, situations in which it turns out that health problems are caused not by physiological disturbances, but are a direct result of infection with parasites, are not uncommon.
If the patient has a suspicion of infection, it is necessary to pass an analysis for worms. What kind of research the doctor will prescribe depends on a number of factors (symptoms, the presence of chronic diseases, age, etc.). Diagnostics can be done both in the municipal medical institution, and in a private clinic or a paid medical laboratory, the main thing is the availability of modern equipment and qualified competent specialists. In Russia clinical laboratories “Invitro”, “Helix”, in which you can go through any kind of research, including the presence of helminths, have proven themselves excellently.
A therapist (for children - a pediatrician) or narrow-profile specialists can give a referral for analysis: a gastroenterologist, an infectious disease specialist, a proctologist, a dermatologist. The patient has the right to choose a place for testing at his discretion. With the results form, which is issued after the study, you need to come to the doctor’s office. The specialist will decode the expert opinion and, if helminths were detected in the body, prescribe treatment.