There are so many people now who are completely uninterested in their health. For some it’s simply not that important, some are afraid to find out the truth about themselves, and the vast majority are simply too busy to care. And this is extremely irresponsible and tragic. Not only can they be carriers of dangerous diseases, but they themselves are simply at risk.
People shorten their life expectancy, fall asleep and wake up with the most unpleasant symptoms, or have simply lost all interest in life. Why suffer? Living in fear and discomfort? Indeed, today, if you seek help in time, you can overcome any illness.
You should also take into account that self-medication is no less dangerous. Don’t be lazy to take tests and seek help from specialists. Our article will encourage readers to undergo an immediate examination, take good care of themselves and, of course, maintain a healthy lifestyle. How to properly test stool for enterobiasis?
How to get tested correctly
Pinworm eggs under a microscope
A normal, average person has taken a stool test at least once. In general, it is a fairly important indicator, and it is mandatory to do it during a full medical examination.
Also, feces are required to be donated in case of obvious suspicion of worms, during hospitalization, for reference in the pool, when registering for pregnancy, etc. It is donated to determine many diseases, to assess the state of the internal intestinal microflora, the functioning of the digestive system.
The presence of worms and their eggs is a huge ailment for most people. According to statistics, a considerable part of the population of our planet suffers from worms. People live and sometimes don’t even suspect their existence. You can detect worms and their eggs by submitting scrapings (stool) for enterobiasis.
The procedure is quite simple and fast. It should be done at home in the morning, before going to the toilet. There is no need to shower beforehand. All you need is a cotton swab, preferably soaked in glycerin, and a container where you will subsequently place it. Such a stick should be drawn along and across the entire circumference of the anus. Scrapings cannot be stored for long periods of time. The container should be taken to the laboratory on the same day. The analysis will be ready within 24 hours.
How is a scraping taken for enterobiasis at the Rassvet clinic?
To collect the material yourself, you are provided with a spatula with a sticky surface, packaged in a plastic tube with a lid. In the morning (immediately after waking up), the parent presses the sticky surface of the spatula to the child’s perianal folds, holds it with slight pressure for 3 seconds, then packs the spatula in a test tube and brings it to the clinic.
It is possible to take a test in the clinic itself; for this, the child should not be washed after sleep (if a bowel movement is required in the morning, you should use dry toilet paper) and bring it to the clinic.
Insidious and elusive pinworm eggs
Referral for stool analysis for enterobiasis
Enterobiasis is a disease caused by parasites, characterized by a strong allergic reaction of the body. The pinworm worm has a spindle-shaped appearance and is white in color. The length of the female significantly exceeds the size of the male. Females reach an average size of 11 mm. Pinworm eggs have an oblong shape, and one of their sides is flat. They are covered with a protective shell. Worms live in the cecum and feed on its contents.
Content
- The causative agent of parasitic infection is pinworm
- Causes of pinworm infection
- What complications does the disease cause?
- Symptoms of the disease Acute period
- Chronic stage
Enterobiasis is an infection of the body with helminths - pinworms. Young children are at risk, but children of other ages can also be infected.
Methods of infection and possibility of transmission
Testing for worms is also necessary as a preventative measure.
Finding such a gift is quite simple. Unwashed food, dirty hands, flies, pets, crowded places - all these are risks for humans. But do not forget that not everyone who eats a bad fruit (vegetable) will get worms. Everyone’s health is different and so is their reaction to certain influences. The main defender against pinworms is immunity.
Also a barrier for them is the microflora of the oral cavity and stomach. You can become infected with enterobiasis only by swallowing mature pinworm eggs with active larvae. It is now clear that the path of worms to a healthy adult is extremely difficult.
The situation is different with children. Most of them suffer from this disease. After all, kids constantly suck their fingers, bite their nails, sit at the table with their hands unwashed after a walk or toilet, and love to pet yard dogs and cats. A child can become infected with them anywhere and anytime. Parents should pay special attention to toys.
When you get home, you definitely need to wash them. After all, other children also played with them. Teenagers often forget to use personal hygiene products and towels. It is also possible to become infected with worms through the oral route. Here are a number of rules that need to be instilled in the child and all household members:
- Wash your hands as often as possible
- Avoid eating outside if possible.
- After contact with animals, hands should be disinfected. In addition, you should not kiss them or allow yourself to be licked.
- If dogs or cats live in the house, then they need to carry out worm prevention once every three months.
- Each family member should have individual items and personal hygiene items (towels, brushes, linen)
- Do wet cleaning in the apartment several times a week
- Wash all vegetables and fruits thoroughly
- Wean your child off the habit of biting his nails
- Sterilize pacifiers, bottles, wash toys for little ones as often as possible
- Do not drink water from taps, ponds, rivers, etc.
- Don't sleep in the same bed with animals
- Meat and fish products must be cooked
The first and most basic symptoms are pronounced itching in the anus, and in children - grinding of teeth at night.
Disease prevention
To prevent a child from becoming infected with parasites, he needs to instill personal hygiene skills and ensure that:
- his nails were trimmed;
- he had no contact with street animals;
- did not put dirty objects into his mouth. Source: Clinical recommendations (treatment protocol) for providing medical care to children with enterobiasis, Federal State Budgetary Institution Scientific Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Federal Medical and Biological Agency of Russia, Public organization "Eurasian Society for Infectious Diseases", Public organization "Association of Infectious Disease Doctors of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region" (AVISPO)
If you suspect enterobiasis in a child, you should consult a doctor as soon as possible and undergo a course of treatment. You can make an appointment with a medical pediatrician 24 hours a day by phone or leave a request to have a doctor come to your home.
Sources:
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2306321/JP Caldwell Pinworms (Enterobius Vermicularis) Can Fam Physician. 1982 Feb; 28: 306–309.
- R.A. Fayzullina, E.A. Samorodnova, V.M. Dobrokvashina Helminth infections in childhood // Practical Medicine, 3(42) May 2010.
- Clinical recommendations (treatment protocol) for the provision of medical care to children with enterobiasis FGBU NIIDI FMBA RUSSIA, Public organization "Eurasian Society for Infectious Diseases", Public organization "Association of Infectious Disease Doctors of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region" (AVISPO)
Markova Daria Olegovna Clinic
Author of the article
Markova Daria Olegovna
Specialty: pediatrician
Experience: 14 years
The information in this article is provided for reference purposes and does not replace advice from a qualified professional. Don't self-medicate! At the first signs of illness, you should consult a doctor.
Types of studied material and collection rules
To study enterobiasis, patches, scrapings, smears from the skin in the perianal area are used, and, if necessary, skin scrapings from under the nails. Analysis of this biomaterial has the greatest sensitivity and allows you to make a diagnosis with confidence.
Feces are rarely used for analysis, because pinworms practically do not lay eggs in the intestines - such biomaterial is not informative. Feces make it possible to diagnose enterobiasis during a long course of the disease and mass intestinal invasion by pinworms. In this case, helminths are visible on the surface of the feces with a simple macroscopic examination.
Alarming symptoms
What symptoms may indicate the presence of pinworms in the body? Most often this is:
- loss of appetite, general weakness, grinding teeth, irritability;
- stool disorder;
- severe itching in the anal area, which intensifies at night (this is when pinworms crawl out and lay their eggs in the perianal folds, causing anxiety in the owner);
- pain in the navel area;
- manifestations of allergies (rash, scratching on the body, itching);
- detection of pinworm larvae when changing underwear (this type of parasite is small in size - no more than 1 cm; crawling out of the anus, lay eggs, after which they immediately die).
Important! In addition to testing for enterobiasis, the presence of helminthiasis in a patient may be indicated by an increased level of eosinophils in a general clinical blood test.
If the result is positive
When the diagnosis ends with negative positive indicators, it is necessary to classify the pathology according to the severity of infection. Doctors distinguish 3 degrees, speaking of weak, medium, and high invasiveness. The following markings are provided:
- + - helminth eggs were found in single quantities,
- ++ - the data obtained indicate the presence of more than a dozen eggs in the area around the anus,
- +++ - the results of the study show the presence of numerous larvae and oviworms.
In case of large-scale invasion, one should be prepared for thorough therapy, which may be quite long. As a rule, doctors are not guided by the data obtained the first time, but prescribe repeated diagnostics. Treatment is prescribed depending on the age of the patient.
The main place is given to the medicinal option. To enhance the effect, the tablets are supplemented with herbal remedies prepared according to folk recipes. The first positions on the list are occupied by anthelmintic drugs that stop the proliferation of pathogenic flora and help eliminate the symptoms of intoxication.
They also focus on personal hygiene. In addition to traditional washing, anti-inflammatory and itching baths are effective. If pinworms in a child make themselves felt during night sleep, and the situation repeats itself repeatedly, you can resort to manual removal of moving individuals. To do this, use a heated diaper folded at a corner, the sharp end of which is used to collect females laying eggs. Before intimate health is restored, underwear and bed linen are ironed.
Doctor Komarovsky: all about enterobiasis
Diagnostic methods and interpretation of results
The most common diagnosis of enterobiasis is the microscopic detection of helminth eggs in smears, scrapings of subungual contents and skin in the perianal area, and patches from the surface of the perianal area.
Normally, there should be no eggs in the biomaterial. If at least 1 viable egg or remains of a worm are found, a positive diagnosis is made.
To be sure of sterility from pinworms or helminth infestation, you need to undergo at least 3 studies at intervals announced by the doctor.
Preparation before scraping
Proper preparation before scraping for eggworm
allows you to get reliable results. The following recommendations must be followed:
- The day before the collection of biological material, avoid evening swimming. Morning washing on the day of the study is also unacceptable. This measure is due to the peculiarity of the localization of pinworm eggs - they accumulate not in feces, but inside the skin folds surrounding the anus.
- Two days before the procedure, exclude heavy foods rich in fiber and carbohydrates from the diet. Excess fat and protein are also undesirable. Failure to comply with such restrictions is fraught with intestinal overflow and fecal stagnation. The result is difficult movement of pinworms towards the anus, and the data obtained is not informative.
What is enterobiasis
Signs of parasitic infestation appear a maximum of 2 weeks after infection. The incubation period for both adults and children can be reduced to 10 days. To become infected, it is enough to swallow mature eggs, which contain mobile larvae, along with food or liquid. Their release occurs under the action of enzymes secreted by the digestive system.
The location of mature worms is the small and large intestines. Predominantly females are adapted to parasitism; the majority of males are excreted in feces. Intense infestations are explained by the high risk of re-infection due to insufficient personal hygiene and ignoring prescribed treatment points. One adult queen is capable of producing offspring in the amount of 5–17 thousand pinworms. The presence of pathogenic flora is indicated by the following symptoms:
- Itching sensation in the anus.
- General discomfort, nervousness.
- Rash on the skin around the anus, its redness.
- Abnormal stool, nausea.
- Children often show increased interest in their genitals, and the quality of night sleep deteriorates.
The last sign clearly indicates pathology. Analysis for enterobiasis with a complex clinical picture is carried out in a short time. Infestation is especially dangerous for girls due to the risk of developing inflammatory and infectious processes. In women, pinworms can cause disruption of the menstrual cycle.
External contamination
From the skin around the anus, eggs fall not only onto fingers, but also onto underwear, clothes, furniture, pets, and carpets. At home, they remain viable for up to 3 weeks.
From all these objects, the hair of pets (which themselves are not infected), eggs can get on the hands, clothes of other family members, guests, and other visitors to the apartment. If they do not wash their hands before eating, the eggs will end up in the gastrointestinal tract and the pinworm development cycle will begin.
Eggs can also be inhaled with dust. They will again enter the intestines through the nasopharynx.
Helminth infestations are especially large-scale in kindergartens, schools, and holiday camps. If at least 1 child in an institution or place of collective recreation is diagnosed with pinworms, everyone should undergo treatment. The same applies to family members.
To prevent further infection, wet cleaning with disinfectants is carried out in all rooms, linen is changed, and all surfaces, toys, and plants are treated. Pets, as active carriers of pinworm eggs, are washed with special shampoos or laundry soap.
How long will it be valid?
When a scraping is taken independently at home, it is important to consider how quickly it can be delivered to a medical facility. The permissible time period is no more than 5 hours
. For children it is twice as long. Additionally, there are temperature requirements - the maximum is 8 degrees.
If the material was collected in compliance with all the rules, the result is given after 24 hours. If oviworm is absent, monitor for clinical signs. If they are preserved, the diagnosis is repeated three times. The optimal interval between procedures is from 48 hours to 3 days. This approach allows you to obtain reliable results in 85% of cases.
You can present a form with information about the study conducted within 10 days. Then the unsuitability of the results is stated.
