Parasites can live in different organs of the human body and not reveal their presence for years. In this case, the patient will complain of a violation of well-being and problems with the organ in which the parasite has settled. A person can be cured for years, but at the same time he does not get any improvement, because the objective reason for the malaise is a parasite that has settled in the body.
Many believe that if they wash their hands and do not touch stray animals, they are insured against parasites, but this is not the case. You can get infected if you don't wash vegetables very thoroughly or eat raw meat and fish, which is especially important with the modern sushi craze. Therefore, with a prolonged deterioration of well-being, it is desirable to undergo pesticide tests in order not to waste time in the treatment of non-existent diseases.
Fecal analysis for parasites
If you suspect parasites are present in yourself or your baby, but don't know what tests to perform for parasites, you should see a doctor. The simplest and therefore the very first analysis that you will be offered to do will be a fecal analysis. After a stool sample has entered the laboratory, the specialist will try to find worm eggs in it.
This analysis allows you to determine the presence of different types of parasites, including:
- roundworms or roundworms such as roundworms, whipworms, necators, hookworms;
- flukes or flukes such as liver flukes, cat flukes, schistosomes;
- tapeworms such as bovine tapeworm, swine tapeworm, broad tapeworm.
The main drawback of this pest test is its low reliability, as helminths may not lay eggs long enough or lay eggs at certain times during breeding. Therefore, such an analysis is usually performed three times, but even then 100% accuracy cannot be guaranteed.
In addition to fecal analysis, an enterobiasis analysis is used to look for helminth eggs. It is designed to detect pinworm eggs, both in the stool and in the skin folds around the anus, the so-called scraping for enterobiasis. To make this analysis as informative as possible, it is also performed several times with a break of a couple of days.
Blood test for parasites
A fairly effective and modern method of detecting parasites is an enzyme-linked immunosorbent test or ELISA. This test detects antibodies and antigens against parasites in a blood sample.
Antigens are the parasites themselves and their parts, as well as their metabolic products, and antibodies are immunoglobulin proteins that the body produces to fight antigens. This method allows you to identify a variety of parasites in the human body.
The main advantage of a blood test for parasites is the ability to detect them in the body at an early stage, when there are still very few parasites and their eggs will definitely not be found in the stool analysis. Testing for parasites with ELISA is very simple, for this you need a blood sample from a vein. The time to study this sample is 1-9 days, so you will get a result whose reliability is 95%.
In the case of an acute course of helminthiasis, other methods of blood analysis for parasites are also used, such as the immunofluorescence reaction (RIF), indirect hemagglutination reaction, latex agglutination reaction (RAL). In addition, the study of ultrasound and X-rays of human organs, computed tomography, endobiopsy, endoscopy are used. Which parasite tests to perform and which tests to undergo is usually decided by the attending physician, analyzing the patient's complaints and her symptoms.
How to donate feces for parasite analysis
To get the most accurate result, it is necessary to successfully pass the tests for parasites. A stool analysis for worm eggs should be brought to the laboratory in a special disposable container with a tightly screwed lid. Urine samples or secretions from the genital organs should not enter the material selected for analysis.
To take a stool sample, empty it into a clean, dry container, then take a stool sample with a volume of about two teaspoons, which is approximately 8-10 cubic centimeters, from the material obtained. The sample must be taken from different parts of the fecal mass, from above, from the sides and from the inside.
To obtain the most reliable results of the analysis for parasites, the stool must be delivered to the laboratory within 30-45 minutes of defecation. If you need to store stool for longer, you should put it in the refrigerator, but no more than 5-8 hours. It should lie in a closed container and at a temperature of +4 - +8 ° С. But even such archiving can negatively affect the effectiveness of the analysis.
The results of such an analysis can be negative if no parasites are detected and positive if parasites are detected. Then it will be indicated which worms a person has.
How to do an analysis for enterobiasis
Enterobiasis or pinworms are more common in children. To make a correct diagnosis, you can do a scraping for enterobiasis or a blood test for parasites in children. Scraping allows you to identify the parasite's eggs. Do a scraping in the morning before you go to the bathroom. It is necessary to scrape the surface of the skin folds around the anus with a cotton swab dipped in glycerin. After that, the stick is placed in a plastic test tube and tightly closed with a lid. If necessary, you can store the tube in the refrigerator for several hours. To obtain a reliable result of the analysis, it is necessary to perform a scraping at least three times over several days.
A blood test for parasites in children allows you to determine the presence or absence of a parasite at the same time. But often children are afraid to donate blood, so fecal analysis is preferable for them. Such blood and stool tests can be performed in almost any laboratory of the clinic or in any private laboratory engaged in such research.