What tests should be done to identify worms?
Worm tests should be performed regularly in order to identify the disease in a timely manner. The most famous of these is stool analysis, which is done before you find a job or a trip to a sanatorium, but this is not the only and not the most reliable way to identify parasites. The most accurate answer will be given by a combination of tests.
What tests exist for worms
The list of tests that need to be done to identify parasites is quite long.The main ones are:
- Stool analysis, also known as worm eggs, is the most common method. Advantages - mass use, no need for complex equipment. Minus - lack of accuracy;
- ELISA, aka blood test for worms. Pros - High accuracy. Cons - detects only certain stages of parasite development, otherwise the result will be questionable;
- Analysis of other biological media (urine, saliva, duodenal contents, epidermis). Pros - they allow you to identify parasites in those locations that are inaccessible to other analyzes. Cons - associated with significant concerns for the patient.
Typically, a patient is prescribed a combination of several tests to identify the parasite. The cure criterion is considered to be a negative ELISA result and some negative results of the biological environment study where the worms were detected.
Analysis of feces for worm eggs
Most worms live in the gut, so the most common test for worms is stool testing. It is prescribed for routine medical examinations for adults and children, before being sent to a sanatorium or children's camp, as part of a health book, during hospitalization. Also, this analysis is taken from people who have been in contact with infected patients, who have eaten untested foods, who have noted characteristic worm symptoms.
No need to prepare specifically for analysis, you can collect stools at any time of the day, but with the morning stool indicator. Immediately before birth, you should wash the perineum to avoid urinary impurities and discharge from the genitals.
Worms for analysis for worms are collected in a special container. It is sealed, and a special spoon is attached to collect the material. To gather the most informative piece of material, you need to take a sample from the middle of a piece of stool. The container should be about one-third full. You must submit it to the laboratory on the same day.
In the lab, a specialist examines feces under a microscope and identifies worm eggs in it. Most of them have a characteristic shape that allows you to accurately determine the type of worms. Based on the results of the analysis, a conclusion is issued regarding the absence of eggs or regarding their presence and type, after which the treatment is prescribed.
This is the most common but least accurate worm test. The reason is that there may be no eggs in the part that is inserted into the container, despite the fact that there are worms. Therefore, if the patient complains of characteristic symptoms or has come in contact with the source of the infection, he is required to undergo 5-6 tests with an interval of 2-3 days. In this case, the probability of detecting parasites is significantly increased. Along with the fecal examination, other diagnostic procedures are described.
Scraping the skin
This analysis usually complements the stool analysis. The most accurate result is achieved when you diagnose pinworms, which lay eggs on the surface of the skin near the anus. Indications for such an analysis are routine examination of children and adults, enrollment of a child in a kindergarten, school, camp or sanatorium, hospitalization of children and adults, suspicion of worm infection (itching in the anus, disordersdigestion, contact with sick people). Most often, children suffer from this disease, which explains the name of the worms (baby worm).
You do not need to prepare for the worm test, you do not need to wash the perineum - so it is possible to wash the parasite eggs, you should refrain from bathing or showering the night before. The analysis is done in the morning. A special film is used that collects material from the skin of the intergluteal fold. The study is also performed under a microscope. It does not detect helminthiasis other than peg worms.
Urine analysis
This examination is less prescribed, as the parasites almost never reside in the urine. Situations are possible when sting worms are found in the urine test, but this indicates a violation of the rules for passing the test - parasites and their eggs enter the container from the skin of the perineum. Most often, this situation occurs in girls, less often in boys.
But there are still indications for testing. In the kidneys and urinary organs, live some tropical parasites, which a person is "rewarded" by a trip to Asian and African resorts. With the increasing availability of exotic recreation areas, the spread of parasites not characteristic of our country is also increasing. For this reason, it is advisable to do a urine and blood test for worms after a trip to the resorts.
Types of worms found in urine:
- Trichomonas;
- Distomum hematobium;
- Filaria sanguinis hominis;
- Ekinokoku i Taqnia.
Also in the urine may be eggs of hepatic parasites - echinococcus and lightning.
Saliva analysis
There are a number of parasites that spend all or part of their lives in the lungs. The symptomatology of their appearance is not characteristic - catarrhal phenomena develop in the bronchi (inflammation, cough, wheezing). Hemoptysis, pneumonia of unknown origin and other lung phenomena may be observed.
Parasites detected by sputum worm test:
- Ascaris - in the larval stage they need oxygen;
- Echinococci and alveococci are tissue parasites that live in parenchymal organs, including the lungs;
- Dwarf - lives mainly in the lungs;
- Strongyloidosis, non-catorosis - parasitosis, which are characterized by localization of the intestine, the location in the lungs is found as atypical.
No special preparation is required to collect saliva, but it is advisable to brush your teeth and take the material in the morning. Before that, it is helpful to drink plenty of fluids - this improves saliva expectoration. The collection container should be clean, but not necessarily sterile - bacteria do not play a role in the diagnosis. In this case, both the parasites themselves and their eggs are detected. If the patient is unable to cough up saliva, it is removed from the trachea using a vacuum suction.
it is possible to use drugs that improve saliva discharge, stimulate its formation to get more accurate test results for worms. In combination with a blood test for worms, it gives very accurate results. Unlike stool testing, eggs are more likely to be found.
Blood test
ELISA, or blood test for worms, is the most accurate method of determining them. Helminths trigger a strong immune response - the eosinophilic leukocyte count increases, the production of immunoglobulins increases, and parasite-specific antibodies appear. It is in their discovery that the ELISA method is constructed.
Antibodies to parasites are extremely specific - they can be diagnosed without hesitation, as they are present in the blood only in the presence of parasites and within 3 weeks after their disappearance.
Blood is required from a vein for analysis. No special training required. The result can be obtained within two days. The accuracy is close to 100%, the specificity of the antibodies does not allow a wrong result. The criterion for recovery is a negative result one month after treatment.
Duodenal contents analysis
The bile ducts and pancreas open into the duodenum. These organs are often affected by echinococcosis and opisthorchiasis. The parasites lay eggs, which pass through ducts in the intestine. The test method for duodenum contents worms allows you to identify these diseases much more accurately than fecal analysis.
The material is taken with a duodenal probe on an empty stomach. If the patient has a pronounced gag reflex, pain relief is applied. The procedure is quite inconvenient, so it is required only in those cases when the results of other examinations are questionable.
When to get tested for worms
Worm tests should be performed in the following situations:
- The patient is experiencing symptoms of a helminth infection;
- The patient has been in contact with sources of infection (sick people, untested products, areas with an unfavorable sanitary environment);
- Confirmation is required that the patient is not a source of infection (employment, health records, out-of-town vacation, hospitalization).
How to get tested for worms
To be tested for worms, you must have a recommendation from your GP. Most examinations do not require preparation, and if there are nuances, the doctor will explain them when prescribing a study. Indications are required for a physician to write a recommendation.
In commercial clinics, you can take the test regardless of the indication. The price varies considerably. The time for obtaining the results of feces and scrapings is about a week, the analysis of urine, saliva, blood is about 2 days, depending on the workload in the laboratory.
What types of helminths can be detected using tests
Worm analysis reveals most types of parasites - intestinal and extra-intestinal forms. The most accurate is a blood test for worms, which allows you to identify the parasite.