What tests should be taken to identify worms

What tests should be taken to identify worms?

Worm tests should be performed regularly to identify the disease in a timely manner. The most famous of these is the stool analysis, which is done before you get a job or a trip to a sanatorium, but this is not the only and not the most reliable way to identify parasites. A combination of tests will give the most accurate answer.

What worm tests exist

The list of tests to be undertaken to identify parasites is quite long.
The main ones are:

1. Stool analysis, also known as worm eggs, is the most common method. Advantages - mass use, no need for complex equipment. Minus - lack of accuracy;
2. ELISA, also known as a blood test for worms. Pros - high accuracy. Cons - reveals only certain stages of development of parasites, in other cases the result will be questionable;
3. Analyzes of other biological media (urine, sputum, duodenal contents, epidermis). Pros - they allow you to identify parasites in those locations that are inaccessible to other analyzes. Cons - associated with significant inconvenience to the patient.

The patient is usually prescribed a combination of several tests to identify the parasite. The recovery criterion is considered to be a negative ELISA result and several negative results from the study of the biological environment where the worms were found.

Worm egg stool analysis

Most worms live in the gut, so the most common test for worms is a stool test. 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 given by people who have been in contact with infected patients who have eaten untested foods who have noted characteristic symptoms of worms.

No need to prepare specifically for the analysis, you can collect stool at any time of the day, but the most indicative is the morning stool. Immediately before birth, you should wash your perineum to avoid urine and genital discharge.

The faeces for worm analysis are collected in a special container. It is sealed and a special spoon is attached to collect the material. To collect the most informative part of the material, you need to take a sample from the middle of a part of the stool. The container should be about one-third full. You must deliver it to the laboratory on the same day.

In the laboratory, a specialist examines the stool under a microscope and identifies the worm eggs in it. Most of them have a characteristic shape that allows you to accurately determine the type of worm. Based on the results of the analysis, a conclusion is issued about the absence of eggs or about their presence and appearance, after which 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 got into the container, despite the fact that there are worms. Therefore, if the patient complains of characteristic symptoms or has come into contact with the source of infection, it 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 examination of the stool, other diagnostic procedures are prescribed.

Skin scraping

This analysis usually complements the stool analysis. The most accurate result is achieved by diagnosing pinworms that lay eggs on the surface of the skin near the anus. Indications for such an analysis are routine examination of children and adults, registration of a child in kindergarten, school, camp or sanatorium, hospitalization of children and adults, suspected infection with pinworms (itching in the anus, digestive disorders, contact with sick people). Most often, children suffer from this disease, which explains the name of the worm (baby pinworm).

You don't need to prepare for a worm test, you don't have to wash the perineum - so it's possible to wash the parasite's eggs, you have to refrain from bathing or showering the night before. The analysis is done in the morning. A special film is used, which collects material from the skin of the intergluteal fold. The examination is also performed under a microscope. It does not detect other helminthiasis, except for pinworms.

Urine analysis

This test is rarely prescribed because the parasites almost never live in the urine. Situations are possible when the analysis of urine reveals spikes, but this indicates a violation of the rules for passing the analysis - the parasites and their eggs enter the container from the skin of the perineum. This situation is most common in girls, less common in boys.

But there are still indications for testing. Some tropical parasites live in the kidneys and urinary organs, which a person is "rewarded" by traveling to Asian and African resorts. With the growing availability of exotic recreation areas, the spread of parasites uncharacteristic of our country is also growing. For this reason, it is advisable to perform a urine and blood test for worms after a trip to resorts.
Types of worms found in urine:

• Trichomonas;
• hematobium Distomum;
Filaria sanguinis hominis; Taqnia echinococcus.

There may also be eggs from liver parasites in the urine - echinococci and flukes.

Sputum 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 typical - catarrhal phenomena (inflammation, cough, wheezing) develop in the bronchi. Haemoptysis, pneumonia of unknown origin and other lung phenomena.
Parasites detected by sputum examination with sputum:

• Ascarids - in the larval stage they need oxygen;
• Echinococci and alveococci are tissue parasites that live in parenchymal organs, including the lungs;
• Dwarf methyl - lives mainly in the lungs;
Strongyloidiasis, necatorosis - parasitosis characterized by intestinal localization, localization in the lungs is considered atypical.

No special preparation is required to collect sputum, but it is recommended to brush your teeth and take the material in the morning. Before that, it is useful to drink plenty of fluids - this improves expectoration of sputum. The collection container should be clean, but not necessarily sterile - bacteria do not play a role in diagnosis. In this case, both the parasites themselves and their eggs are found. If the patient is unable to cough up the sputum, it is removed from the trachea by vacuum suction.

It is possible to use drugs that improve the excretion of sputum, stimulate its formation, in order to obtain more accurate results from the analysis of worms. In combination with a blood test for worms gives very accurate results. Unlike a stool test, eggs are more likely to be found.

Blood test

ELISA, or blood test for worms, is the most accurate method for determining them. Helminths cause a powerful reaction from the immune system - the content of eosinophilic leukocytes increases, the production of immunoglobulins increases and specific antibodies to the parasites appear. The ELISA method is based on their discovery.

Antibodies to parasites are extremely specific - they can be unambiguously diagnosed as long as they are present in the blood only in the presence of parasites and within 3 weeks after their disappearance.

Blood from a vein is needed for analysis. No special training is 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 recovery criterion is a negative result one month after treatment.

Analysis of the contents of the duodenum

The bile ducts and pancreas open into the duodenum. These organs are often affected by echinococcosis and opisthorchiasis. The parasites lay eggs that pass through the ducts in the intestines. The technique of analyzing the contents of the duodenum for worms allows to detect these diseases much more accurately than the analysis of feces.

The material is taken with a duodenal tube on an empty stomach. If the patient has a pronounced reflex, pain relief is applied. The procedure is quite unpleasant, so it is resorted to only in cases where the results of other studies are questionable.

When to be tested for worms

Worm tests should be performed in the following situations:

• The patient experiences symptoms of helminth infection;
• The patient has been in contact with sources of infection (sick people, untested products, areas with unfavorable sanitary environment);
• Confirmation is required that the patient is not a source of infection (employment, health records, out-of-town rest, hospitalization).

How to test 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 an examination. Indications are needed for a doctor to write a referral.

In commercial clinics you can take an analysis regardless of the indication. The price varies considerably. The time to obtain the results of stool and scraping is about a week, analysis of urine, sputum, blood is about 2 days, depending on the workload of the laboratory.

What helminths can be detected using tests

The worm test detects most types of parasites - intestinal and extraintestinal forms. The most accurate is a blood test for worms, which allows you to identify the parasite.