Parasitic infections are called helminthiasis. This is an insidious and common disease that may not be conscious for years. Parasites enter the human intestines through dirty hands, food, water and begin to multiply actively.
They take in nutrients, disrupt the absorption of water and vitamins in the gut, provoke diarrhea and disruption of other internal organs. Therefore, it is very important to know what tests should be done for parasites in order to identify them in time and start proper treatment.
Types of parasites and their diagnosis
Different types of worms can live in the human intestine: round, flat, striped. Any parasite is dangerous to the body, as it releases toxic substances that affect the internal organs.
The consequences of helminthiasis can be very different, including death.
Everyone needs to know what tests should be done for parasites. The examination is performed both for prevention purposes and in the presence of characteristic symptoms. Do not postpone your visit to the doctor.
The danger of this condition is that the symptoms do not always appear. For a long time, a person may not be aware of the presence of helminths, but at the same time, slow and irreversible destructive processes occur in the organs. The routes of infection are very different: contact with an infected person or animal, through contaminated hands, soil, food, water.
| Title | Routes of infection | Symptoms | Analysis |
| Stingworms | Pollution through dirty hands | Anus itching, diarrhea, weight loss | anal swab |
| Ascaris | Eating unwashed vegetables and fruits | Weakness, itching in the anus, disturbed stool | Antibody Blood Test (ELISA) |
| Cat Fluke | Eating contaminated fish | Pain in the right side, allergic reactions, signs of liver damage | ELISA blood test |
| Trichinella | Eating contaminated meat and fat | Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, allergic skin reactions, weakness | Antibody blood test |
| Intestinal Acne | Any contact with contaminated soil | Diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain | Study of feces for worm eggs, ELISA analysis |
Treatment of helminthiasis is chosen individually. Before prescribing any medication, your doctor will advise you to get tested and determine the exact type of parasite. Each individual helminth has a different effect on the body and leads to different complications. In theory, they can affect any organ, but are most often located in the gut. The risk group includes young children and people working the land.
The main and dangerous signs of a parasitic infection
It can be tricky to recognize an infection. Symptoms are affected not only by the type of helminth, but also by the age of the infected person, the state of his immune system and other features of the body. Due to reduced immunity in children and the elderly, the clinical picture is more acute.
There is chronic helminthiasis that has no obvious signs and acute manifestations. They last for years and go unnoticed because the symptoms are vague and easily confused with other chronic conditions.
See a doctor right away and get tested for parasites when the following signs appear:
| Signs | Clinical presentation |
| Rising body temperature | This symptom does not always occur, but with severe damage to internal organs, the temperature can be high, up to fever. |
| Stool Disorders | With helminthiasis, both constipation and diarrhea are observed. Different bowel disorders can alternate, increase or disappear over time. In the feces, impurities of mucus and blood are often found. |
| Nausea and vomiting | Symptoms of intoxication appear in the acute form of the disease. These symptoms may be present with any parasitic infection. |
| Cough | With a prolonged course of the disease, helminths affect the bronchi and lungs. The patient develops a dry cough, eventually turning into a wet one. |
| Allergies | The immune system begins to react to the parasites, so allergic reactions occur, usually skin reactions: itching, redness, urticaria. |
| Chronic fatigue | Helminthiasis provokes weakness and fatigue, drowsiness due to intoxication of the body. |
| Weight Loss | Due to impaired intestinal absorption, a person loses weight even with the same diet. |
Regardless of which toxins are lodged in the gut, treatment should begin as soon as possible. The parasites cause inflammation of the intestines, penetrate the lungs, gallbladder and even the heart. A preventative examination will help avoid serious consequences and complications.
Preparing for blood and stool tests
The reliability of the result depends not only on the laboratory and equipment, but also on compliance with the rules of preparation. Violation of these rules will lead to a wrong result. The person may miss the disease.
First of all, it is worth remembering that to assess the condition you need to choose proven clinics, reliable laboratories where certified specialists work. If the examination is performed by a doctor, he will warn about the preparation.
Preparation for stool analysis includes the following points:
- A few days before passing stools, you should adhere to a gentle diet, do not eat spicy, fried fast foods and foods that cause gas. It is recommended to eat cereals, soups, low-fat dairy products.
- If you can not go to the bathroom, you should not give enemas or take laxatives.
- It is not recommended to eat foods that color feces: prunes, tomatoes, beets, herbs.
- Before you do the test, you need to buy a sterile container with a special spatula. It was printed on the day of the test. Match boxes cannot be used to collect material.
- The minimum amount of stool required for analysis is 15 g. If the amount is smaller, the analysis will have to be repeated.
- Gather the material carefully so that no urine or menstrual discharge enters the stool.
- If the analysis showed the presence of helminths, after completing the course of treatment, the analysis should be repeated, respecting all the above rules.
Donation preparation is usually standard. You should visit the lab on an empty stomach, do not eat fatty or spicy foods the day before. Any medication you take should be discussed with your doctor, as it may affect the result of the parasite test. It is recommended to stop drinking alcohol a week before donating blood. On the day of blood sampling and the day before, you can not participate in physiotherapy procedures, undergo an ultrasound scan. Smoking can also affect the outcome. It is advisable not to smoke for at least one hour before the examination.
Blood tests for parasites
A blood test for parasites is one of the most informative methods for diagnosing helminthiasis. There are several types of blood tests. The doctor prescribes one or more, depending on the clinical picture and anamnesis.
The advantage of a blood test over a stool analysis for helminths is that eggs are not always found in the feces, you have to enter a certain period of helminth reproduction. Blood can be donated at any time of infection. Almost all laboratory tests are performed using special equipment and do not depend on the human factor. ELISA allows you to determine not only the worms, but also the degree of infection.
The doctor should be responsible for decoding the result. The most common are 3 blood tests to determine worms in the body:
| Method | Characteristics of Analysis |
| ELISA | ELISA is the most informative and reliable in defining a parasitic infection. Examination is based on the antigen-antibody relationship. The result indicates the presence or absence of a certain antibody in the blood, which indicates an acute or chronic stage of the disease. So with parasitic lesions, IgG antibodies appear in the blood. The result is pretty straightforward, positive or negative. However, it should be remembered that these antibodies appear both in chronic infections and during the recovery period. |
| PCR | The polymerase chain reaction also allows you to reliably determine if there are parasites in the body. However, not all helminth species are defined this way, but only protozoa. The severity of the disease and the number of helminths cannot be determined in this way either. |
| UAC | This is a simple and quick diagnosis that gives an idea of how the body is functioning as a whole. The presence of parasites can be suspected by the level of eosinophils, which will increase. With helminthic infestations, the level of eosinophils exceeds 20% of the remaining leukocytes. In this case, further examination and determination of the type of parasite is described. |
Stool parasite testing
Coprogram is a laboratory stool test. Prescribed to describe if helminthiasis is suspected: bowel disorders, sudden weight loss, weakness, nausea, etc. You can get a software program in any lab: private or municipal.
The following indicators are taken into account during decoding:
| Metric | Decryption |
| Durability and aroma | Normal consistency is viscous without dissolved pieces. |
| Color | Normally, the color is yellow or brown. Or it is too dark, this indicates the presence of hidden blood. Light-colored stools indicate liver damage. |
| Weight | The presence of blood or mucus in the stool is taken into account. |
| Leukocytes | Leukocytes are normally present in the stool, but in minimal amounts. If there are many of them, then an inflammatory process has started in the intestines. |
| Acidity | The stools of a healthy person have a pH of 4. 8-5. 8. If the acidity increases, then the absorption of fatty acids is damaged in the intestine. |
| Bilirubin | There is no bilirubin in the stools of a healthy person. Its presence indicates the presence of dysbiosis, increased peristalsis, rapid evacuation of feces. |
| Stercobilin | This enzyme may be present in the stool up to 350 mg / day. An increase indicates anemia, a decrease indicates gallbladder lesions. |
Only a doctor can make a diagnosis based on such a result. Further testing may be required. For the result to be reliable, you need to properly collect and store the material. It is advisable to submit it to the laboratory as soon as possible.
Scraping for enterobiasis
Scraping for enterobiasis is also an informative diagnosis. Delivered as indicated or for prevention. This is a painless procedure. Using a small spatula or a cotton swab, take some material from the anus. Just slide the stick a few times to get the material.
Itching is quite simple - worm eggs are missing or present. The disease is curable, but if the result is positive, the patient is isolated to prevent further transmission of the infection.