When a child develops symptoms of parasitic infestation, he should be taken to a pediatrician. Only a doctor will order an examination. In children, blood is taken from a vein to determine the presence of parasites. Sample collection rules do not change:
- The material is taken on an empty stomach.
- The day before the analysis, you must not eat fatty, fried, spicy (if the child eats such).
- Soda water must not be drunk on the day of sampling.
A small child needs to be prepared in a playful way for the test so that he is not afraid of the syringe, blood and people in white coats. If the baby starts crying and twitching, the nurse may not carefully pick up the material, leaving a bruise on his arm. When the needle is removed from the vein, the child needs to hold the pen for 5-10 minutes, bending at the elbow.
Symptoms of the presence of worms
The presence of worms can be suspected for various reasons. Pinworm infection is characterized by itching in the anus. This sign, indicating an infection, most often worries a person at night. Itching appears from the fact that this type of parasite prefers to live and reproduce in the intestines. Each day, one individual of this worm can lay up to 15, 000 eggs. These eggs ripen after 6 hours.
Infection with other types of parasites is more difficult to determine. Symptoms include the following conditions:
- Weakness in the body.
- Muscle and joint pain.
- Sleep disturbance.
- Decreased performance.
- Headaches.
- Signs of intoxication.
- Loss of appetite.
These symptoms appear from the fact that parasites, multiplying, pollute the body with the products of their vital activity. They also disrupt the functioning of the liver, bile ducts, intestines and other important organs that are responsible for ridding a person of poisons and toxins.
How to get tested for worms at home?
In addition to clarifying the question on the topic "what tests need to be passed for a parasite for an adult", you can also understand that the primary diagnosis can be carried out at home. In particular, instead of being tested for worms, they use the following home methods:
- Enema. It helps to identify live individuals of the helminth and its eggs in the feces. It is advisable to do the procedure late in the evening, since it is during this period that the peak of parasite activity occurs. When emptying the intestines, both worms and their eggs can be detected in the feces, if they are present in the body and are at the stage of reproduction;
- Express test for worms. The test package contains a glass slide and a special adhesive tape. The tape is glued to the anal folds in the morning after waking up and then, having been unstuck, is applied to the glass. Pinworm eggs can be seen under a magnifying glass, if any;
- Test for worms by saliva collection. In this case, the kit contains a container for collecting biomaterial and 11 reagents designed to detect various parasites. Reagents are able to identify toxins that worms release into human blood. The information content of this method is 100%. Moreover, the invasion can be detected in this way both in the acute stage and in the chronic one. The only drawback of such a test is its inaccessibility to a potential buyer. If it is possible to find a complex for determining helminths, then its price will be considerable.
No matter how you would like to understand the state of your body on your own and find out what tests are taken for helminthic invasion, still remember that accurate results can be obtained only with specialized diagnostics for blood and feces, to which your doctor will refer you.
According to statistics, up to 80% of the population is infected with parasites that pose a serious health hazard, destroying internal organs, provoking the development of complications. When taking anthelmintic drugs, you need to make sure which worms are present in the body. Given that a person can be attacked by dozens of different species, tests for parasites in adults are performed by different methods, which make it possible to determine the existing form of helminthic invasion.
Other diagnostic procedures
PCR diagnostics is based on the identification of helminths in the human body by DNA testing. The sensitivity of PCR to parasites is high, so the results will be as accurate as possible. But this type of diagnosis will not make it possible to identify the degree of infection. Another proven and fairly well-known diagnostic study in which invasions are detected is energy-informational diagnostics. During the procedure, a person is exposed to bioresonance waves, which show the presence or absence of parasitic individuals in the human body. Some doctors believe that this method is the best, most informative and comfortable, and at the same time effective. There is also a complex diagnostic method called a parasitic panel. Thanks to this type of diagnosis, it is possible to identify the presence of helminths in the body, the degree of invasion and the type of parasite.
In addition to specific diagnostic measures that are able to detect helminthic invasions, the patient is shown to pass a general blood and urine test. The fact is that inflammatory complications develop from parasites in the internal organs, and general blood and urine tests in this case will show an increase in the number of leukocytes and erythrocytes, while hemoglobin will be lowered.
Blood test for helminths in a child
Blood tests in children can be divided into groups according to the frequency and purpose of the study:
- preventive - regular;
- barrier;
- as intended.
Prophylactic is prescribed to children regularly. They are done to prevent a possible illness once a year. For clinical examination with any symptoms, the examination includes a complete blood count.
Barrier tests are prescribed when applying for a kindergarten, school and attending classes in sports clubs, in other cases, including quarantines for various viral diseases. To exclude infection of babies, adults who work in child care facilities, the production and sale of food, regularly take a barrier blood test.
By appointment, tests are carried out in case of suspicion of helminthic invasion, in order to determine the type and type of helminthiasis in a child or to exclude the diagnosis. If a helminthic invasion is suspected, children are tested for helminths and blood antibodies:
- general;
- blood test for ELISA - enzyme immunoassay.
In a general analysis, blood is taken from a finger. By the number of erythrocytes and leukocytes, it can be determined that there are pathogens and alien microorganisms and bacteria in the body. For ELISA analysis, blood is taken from a vein, the amount of antibodies and antigens is determined.
Antibodies and antigens
Having received a signal about the presence of foreign cells or organisms in the body, the immune system gives a signal to the glands to produce special proteins - immunoglobulins, which destroy the foreign protein and remove it through the blood from the body. The type and amount of antibodies depends on the degree of infection and the duration of the invasion.
Antigens in the blood are the remnants of the killed worms themselves and the products of their vital activity. After the decomposition of the protozoa and the toxins they release, they are washed out by the blood. The blood is cleared of antigens in the kidneys and liver. As a result, what is left of the parasites, decomposed protein and toxins are excreted in urine and feces.
Immunomodulators and their characteristics
If you suspect a helminthic invasion in a child, if the general analysis showed an increased number of erythrocytes, blood is taken for antibodies to helminths and, according to their presence in the blood and the ratio with antigens, a diagnosis is made.
To fight off foreign microorganisms, the immune system creates various antibodies. Protein cells constantly “patrol” the child's body, which detect foreign proteins, bodies, including splinters, and send a signal to the immune system when they are detected.
At the initial stage, the production of an IgA-type immunoglobulin begins to protect the body from outsiders. It is he who is found in the blood from the first days of the invasion. After 10 - 15 days, if IgA has not coped with the stranger, the production of IgM immunoglobulin begins to help them. Finding it in the blood indicates the transition of helminthiasis into a chronic form and the presence of worms for more than 2 weeks.
How to prepare for a blood test for parasites
For a blood test to show a reliable result, you should carefully prepare for it in advance. First of all, you should stop taking medications that can affect the blood count to one degree or another. These conditions are necessary for enzyme immunoassay of blood, serological analysis and hemoscanning.
In addition, before examining blood for the presence of parasites, it is necessary to switch to proper nutrition, rich in fresh vegetables and fruits, exclude alcoholic beverages, fatty and high-calorie foods. This diet should be followed three days before the scheduled laboratory test. It is recommended not to eat at all immediately before analysis. If you take a blood test to identify parasites on an empty stomach, then lamblia, pinworms and roundworms are found in the blood with a higher reliability.
How to determine the presence using laboratory tests?
Analysis of feces for parasites in adults and children
Preparation
To reliably determine the presence of parasites in the human body, you need to properly prepare, then you will be able to get an accurate result and make a final diagnosis. If the patient is shown to take a sample for the study of feces, 5-7 days before the procedure, it is necessary to remove from the menu all products that affect the color and consistency of feces, as well as medications that may affect the reliability of the data. These are primarily anthelmintic drugs, laxatives and antibiotics.
How is stool analysis performed?
It is important to deliver a sample for verification to the laboratory within an hour so that the analysis of feces for parasites is reliable. If the sample is kept at home for a long time, the results may be inaccurate
Fecal analyzes for the detection of parasites are not always reliable, therefore, in order to make sure that a helminth lives in a person, a number of more accurate diagnostic measures must be taken.
Decryption
In the presence of parasites in the feces, using a microscope, the laboratory assistant in the samples identifies the eggs or larvae of helminths. It is also possible to detect fragments of adults, which detach from the main body and enter the feces.
Histological coprogram
A more accurate technique that makes it possible to obtain a reliable and detailed result is called a histological coprogram. Samples are checked using powerful optical devices, which make it possible to determine the presence of larvae and helminth fragments in each thin section of feces. Histological methods are effective, give accurate results, in addition to identifying eggs and larvae of the parasite, make it possible to determine the types of parasites.
Preparing for scraping
Laboratory diagnostics of parasites includes a scraping study to identify helminths. The day before, the day before taking the sample, it is better for a person not to carry out hygiene procedures for the external genital organs. Such measures are necessary in order for the result to be reliable and to be able to diagnose the problem.
You can also do an analysis for parasites by scraping at home. Before collecting the sample, wash your hands with soap and wear disposable rubber gloves. Next, you need to bend forward, spread the buttocks and hold a cotton swab around the anus. Then return the stick to the test tube and close the lid. Deliver the sample to the laboratory within 40 minutes, otherwise the test will be unreliable.
How do I prepare for a blood draw?
Donating blood for the presence of parasites is the same as taking a general analysis:
- Blood is drawn from a vein.
- The last meal should be no later than 12 hours.
- 2-3 days before taking the test, a person is recommended to exclude heavy, spicy and sweet foods, alcoholic beverages from the diet.
The most reliable diagnosis that will show the presence of helminths in the human body is serological diagnostics. This is a comprehensive analysis that will show whether there are specific antibodies in the serum that are produced during helminthic invasion. The test is carried out under laboratory conditions. Thanks to him, you can quickly check whether a person is infected with helminths and what type of parasites lives in the body.
An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for parasites is another effective technique that makes it possible to identify whether there are helminthic infestations, and to which species the helminths belong. With the help of ELISA for parasites, it is possible to investigate the behavior of specific antigens that are produced by the human body during helminthic invasions. If the amount of immunoglobulins exceeds normal levels by 1. 5-2 times, it is safe to say that a person is infected with parasites.
General clinical methods
If it is necessary to confirm the defeat of human organs by worms, the doctor sends for a targeted analysis to identify parasites - the diagnosis of exactly those fluids in which their traces are absolutely exactly found (feces if intestinal helminths are suspected, bile - with hepatic lesions). What tests are passed for this?
Under the assumption of helminthic invasion, the usual prescriptions will be general clinical methods of research and diagnosis.
Standard Stool Test
The first method allows you to detect intestinal invasions by such parasites:
- nematodes - whipworms, roundworms, tominks, crooked heads;
- flukes - various flukes, schistosoma;
- tapeworms - tapeworms and tapeworms (small and wide).
To determine the eggs of worms, their fragments and larvae, cysts, protozoa, use the methods of microscopic examination. Usually, after the detection of biological material, additional methods of analysis are not applied.
Analyzes to identify the remaining parasites are repeated one month after the completion of the prescribed treatment. In total, three feces are taken every 3-4 days to control the appearance of eggs. If the third blood test for parasites is negative, the treatment is considered effective.
Detailed stool study
Such a comprehensive analysis allows you to identify parasites in the body by eliminating the subjective factor in the analysis (a laboratory assistant cannot always notice the biological material of worms). To determine the invasion, the polymerase chain reaction method is used, which manifests the DNA of the organism parasitizing in the human body, even if it has died or is in the cyst stage.
A detailed analysis for parasites often allows detecting their traces in a patient, even if the results of previously passed tests were negative.
By conducting such a blood test for parasites, up to 17 species can be diagnosed, which will allow prescribing the correct and effective treatment.
Stool analysis after bowel cleansing
For the study, several samples are needed, they are formed as follows: the patient is given a laxative, after each bowel movement a sample is taken, numbered, then the next day they are analyzed. Traces of invasions are usually found no earlier than 5–6 samples. Even if a negative result is obtained, one cannot say with complete certainty that there are no worms in the body - the method has only 50% efficiency.
Slime Research
The method of laboratory examination of mucus from the rectum allows you to determine the invasion of lamblia (which in many cases are provocateurs of irritable bowel syndrome) and some other types of parasites. A smear of mucus is taken for analysis using a special mirror, which is subjected to microscopic examination.
A perineal smear is used to determine pinworm infestation. To do this, in the morning, a scraping is taken from the area closer to the anus (pinworms crawl out to lay worms at night).
Blood tests
Examination of feces is sometimes not able to detect an invasion. A blood test is more informative - it will be the best way to confirm signs of the existence of parasites and allows you to diagnose tissue invasions (echinococcus, whipworms, parasitizing in tissues, do not secrete eggs in the intestines and feces cannot detect it).
It is possible to examine blood for parasites through the detection of antibodies to a certain type of worms, which will reveal their presence, the depth of damage to the human body. What is the name of a blood test for parasites, which will determine the pest that has entered the body?
The modern method uses an analysis for antibodies that are specific for each species and are produced in response to toxins secreted by helminths.
How to recover from parasites
A detailed analysis of feces is able to identify 17 different parasites, so when the doctor finds out which pest is in the patient's body, he prescribes medications for him that are aimed at destroying a certain type of parasite.
However, if the parasite cannot be identified, the doctor can prescribe to the patient a mixture of medicinal herbs, including magnesia with caprylic acid, barberine, extracts of tribulus, wormwood, grapefruit, barberry, bear berry, and black walnut.
These ingredients can usually be found at the pharmacy. By forming beneficial gut bacteria, these herbal formulas provide a broad spectrum of actions to combat the most common pathogens found in the human gastrointestinal tract.
Before starting the fight against parasites with the help of medicinal herbs, it is recommended to consult a doctor, and in case of previous liver diseases, excessive alcohol consumption, or a previously noted increase in the level of liver enzymes, it is worth checking their level again.
If you suspect the presence of parasites living in the liver, probing and verification of the material taken is assigned. If the test results show the presence of these parasites, then long-term treatment is carried out in stationary conditions, which does not always lead to a positive result.
In order to prevent infection with parasites, always wash your hands before eating with running water and soap, and wash fruits, vegetables and herbs thoroughly. After washing everything should be doused with boiling water.
Do not consume water from unverified sources or expose it to boiling. Boil and fry meat and fish thoroughly. Do not consume unboiled cow milk. Better get tested and pasteurized dairy products from the store. Do not forget to carry out preventive deworming for pets, treat them for fleas in time. Get rid of the rodents that often live in basements.
If you have any suspicions about the presence of a parasite in your body, you should see your doctor so that he will order you a detailed fecal analysis. After all, it all starts in the intestines, and the intestines are the path to health. A healthy intestine is a healthy person.
At home, the easiest way to check for pinworms. The first sign of enterobiasis is severe itching in the anus, where female pinworms lay their eggs. Therefore, it is worth conducting an adhesive tape test, preferably with the help of a kit purchased at a pharmacy, but you can also use improvised means.
You will need a piece of tape, a small piece of clear glass (it must be absolutely clean and dry) and a sufficiently strong magnifying glass. The adhesive tape is tightly applied to the skin tissue in the anus, then it is carefully removed and the adhesive side is placed on the glass. The small, whitish pinworm eggs can now be seen through the magnifying glass.
For reliability, such an adhesive tape test is best done several times within 10-12 days. The test is done immediately after waking up, before using the toilet and water procedures, so as not to wash off the eggs.
A more versatile and unpleasant, although relatively correct way to find out if there are worms in the body is to make an enema, then use a cleanly washed pot and check the "purity" of the feces. If you notice small white worms or eggs, see your doctor immediately and start treatment.
Remember that it is not always possible to determine the presence of worms in this way, so you should not be limited only to them. Also keep in mind that if you choose this option, if possible, it is worth carrying out the verification procedure on the full moon closer to night.
At this time, worms, as a rule, begin their peak of reproduction, and therefore they are easiest to notice. The procedure should be carried out shortly before bedtime, as parasites often lay eggs during the period when the host is resting.
Complications of parasitic diseases
During the life or death of the parasite, toxic substances are released into the host's body. They can cause weakness, constant fatigue, dizziness, headache, nausea, decreased appetite. In addition, these substances provoke sensitization of the body, which causes allergies - rash, dermatitis, bronchitis.
Many parasites choose the human gastrointestinal tract for habitation. When strengthened in the intestines, as well as nutrition, the parasites damage and destroy mucosal cells and blood cells. Extensive damage to the mucous membrane can manifest itself as pain, nausea, and digestive and nutrient problems.
A large number of parasites (for example, ascaris), intertwining into a ball, can cause intestinal blockage and acute intestinal obstruction. The risk of this complication is especially high in young children, because they already have intestinal lumen.
The parasite is called so because the interests of the host's organism are not too concerned with. It takes all the necessary elements from food, depriving the host of many necessary nutrients - minerals and vitamins. Therefore, one of the consequences of parasitic diseases is hypovitaminosis and avitaminosis, which can manifest itself as a decrease in immunity, deterioration of the condition of the skin, nails, hair, etc. A significant loss of blood cells (due to the parasite feeding on them) and their insufficient formation (due to hypovitaminosis) leads toanemia.
A parasite like Trichinella lives in the muscles and feeds on them, which causes severe muscle pain. Parasites that live or multiply in the bile ducts (for example, opisthorchias) can cause blockages in the bile ducts, which is manifested by jaundice of the skin and sclera, itching.
Parasites are a source of regular chronic damage to cells, which provokes their malignant changes and the development of cancer.
Another danger of parasites is that an infected person becomes, in most cases, the cause of infection of other people. As a result, all family members can get sick if one of them has the parasite.
The appearance of cysts in the brain can cause the development of epilepsy and other neurological disorders. In addition, cysts are a source of abscess formation in internal organs.
To protect yourself and your loved ones from parasites, it is necessary to timely identify and treat parasitic diseases. A comprehensive examination for helminthiasis helps in this.