Lamblias are the simplest microorganisms that parasitize mainly in the small intestine, they like to settle in the duodenum and in the bile duct. When a huge colony is formed, a disease called lambliasis develops. It is accompanied by symptoms of a disorder of the gastrointestinal tract, allergic and neurological manifestations. The source of infection is a sick person. Most often, the infection occurs in young children, although adults suffer from it. Infection occurs when a person's cyst lamblia enters the body( pictured).What it is? How do they look? How long do protozoa live flagellated microorganisms? Can infection be prevented? The answers in this article.
The process of infection is directly related to the life cycle of lamblia. Flagellar microorganisms multiply by fission. Giardia, in contrast to worms, reproduce not eggs, and cysts - special oval shapes up to 12 microns( see how they look on the photo).It is in cysts that the process of preparation for longitudinal division takes place, all organoids within it are doubled. There are mature and immature cysts. The latter contain four, not two cores.
How does infection with lamblia cysts occur?
Cysts are found in the small intestine, but most of them accumulate in the large intestine, more precisely, in its colon. So, as they are immobile, moving along the chyme path causes the cysts to go out with the feces outward. In the environment, Giardia live short-lived: in moist feces their viability persists for two weeks, in case of cysts entering the water, the period of their viability increases to two months. In the human body the simplest parasites come in different ways:
- by the oral route( dirty hands, use of dirty unwashed products).
- Water by( drinking unboiled water).
- Contact-household way.
In the stomach, cysts( pictured), which only look like eggs, retain their shell and safely, along with a stream of partially digested food, enter the duodenum. There, the action of bile destroys the protective shell of the spores and from one form two vegetative formations are obtained, called in the science trophozoites. It is the trophozoites that settle on the walls of the small intestine and parasitize, feeding on parietal juices.
Trophozoites multiply by the binary fission method. Flagellar microorganisms under the influence of a high concentration of bile are converted into cysts. The life cycle closes. Its description allows us to understand what cysts are, what role they play in the development of giardiasis. When a single lamblium enters a person, infection does not occur.
How to detect lamblia cysts?
It's quite difficult to diagnose this condition. All the studies, as seen in the photo, are conducted in the laboratory. And all because the clinic of Giardiasis is able to boast of a variety of clinical manifestations or the absence of any pathognomonic manifestations. Sometimes the complex of diagnostic measures helps to confirm the presence of parasites in a child's organism or in an adult. It includes:
- Study of stool.
- Ultrasound examination of the liver and pancreas.
- Complete blood count.
In order to get an objective answer, it is important to properly prepare yourself for the delivery of the indicated tests, so it makes sense to talk about this in more detail.
How to take an analysis of feces for lamblia cysts?
Feces on eggs of parasites is a very informative procedure that helps to understand if the patient has a lamblia in the intestines, at what stage the lambliasis takes place( in the acute phase or in the chronic phase).Kal for cysts is surrendered not only during the diagnosis, but also later, during treatment( the procedure makes it possible to understand how effectively the chosen therapy works). Such a study is conducted after the treatment, a week after it( thus, it is ascertained whether the completerecovery).
Despite the development of technical progress, lamblia cysts continue to be the most accurate diagnostic procedure, allowing to identify the causative agent of the described infection, in whatever form it is present inside the sick person. To hand over the described analysis it is possible in any medical institution( in a polyclinic or in an infectious hospital).
The essence of fecal studies is the detection of trophozoite and cysts in the feces of a sick person. Their samples are studied under a microscope. In order to obtain objective data, the "material" must be fresh( collected no later than 12 hours before the procedure).Before its collection you can not use laxatives, you should not take a week before any antiparasitic drugs. It is necessary to pack the feces correctly, it is best to use special plastic cups for this. As can be seen in the photo, they are provided with a tight-fitting lid and a spoon for collection of faeces.
Please note! Before passing the stool to a specific medical institution, it is important to specify the conditions for taking the tests. Some clinics are asked to bring "warm feces", collected two hours before the necessary studies. This circumstance creates certain inconveniences for adults, and in the case of children it is sometimes difficult to get babies to empty their intestines at exactly the prescribed time.
Of course, in warm feces to find lamblia is much easier. The fact is that after this time the conditions of vital activity of the simplest microorganisms change( acidity increases in "cold" feces, humidity decreases, temperature drops).In such conditions mobile forms of lamblia die, but cysts remain unchanged. Their presence and helps the laboratory assistants to confirm the diagnosis. Therefore, the time for collection of stool for a well-equipped laboratory does not create any special difficulties.
The analysis of feces for lamblia cysts
The presence of cysts in the feces of a child or an adult patient is a sure sign of infection. But sometimes they are absent, but the blood test for antigen gives a positive result. In this case, the feces are examined repeatedly. If the repeated diagnostic procedure shows a negative result again, but the patient complains about the presence of characteristic symptoms of giardiasis, the feces will need to be examined again. With a negative result, for the third time the doctor is simply obliged to change the tactics and consider other causes that would be able to cause present pathological reactions. The absence of cysts in the stool does not allow to deny the diagnosis, a similar phenomenon can indicate that in the intestine of a sick person there is only a small number of flagellum microorganisms. That is why besides the described analysis, other diagnostic procedures are prescribed to the patient.
The positive response of feces to cysts, and not to the eggs of the helminths, suggests that lamblia is actively parasitized in the intestines, that lambliasis proceeds in acute or chronic form. Correctly diagnosed is the key to successful treatment.
Treatment of cysts of lamblia
Treatment consists of three stages:
- Control of clinical manifestations of the disease.
- Use of antimicrobials.
- Strengthening of immunity and prevention of repeated infections.
Special diet( using unfavorable conditions for life of trophozoite and cysts), augmentation of bile outflow, enterosorbents and antiallergic drugs helps to eliminate the symptoms of the disease. Treatment is based on the intake of antimicrobials. To get rid( kill and withdraw) from the flagellates, you can use Metronidazole or Ornidazole( pictured).Duration of treatment is determined depending on the selected tablets. Strengthening of immunity is based on adherence to a special anti-cystic diet, on the intake of vitamins and enzyme preparations, as well as probiotics. To enhance the effect of therapy, you can use folk remedies.