Decreased immunity, which provokes frequent cold and inflammatory diseases in a person, poor skin and hair condition, problems with the work of the gastrointestinal tract, anemia and many other pathologies are mostly caused by worms, large worms, or microscopic parasites located in the human intestine. Diagnosis of their presence is possible only when the patient passes the relevant studies. The most common method, assigned to patients of any age category, is the analysis of feces for helminths and protozoa. It is recommended not only to hand it over if it is suspected of invasion, but also in the case of a child's placement in a pre-school institution, adults working for food industry enterprises, obtaining a certificate in the pool or scheduled hospital treatment.
How correctly to pass a feces on worms that results of carried out research showed the most reliable results? This question is asked by many patients, because of the observance of certain rules for the collection and storage of biomaterial intended for analysis on worms, its effectiveness depends. In order to perform the procedure without errors, experts recommend that you listen to the following tips:
- Collecting feces for helminths should be done naturally, that is, enemas or laxatives should not be used for the defecation process. This will eliminate the excretion of feces intended for analysis of foreign inclusions, starch, fats and unboiled food, which have passed through the intestine;
- Cal for analysis, allowing to determine the presence of worms, should be fresh. Store it can be no more than 8 hours in a refrigerator;
- Before submitting the biomaterial for the study of helminthiases, it is recommended that the diet be followed. To do this is necessary in order that there is no constipation or diarrhea, and feces did not acquire an inappropriate coloring;
- On the eve of collecting feces for analysis on worms, you should stop taking medications and not conduct radiocontrast studies on digestive organs.
Methods of analysis of feces for worms and protozoa
Analysis of feces for worms shows the presence or absence in the human body of eggs or fragments of bodies of round and tapeworms, lamblia, amoebae and other simple helminths that parasitize in the intestine. They can be determined using several diagnostic methods, assigned depending on the particular type of parasitic invasion:
- The coprogram, which investigates the main microscopic and physicochemical features of feces, shows both helminths or protozoa that are present in the intestine of the patient. Such an analysis, like a coprogram, is effective in detecting in the stool eggs of helminths of classes of flukes and round and tapeworms. It is also used to diagnose invasions by protozoa. This study does not require special preparation, and the answer is made within 6 days. But this method of diagnosis, which is called a coprogram, has a significant negative - a negative result does not always mean the absence of helminths. To obtain a reliable result of this analysis, showing if there are worms in the stool, it will have to be taken three times;
- PCR diagnostics is a method that allows to identify invasions by protozoa based on DNA analysis. High specificity of PCR allows you to quickly get information about the main types of worms and protozoan parasites in the patient's body. This can be done even if there are microscopic fragments of pathogens in the feces. The downside of PCR for helminths is that it is impossible to know the amount of parasites in the body and the severity of infection with it;
- Cal to helminths for KATO is otherwise called the "thick smear" method. This analysis is quite informative and is used to detect such helminthic invasions, such as ankylostomiasis, trichocephalosis and ascariasis. The principle of the KATO research is that the biomaterial, clarified with glycerin and colored green, is applied thickly to the slide and viewed under a microscope. This allows us to identify a specific type of parasites that are located in the intestine. The total absence of worms is determined only after a triple analysis of feces, which showed a negative result for KATO;
- Often used and study of feces for helminths by the method of enrichment. This technique is very effective and allows one to identify 18 species of parasites in one diagnostic procedure. The essence of it is the preparation of a solution for the analysis of worms for analysis. Then it is passed through a special filter with cells selected for a certain size. To obtain a reliable result by the method of enrichment, a specialist studies under a microscope the surface part of the sediment, in which there are surfaced eggs of worms.
How correctly to collect the analysis of a feces on worms?
Laboratory studies of feces to identify parasites in them are considered mandatory for a small child, especially when he visits a garden where the probability of an epidemic of pinworms is high. Such diagnostics in pre-school establishments is planned, at least 2 times a year. In addition, the pediatrician can prescribe her and if suspected of being infected with helminths or when the baby is placed in a hospital. That is why parents need to know how to properly collect the analysis of feces, which allows to detect with high accuracy in children worms. This will help increase the effectiveness of the research. The rules for collecting the biomaterial from the child are as follows:
- The storage container is prepared in advance. It can be a special container or a clean jar with a tight fitting lid;
- Prepare the biomaterial in the morning. In extreme cases, if the baby has only an evening chair, a bowel-filled vessel for 8 hours before going to the laboratory, it is necessary to keep it in the refrigerator;
- There should be no urine in feces;
- It is not recommended to give the child laxatives, activated charcoal, and also to put enemas before the helminthic examination.
Many parents are interested in the question of how to determine whether feces have children worms. To diagnose invasions, special methods of analysis are used. They have several names and allow us to identify a particular type of parasite in a small patient. The results of any of them may be inaccurate, since for the detection of parasites it is necessary to catch the moment when they multiply. The most correct specialists consider a three-fold analysis of feces with an interval of 2-3 days. In the event that they all show a negative result, helminthic infestation in the child is absent. If at least one of the studies received a positive result, the specialist notes the presence in the digestive system of a child of parasites. In this case, treatment of the invasion will be assigned not only to the baby, but to all family members.