Many people are interested in the question of what the eggs of worms look like, since cases of infection with parasites are not uncommon. Infection usually occurs through the entry of worm eggs into the human body. This can happen through dirty hands, food and contact with feces and pet hair. If there is a suspicion of parasite infection, a person tries to independently detect worm eggs in feces. But it is impossible to see the eggs with the naked eye, they are microscopic in size and can only be detected by analyzing the feces.
Roundworm infestation
Roundworm infection occurs when eating unwashed vegetables and fruits, poorly fried meat and fish. Contagion is possible through dirty hands, especially in children. The worm's habitat is the human intestine
Ascaris eggs can only be seen under a microscope. They are very small in size (about 0. 07 mm). Adult worms are also very difficult to spot in feces. Only after taking anthelmintic drugs, particles of dead worms come out of the intestine. They look like translucent elongated inclusions.
Only microscopic examination of feces will help determine the presence of roundworm eggs. Eggs are yellow formations with a shell covered with tubercles. Sometimes an embryo is visible in fertilized eggs. They are very resistant to environmental influences and can exist outside the human body for many years.
Ascaris eggs
Since it is very difficult to detect traces of the presence of roundworms in the body, you should be aware of the symptoms of infestation: a sudden increase in body temperature;
- skin rashes;
- choking and coughing (sometimes with blood);
- muscle spasms;
- joint pain.
These manifestations are related to the effect of roundworm allergen on the body. If such symptoms are found, it is necessary to do a stool test for worm eggs.
Where to go if you suspect worms?
If you suspect a helminth infestation, you should make an appointment with an infectious disease specialist. In the early stages, helminthiasis has no specific symptoms, so it is quite difficult to suspect that you or a loved one has worms. As a rule, the patient complains of mild discomfort: indigestion, headache, apathy.
If the symptoms do not disappear within a week or the condition recurs periodically (for example, once every 3-4 months you feel bad), you should consult your doctor. Attacks of ill health can be associated with the migration of parasites.
Pinworm infection
Pinworms can be infected by casual contact with a sick person (through common objects, shaking hands). Humans are often infected by cats and dogs; worm eggs live on pets' fur. Children are especially susceptible to this disease. The child can become infected with these parasites in the kindergarten or from animals. Pinworm eggs can be found on any objects with which the patient has come into contact. They can be found under fingernails, on toys, bedding and underwear. Because of this, it is very easy to get infected with pinworms.
Sedge eggs
Horsetails lead to the development of a disease called enterobiosis. Signs of infection are as follows:
- itching in the area of the rectal outlet;
- diarrhea;
- nausea;
- sudden weight loss;
- flatulence.
Pinworm eggs are not excreted in the feces. Parasites breed in the anal area where they lay eggs, which causes itching. To determine the presence of these worms in the body, a scraping is made from the skin of the anus and a microscopic examination of the material taken is carried out. Such an analysis is usually required when enrolling a child in kindergarten. The scraping is taken in the morning before washing the child so that the eggs of the parasites are not washed away. Perform triplicate analysis over several days. Eggs of pinworms under a microscope look like oblong particles of white cereal.
Adult pinworms can be found in the feces of children and adults. These are small white worms about 0. 5-1 cm long, one end of their body is pointed.
Folk remedies for the treatment of helminths
For diphyllobothriosis, folk remedies should be used only after consulting a doctor. They should not replace medical treatment, but can only complement it. The most commonly used recipe is with pumpkin seeds.
Pumpkin seeds have a detrimental effect on many helminths, including tapeworms. They contain cucurbitin, a substance that destroys parasites. The seeds are ground with a coffee grinder or blender, then diluted with water to a pulp. For adults, you will need 300 g of seeds, and for children - from 50 to 100 g. The finished product is consumed in the morning on an empty stomach for 1 hour. After that, you should not eat breakfast. After 3 hours you should take a laxative and after another 30 minutes do an enema.
When the parasite comes out in the stool, it should be examined. You should pay attention to whether there is a head at one end of its body. If it is not there, it means that only the segments have come out and the parasite will be able to resume the body and release eggs. In this case, the course of treatment should be repeated.
whipworms
This type of parasite is quite rare in the central zone of our country. Whipworms often live in southern regions, as the eggs of this worm love heat. Most infections occur in rural areas.
Whipworm eggs live in the soil. Infection occurs through hands, contaminated soil particles and poorly washed vegetables and fruits.
As a result of infection, a disease occurs - trichocephalosis. Whipworm parasitizes the intestines. This worm causes anemia as it feeds on human blood and severe abdominal pain.
Whipworm egg
The eggs of the parasite are excreted in the feces, but they are very small and cannot always be seen even under a microscope. Only in a very severe infection is it possible to detect eggs in a stool test. They are barrel-shaped and have a brownish-yellow color. There are holes on both sides of the egg.
What do worms in stool look like? They are very difficult to detect alive in the feces, as worms cannot live long outside the human body. Only with anthelmintic therapy can you notice dead white worms in the stool.
To diagnose trichuriasis, the rectum and sigmoid colon are examined with a special device (sigmoidoscopy). In this way, accumulations of parasites in the intestines are detected. Treating the infestation takes a long time because the eggs of the worms are protected by a thick shell.
Diagnosis of helminthiasis
When diagnosing many helminth infections, a stool examination is first performed. If you find black dots in your stool or white worms in your stool, this test should be done as soon as possible.
However, not only stools with black dots are an indication of coprogram. Often, even eggs invisible to the eye can be easily identified under a microscope. A more accurate diagnosis of feces by detecting helminth DNA particles is carried out using the PCR technique.
If a person has a lot of black spots in their stool, then other diagnostic methods include the following:
- Scraping from the area near the anus;
- Blood test using ELISA, PCR, RNGA and other methods;
- Don't forget to do blood chemistry and CBC;
- In order to identify the localization of the parasites, ultrasound, MRI and CT are performed in some cases;
- X-ray examination is indicated for the diagnosis of the migratory stage of helminths.
In some forms of helminthiasis, an examination of sputum, rectal mucus, urine and the contents of the gallbladder can be performed. Endoscopy is also sometimes used for diagnosis.
Trichinella
This is one of the most dangerous types of roundworms. Trichinella parasitizes human muscles. Severe infection sometimes leads to death.
Trichinella enters the body when eating poorly processed meat from wild and domestic animals. Worms are destroyed only at very high temperatures (around 80°C). Worms can be found in salted or smoked meat; such treatment does not kill their larvae.
Possible infection from undercooked meat
Parasite eggs cannot be found in the human body. The female trichinella carries the eggs in her body, after which the larva is born. These are worms that reproduce ovoid. It is impossible to detect trichinella in feces. Newborn larvae immediately enter the blood and lymph, bypassing the intestines. Larvae die quickly in the faeces.
The disease is usually diagnosed when the parasite has managed to enter the muscles. In this case, a person is worried about the following symptoms: muscle pain;
- swelling;
- febrile condition (high temperature, pain, malaise);
- irregular bowel movements with constipation or diarrhea.
To detect invasion, a blood test with a serological test is performed. This is the only method for detecting trichinella in the body.
Article for patients with a medically diagnosed disease. It does not replace a doctor's examination and cannot be used for self-diagnosis.
Broad tapeworm
The human body contains only immature tapeworm eggs. They are excreted with the feces and fall into the external environment. With untreated sewage, the eggs fall into water bodies and begin their development there. They first end up in the body of freshwater crustaceans. Pond fish become infected with tapeworms when they eat small crustaceans. And a person gets a helminthic infestation when he eats poorly fried, infected fish from freshwater reservoirs or raw pike caviar.
Broad tapeworm eggs
The disease diphyllobothriosis occurs, which manifests itself with the following symptoms: pain in the abdominal cavity;
- nausea and vomiting;
- stool problems (constipation or diarrhea);
- loss of appetite or excessive hunger.
What do helminths from the tapeworm class look like? It is a large parasite that can reach 10 m in length. Only separate living parts (segments) of the worm can be found in the feces, they look like long (from 30 cm to 3 m) white strips. They should be removed from the feces with tweezers, transferred to a clean container and taken to a parasitologist or infectious disease specialist for analysis.
Microscopic examination of stool may reveal tapeworm eggs. Their size is about 0. 07 mm. Eggs look like yellowish, oval-shaped formations covered with a thick shell. One end of the egg is covered with a cap, and the other ends with a bulge.
Worm larvae can be passed in the stool, but are not dangerous. Diphyllobothriasis cannot be contracted from an infected person or animal. Infection occurs exclusively through the consumption of fish.
Damage to the body
When a broad tapeworm enters the intestine, the disease diphyllobothriosis develops. The helminth mainly affects the gastrointestinal tract. Inflammation and ulcers form on the walls of the intestine where the worm attaches. If there is not one, but several parasites in the body, they can block the lumen of the intestine, leading to obstruction. The helminth constantly irritates the walls of the gastrointestinal tract, which leads to disturbances in the digestive processes. It also poisons the human body with waste products, which causes allergies. When the parasite remains in the body for a long time, severe anemia and vitamin B12 deficiency develop.
Beef and pork tapeworm
Humans become infected with these types of parasites by consuming poorly processed meat from domestic animals. The segments of the worm are excreted in the patient's stool. In the external environment, the segments move through the soil and lay eggs with larvae inside. These eggs are then ingested by pets. When a person eats contaminated beef or pork, he becomes infected with beef or pork tapeworm. To destroy the tapeworm, you must boil or fry the meat for at least 30 minutes.
Whipworm
Bovine tapeworm causes taeniarhynchiasis and pig tapeworm causes taenia. The symptoms of these diseases are similar: abdominal pain;
- constant feeling of hunger;
- nausea and vomiting;
- weakness;
- weight loss;
- diarrhea;
- itching in the anal region when the segments come out.
The worms in the patient's stool are in the form of segments. They look like light stripes about 1-2 cm long. The segments of the pig tapeworm are longer and consist of 3 segments.
During stool analysis, tapeworm eggs (oncospheres) are detected. They are round formations with a dense shell, inside which there is an embryo.
Infection with pork tapeworm is possible through dirty hands, without an intermediate host. Segments shed with the patient's feces are dangerous. They can enter the human body from contaminated soil. In this case, the larvae of the pig tapeworm multiply in the human body and cause a serious disease - cysticercosis. This is a very dangerous invasion. The larvae enter the brain, spinal cord, eyes, heart and lungs, causing severe damage. In cysticercosis, the segments and eggs are not excreted with the feces. The disease can only be detected by a serological blood test and an analysis of the cerebrospinal fluid.
Classification
Modern medicine classifies the worms that parasitize the human body as follows: Luminal. Such worms live in the intestinal lumen. These include broad tapeworm, dwarf and tapeworm, hookworm, pinworm, whipworm, roundworm, etc.
Cloth. Such worms choose for their habitat muscle and lung tissues, as well as organs such as pancreas, liver, brain, etc.
Depending on where the tissue helminths are located, the invasion may have the following names:
- Filariasis. The parasites live in the lymph nodes
- cysticercosis. The area of the brain affected by helminths
- Echinococcosis. A helminthic invasion was diagnosed in the liver
- Paragonimosis. The parasites live in the lungs
flukes
Of the fluke worms in humans, the cat fluke (liver fluke) is the most common. The habitat of worm eggs is fresh water. From there, the parasite enters the body of a shellfish and then a fish. Cats and humans become infected with fluke by eating poorly processed freshwater fish, as well as through contaminated water. A sick cat does not pose a danger to humans.
Liver of a fly with parasites
Fish from the carp family are most often infected. Salting or smoking does not kill the parasite. A fairly long heat treatment of the product is required. You can become infected with fluke if you accidentally swallow water from a pond or river. Cases of infestation after watering beds with contaminated water are known.
Cat fluke attacks the liver. There is pain in the abdominal cavity on the right side, nausea, vomiting, fever. During a medical examination, an enlargement of the organ was found.
Adult worms are not excreted in the feces. What do fluke eggs look like under a microscope? When examining the feces, you can see transparent ovals with a golden shell. On one side of the egg is a plug that opens when the larva hatches. For diagnostic purposes, a blood test for antibodies or an enzyme immunoassay is additionally performed.
How do you know if there are worms?
It is impossible to independently determine the presence of a helminthic invasion. In the initial stages, the disease can be practically asymptomatic. The patient does not feel pain, the immune system can suppress the pathogenic effects of toxins and allergens for some time. As a rule, exacerbation begins during the migration of larvae or with an increase in the number of worms. The stronger the infestation (ie, the more parasites), the more symptoms appear.
However, the asymptomatic course of the invasion is dangerous - the patient infects others and his health gradually deteriorates. In order to detect the disease, it is necessary to periodically undergo a preventive examination in the hospital. As part of prevention, the therapist prescribes tests for worms at least once a year. If you live in an endemic region - once every six months.
What can be seen with the naked eye?
Since some parasites are very small in size, it is not always possible to detect their presence in the body only by the presence of eggs in the feces. Some parasites are microscopic in size and live hidden in the body without revealing their presence. In addition, they are not always localized in the intestine and can migrate throughout the body. Therefore, to diagnose parasitic infections, they resort to serological tests, which are based on the antigen-antibody immune reaction.
All parasites look different, have their own specific development cycles, different infection symptoms and differences in treatment regimens. However, there are a number of symptoms that may indicate a parasitic infection in a person:
- rapid weight loss;
- bowel disorder: diarrhea replaces constipation;
- severe itching in the anus;
- skin rashes of unknown etiology;
- stomach pains;
- flatulence;
- loss of appetite;
- inexplicable desire for sweets;
- sometimes uncontrollable appetite in adults;
- frequent colds due to a decrease in the body's defenses.