Many people are interested in the question of what worm eggs look like, because cases of infection with parasites are not uncommon. Infestation usually occurs when worm eggs enter the human body. This can happen through contact with dirty hands, food, feces and pet dander. If a parasite infection is suspected, a person tries to detect worm eggs in the feces on their own. However, the eggs cannot be seen with the naked eye, they are microscopic in size and can only be detected during stool analysis.
Roundworm infection
Infection with roundworms occurs when eating unwashed vegetables and fruits, poorly fried meat and fish. Infection with dirty hands is possible, especially in children. The abode of the worm is the human intestine
Ascaris eggs can only be seen under a microscope. Their size is very small (about 0. 07 mm). Adult worms are also very difficult to see in feces. Only after taking anthelmintic drugs, particles of dead worms come out of the intestines. They look like transparent elongated inclusions.
Only a 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 appears 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 signs of infestation: a sudden increase in body temperature;
- skin rashes;
- choking and coughing (sometimes with blood);
- muscle spasms;
- joint pain.
These manifestations are associated with the effect of the roundworm allergen on the body. If such symptoms are detected, it is necessary to conduct a stool test for worm eggs.
Where should you go if you suspect worms?
If you suspect a helminthic infection, you should make an appointment with an infectious disease specialist. In the early stages, there are no specific symptoms of helminthosis, so it is very difficult to suspect that you or your loved ones have worms. As a rule, the patient complains of mild discomfort: indigestion, headache, apathy.
If the symptoms do not disappear within a week or if the condition returns periodically (for example, if you feel bad once every 3-4 months), you should consult your doctor. Attacks of poor health can be attributed to the migration of parasites.
Pinworm infection
Pinworms can be transmitted by casual contact (through shared objects, shaking hands) with a sick person. People often get infections from cats and dogs; worm eggs live in the hair of pets. Children are especially susceptible to this disease. A child can be infected with these parasites in the garden or from animals. Pinworm eggs can be found on any object that the patient comes into contact with. They can be found under fingernails, toys, bedding and underwear. Therefore, it is very easy to get infected with pinworms.
Pinworm eggs
Pinworms cause the development of a disease called enterobiasis. Symptoms of infection include:
- itching in the rectal exit area;
- diarrhea;
- nausea;
- sudden weight loss;
- flatulence.
Pinworm eggs are not excreted in the stool. Parasites multiply in the anal area where they lay eggs, which causes itching. In order to detect the presence of these worms in the body, a scraping is made from the skin of the anus and a microscopic examination of the obtained material is carried out. Such an analysis is usually required upon entering kindergarten. In order not to wash off parasite eggs, the scraping is taken before washing the child in the morning. Do a triplicate analysis within a few days. Under the microscope, pinworm eggs look like elongated particles of white grain.
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 the body is pointed.
Folk remedies against helminths
Folk remedies for diphyllobothriasis should be used only after consulting a doctor. They should not replace drug treatment, but can complement it. The most commonly used recipe is pumpkin seeds.
Pumpkin seeds have a harmful effect on many helminths, including tapeworms. They contain the substance cucurbitin, which destroys parasites. The seeds are ground with a coffee grinder or blender, then diluted with water to a paste. Adults need 300 g of seeds, and children need 50 to 100 g. The prepared product is consumed in the morning on an empty stomach within 1 hour. You should not eat breakfast after that. 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 the body. If it is not there, it means that only the segments have come out and the parasite will be able to re-grow 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, because the eggs of this worm like heat. Most infections are observed in rural areas.
Whipworm eggs live in the soil. Infestation occurs through hands, contaminated soil particles, poorly washed vegetables and fruits.
As a result of infection, a disease occurs - trichocephalosis. Whipworms parasitize the intestines. As this worm feeds on human blood, it causes anemia and severe abdominal pain.
Whip 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 with a very severe infestation is it possible to detect eggs in a stool test. They are barrel-shaped and brown-yellow in color. The egg has holes on both sides.
What do worms look like in feces? Because whipworms cannot live for long outside the human body, it is very difficult to detect them alive in feces. Only with anthelmintic therapy can you see dead white worms in the stool.
For the diagnosis of trichuriasis, the rectum and sigmoid colon are examined with a special device (sigmoidoscopy). In this way, the accumulation of parasites in the intestines is detected. Treating the infestation takes a long time, because the whipworm eggs are protected by a dense shell.
Diagnosis of helminths
When many helminth infections are diagnosed, the first step is to examine the feces. If you find black dots in the stool or white worms in the stool, this test should be done as soon as possible.
However, stool with black dots alone is not an indication for coprophylaxis. Eggs, often invisible to the naked 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 many black spots in their stool, other diagnostic methods include:
- Scraping from the area near the anus;
- blood test using ELISA, PCR, RNGA and other methods;
- Be sure to do blood biochemistry and CBC;
- In some cases, ultrasound, MRI and CT are performed to determine the localization of parasites;
- X-ray examination is indicated to diagnose the migration stage of helminths.
Examination of sputum, rectal mucus, urine and gallbladder contents can be performed for certain forms of helminthiasis. Endoscopic examination is sometimes used for diagnosis.
Trichinella
This is one of the most dangerous types of roundworms. Trichinella parasitizes human muscles. Severe infection sometimes results in death.
Trichinella enters the body by consuming poorly processed meat of wild and domestic animals. Worms are destroyed only at very high temperatures (about 80°C). Worms can be found in salted or smoked meat, which does not kill their larvae.
Possible infection from undercooked meat
Parasite eggs cannot be detected in the human body. The female Trichinella carries the eggs in her body, then the larva is born. These are worms that reproduce ovoviviparously. Trichinella cannot be detected in feces. The newly born larvae pass through the intestines and immediately enter the blood and lymph. Larvae die quickly in feces.
Usually, the disease is diagnosed when the parasite can enter the muscles. In this case, a person is bothered by the following symptoms: muscle pain;
- swelling;
- febrile condition (high temperature, pain, malaise);
- irregular bowel movements with constipation or diarrhea.
A blood test with a serological test is performed to detect the infection. This is the only way to detect Trichinella in the body.
Article for patients with a disease diagnosed by a doctor. It does not replace a doctor's prescription and cannot be used for self-diagnosis.
Broad tapeworm
There are only immature tapeworm eggs in the human body. They are excreted in feces and enter the external environment. With untreated wastewater, eggs fall into water bodies and begin to develop there. First, they enter the body of freshwater crustaceans. Fish from reservoirs become infected with tapeworms when they eat small crustaceans. Humans get helminthic infection when eating undercooked, infected fish from fresh water bodies or raw pike roe.
Broad tapeworm eggs
The disease occurs diphyllobothriasis, which is manifested by the following symptoms: pain in the abdominal cavity;
- nausea and vomiting;
- intestinal problems (constipation or diarrhea);
- loss of appetite or extreme hunger.
What do helminths from the class of tapeworms look like? It is a large parasite that can reach 10 m in length. Only individual living parts (segments) of the worm can be found in feces, which look like long (from 30 cm to 3 m) white ribbons. 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 can reveal tapeworm eggs. Their size is about 0. 07 mm. Eggs look like yellowish oval-shaped compounds covered with a thick shell. One end of the egg is covered with a cap, and the other end is convex.
Worm larvae can be shed in feces, but they are not dangerous. Diphyllobothriasis cannot be transmitted from an infected person or animal. Infestation occurs only through consumption of fish.
Damage to the body
When a wide tapeworm enters the intestines, diphyllobothriasis develops. Helminth primarily affects the gastrointestinal tract. Inflammations and ulcers form in the intestinal walls where the worm is attached. If there is not one, but several parasites in the body, they can block the lumen of the intestine, resulting in obstruction. Helminth constantly irritates the walls of the gastrointestinal tract, which causes digestive disorders. In addition, it poisons the human body with waste products, which causes allergies. If the parasite remains in the body for a long time, severe anemia and vitamin B12 deficiency develop.
Beef and pork tape
Humans become infected with this type of parasite by eating poorly processed meat from domestic animals. Worm segments are excreted in the patient's feces. In the external environment, the segments move in the soil and lay eggs with larvae inside. These eggs are then ingested by domestic animals. A person becomes infected with beef or pork tapeworm when they eat contaminated beef or pork. To kill tapeworms, meat should be boiled or fried for at least 30 minutes.
Taurus built a ribbon
Bovine tapeworm causes taeniahrynchiasis, and pork causes taeniasis. The symptoms of these diseases are similar: abdominal pain;
- constant feeling of hunger;
- nausea and vomiting;
- weakness;
- lose weight;
- diarrhea;
- itching in the anal area when the segments come out.
Worms in the stool of the patient are in the form of segments. They look like light strips about 1-2 cm long. The segments of the pig tapeworm are longer and consist of 3 segments.
Tapeworm eggs (oncospheres) are detected during stool analysis. They are round formations with a dense shell, inside there is an embryo.
Infection with pig tapeworm is possible through dirty hands, without an intermediate host. The segments excreted in the patient's feces are dangerous. They can enter the human body from contaminated soil. In this case, pork tapeworm larvae multiply in the human body and cause a serious disease - cysticercosis. This is a very dangerous occupation. Larvae enter the brain, spinal cord, eyes, heart and lungs and cause serious damage. With cysticercosis, segments and eggs are not excreted in the feces. The disease can be detected only by serological blood test and cerebrospinal fluid analysis.
Classification
Modern medicine classifies worms that parasitize the human body as follows: Luminal. Such worms live in the intestinal lumen. These include broadworms, dwarf and bull tapeworms, hookworms, roundworms, whipworms, roundworms, etc.
Cloth. Such worms use muscle and lung tissue as well as pancreas, liver, brain, etc. they choose such bodies.
Depending on the exact localization of tissue helminths, the invasion may have the following names:
- Filariasis. Parasites live in the lymph nodes
- Cysticercosis. Brain area affected by helminths
- Echinococcosis. Helminthic infestation in the liver is diagnosed
- Paragonimiasis. Parasites live in the lungs
Flukes
Cat fluke (liver fluke) is the most common type of fluke in humans. The habitat of worm eggs is fresh water. From there, the parasite enters the body of shellfish, and then the fish. Cats and humans contract influenza by consuming poorly processed freshwater fish, as well as through contaminated water. A sick cat does not pose a threat to humans.
Burbot liver with parasites
Most often, fish from the carp family are infected. Salting or smoking does not kill the parasite. Long enough heat treatment of the product is required. You can get the flu by accidentally drinking water from a pond or river. There are known cases of invasion after irrigation of beds with contaminated water.
Cat saliva attacks the liver. There is pain in the abdominal cavity on the right side, nausea, vomiting, fever. During the medical examination, the growth of the organ is revealed.
Adult worms are not excreted in the feces. What do worm eggs look like under a microscope? When examining the stool, you can see transparent ovals with a golden crust. On one side of the egg is a plug that opens when the larva hatches. For diagnostic purposes, a blood test for antibodies or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay is additionally performed.
How to find out if you have worms?
It is impossible to independently determine the presence of helminthic infection. In the initial stages, the disease may be virtually asymptomatic. The patient does not feel pain, the immune system suppresses the pathogenic effects of toxins and allergens for a while. As a rule, an exacerbation begins during the migration of larvae or with an increase in the number of worms. The stronger the infestation (i. e. the more parasites), the more symptoms appear.
However, the asymptomatic course of the infection is dangerous - the patient infects others and his health 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 the size of some parasites is very small, it is not always possible to determine their presence in the body only by the presence of eggs in the feces. Some parasites are microscopic in size and live secretly in the body without revealing their existence. In addition, they are not always localized in the intestines and can migrate throughout the body. Therefore, serological tests based on antigen-antibody immune reaction are used to diagnose parasitic infections.
All parasites look different, have unique development periods, different signs of infestation and differences in treatment regimens. However, there are a number of signs that indicate that a person has a parasitic infection:
- rapid weight loss;
- bowel disorder: diarrhea replaces constipation;
- strong itching in the anus;
- skin rashes of unknown etiology;
- stomach pain;
- flatulence;
- loss of appetite;
- inexplicable desire for sweets;
- sometimes uncontrollable appetite in adults;
- frequent colds due to a decrease in the body's defenses.