Many people are interested in the question of what worm eggs look like, since cases of infection with parasites are not uncommon. Infestation usually occurs through the entry of worm eggs into the human body. This can happen due to dirty hands, food, and contact with pet feces and hair. If a parasitic infection is suspected, a person tries to detect worm eggs in the stool themselves. But it is impossible to see the eggs with the naked eye: they are microscopic in size and can only be detected during stool analysis.
Roundworm infestation
Roundworm infection occurs when eating unwashed vegetables and fruits, poorly fried meat and fish. Infestation from dirty hands is possible, especially in children. The worm's habitat is the human intestine
Ascaris eggs can only be seen under a microscope. They are very small (around 0. 07 mm). Adult worms are also very difficult to see in the stool. Only after taking anthelmintic drugs do particles of dead worms come out of the intestines. They look like translucent elongated inclusions.
Only a microscopic examination of the stool will 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.
Ascarid Eggs
Since it is very difficult to detect traces of the presence of roundworms in the body, you must be aware of the symptoms of invasion: a sudden increase in body temperature;
- Rashes;
- choking and coughing (sometimes with blood);
- muscle spasms;
- articular pain.
These manifestations are associated with the effect of the roundworm allergen on the body. If such symptoms are detected, it is necessary to do a stool test for worm eggs.
Where to go if you suspect worms?
If you suspect a helminthic infestation, you should make an appointment with an infectious disease specialist. In the early stages, helminthiasis does not have specific symptoms, so it is quite difficult to suspect that you or a loved one has worms. As a rule, the patient complains of slight discomfort: indigestion, headache, apathy.
If the symptoms do not disappear after a week or the disease recurs periodically (for example, once every 3-4 months you feel unwell), you should consult your doctor. Crises of ill health may be associated with the migration of parasites.
Pinworm infection
Pinworms can be contracted during casual contact with a sick person (through shared objects, a handshake). People are often infested by cats and dogs; Worm eggs live on animal fur. Children are particularly susceptible to this disease. A child can become infected with these parasites in kindergarten or from animals. Pinworm eggs can be found on any objects with which the patient has come into contact. They are found under nails, on toys, bedding and underwear. It is therefore very easy to become infected with pinworms.
Pinworm eggs
Pinworms lead to the development of a disease called enterobiasis. Signs of infestation include:
- itching at the rectal outlet;
- diarrhea;
- nausea;
- sudden weight loss;
- flatulence.
Pinworm eggs are not excreted in the stool. The parasites multiply in the anal area, where they lay eggs, which cause itching. To detect the presence of these worms in the body, a scraping is carried out on the skin of the anus and a microscopic examination of the material taken is carried out. Such an analysis is usually required when a child is enrolled in kindergarten. Scraping is carried out in the morning before washing the child, so as not to wash away parasite eggs. Perform a triple analysis over several days. Under the microscope, pinworm eggs look like oblong-shaped white cereal particles.
Adult pinworms can be found in the stools of children and adults. These are small white worms about 0. 5 to 1 cm long, one end of their body is pointed.
Folk remedies for helminths
For diphyllobothriasis, folk remedies should be used only after consulting a doctor. They should not replace drug treatment, but can only complement it. The most commonly used recipe is that made 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 make a paste. For adults you will need 300g of seeds and for children 50-100g. The prepared product is consumed in the morning on an empty stomach for 1 hour. After that, you should not have breakfast. After 3 hours you need to take a laxative, and after another 30 minutes do an enema.
When the parasite comes out in the stool, it should be examined. You need to pay attention to whether there is a head at one end of its body. If this is not the case, this means that only the segments have come out and the parasite will be able to regrow its body and release its eggs. In this case, the treatment must 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 love heat. Most infections are seen in rural areas.
Whipworm eggs live in the soil. Infestation occurs through hands, contaminated soil particles and poorly washed fruits and vegetables.
As a result of infection, a disease occurs - trichocephalosis. The whipworm parasitizes the intestines. This worm causes anemia, because it feeds on human blood, and severe abdominal pain.
Whipworm egg
The eggs of the parasite are excreted in the stool, but they are very small and are not always visible, even under a microscope. Only in very serious infestations is it possible to detect eggs in a stool analysis. They are barrel-shaped and brownish-yellow in 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 stool, because whipworms cannot live outside the human body for long. Only with anthelmintic treatment will you be able to notice dead white worms in the stool.
To diagnose trichuriasis, the rectum and sigmoid colon are examined using a special device (sigmoidoscopy). In this way, accumulations of parasites in the intestines are detected. Treating the infestation takes a long time, because whipworm eggs are protected by a dense shell.
Diagnosis of helminthiasis
When diagnosing many helminth infections, a stool examination is performed first. If you find black spots in your stool or white worms in your stool, this test should be done as soon as possible.
However, feces with black spots are not the only ones that indicate a coprogram. Often, even eggs invisible to the naked eye can be easily identified under a microscope. More accurate diagnosis of feces through the detection of helminth DNA particles is carried out using the PCR technique.
If a person has a lot of black spots in their stool, other diagnostic methods include:
- Scratching the area near the anus;
- Blood tests by ELISA, PCR, RNGA and other methods;
- Be sure to do blood biochemistry and CBC;
- To identify the location of parasites, in some cases, ultrasound, MRI and CT scan are performed;
- To diagnose the migratory stage of helminths, a radiological examination is indicated.
For some forms of helminthiasis, an examination of sputum, rectal mucus, urine and gallbladder contents may be performed. Endoscopic examination is also sometimes used for diagnosis.
Trichinella
This is one of the most dangerous types of roundworms. Trichinella parasitizes human muscles. Severe infestation sometimes results in death.
Trichinella enters the body by consuming poorly processed meat from wild and domestic animals. Worms are only destroyed 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 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. It is impossible to detect Trichinella in stools. Newborn larvae immediately enter the blood and lymph, bypassing the intestines. The larvae die quickly in the stool.
Usually, the disease is diagnosed when the parasite has managed to penetrate the muscles. In this case, a person is bothered by the following symptoms: muscle pain;
- swelling;
- febrile state (high temperature, body aches, malaise);
- irregular bowel movements accompanied by constipation or diarrhea.
To detect the invasion, a blood test with a serological test is carried out. This is the only method to detect Trichinella in the body.
An article intended for patients with an illness diagnosed by a doctor. Does not replace a doctor's appointment and cannot be used for self-diagnosis.
Large tapeworm
The human body contains only immature tapeworm eggs. They are excreted in the feces and enter the external environment. With untreated sewage, eggs end up in water bodies and begin development there. They first end up in the bodies of freshwater crustaceans. Fish in reservoirs become infected with tapeworm when they eat small crustaceans. And a person gets a helminthic infestation by eating infected and poorly fried fish from fresh water bodies or raw pike caviar.
Large tapeworm eggs
Diphyllobothriasis disease occurs, which is manifested by the following symptoms: pain in the abdominal cavity;
- nausea and vomiting;
- intestinal problems (constipation or diarrhea);
- loss of appetite or excessive hunger.
What do tapeworm class helminths look like? It is a large parasite that can reach 10 m in length. In feces, only individual living parts (segments) of the worm can be found; they look like long white ribbons (from 30 cm to 3 m). They should be removed from the stool with tweezers, transferred to a clean container and taken to a parasitologist or infectious disease specialist for analysis.
Microscopic examination of stools may reveal tapeworm eggs. Their size is approximately 0. 07 mm. The 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 shed in feces, but they are not dangerous. Diphyllobothriasis cannot be contracted from an infected person or animal. Infestation occurs exclusively through the consumption of fish.
Damage to the body
When a large tapeworm enters the intestines, the disease diphyllobothriasis develops. Helminths mainly affect the gastrointestinal tract. Inflammations and ulcers form on the intestinal walls where the worm attaches. If there is not one, but several parasites in the body, they can block the intestinal lumen, leading to obstruction. Helminths constantly irritate the walls of the gastrointestinal tract, which leads to disorders of digestive processes. In addition, it 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.
Bovine and porcine tapeworm
People become infected with these types of parasites by consuming improperly processed pet meat. The worm segments are excreted in the patient's stool. In the outdoor environment, the segments move through the soil and lay eggs with larvae inside. These eggs are then ingested by domestic animals. When a person eats contaminated beef or pork, they become infected with bovine or porcine tapeworm. To kill tapeworms, you need to boil or fry the meat for at least 30 minutes.
bull tapeworm
Bovine tapeworm causes taeniahrynchiasis and pork tapeworm causes taeniasis. The symptoms of these diseases are similar: abdominal pain;
- constant feeling of hunger;
- nausea and vomiting;
- weakness;
- weightloss;
- diarrhea;
- itching in the anal area when the segments come out.
The worms present in the patient's stool appear in the form of segments. They look like light scratches about 1-2 cm long. The segments of the pork tapeworm are longer and consist of 3 segments.
When analyzing stools, tapeworm eggs (oncospheres) are detected. These are round formations with a dense shell, inside which there is an embryo.
Pork tapeworm infection is possible through dirty hands, without an intermediate host. Segments excreted in the patient's stool are dangerous. They can enter the human body from contaminated soil. In this case, the larvae of the pork 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 serious damage. With cysticercosis, segments and eggs are not excreted in the feces. The disease can only be detected by a serological blood test and cerebrospinal fluid analysis.
Classification
Modern medicine classifies worms that parasitize the human body as follows: Luminal. These worms live in the intestinal lumen. These include broad tapeworm, dwarf and bull tapeworm, hookworm, pinworm, whipworm, roundworm, etc.
Fabric. These worms choose muscle and lung tissue, as well as organs such as the pancreas, liver, brain, etc. for their habitat.
Depending on where exactly tissue helminths are located, the invasion can have the following names:
- Filariasis. Parasites live in the lymph nodes
- Cysticercosis. The area of the brain affected by helminths
- Echinococcosis. Helminthic infestation is diagnosed in the liver
- Paragonimiasis. Parasites live in the lungs
Moat
Among the worms of the fluke class, the cat fluke (liver fluke) is most often found in humans. The habitat of worm eggs is fresh water. From there, the parasite enters the body of shellfish and then into that of fish. Cats and humans become infected with fluke from consuming improperly processed freshwater fish, as well as from contaminated water. A sick cat poses no danger to humans.
Parasited monkfish liver
Most often, fish from the carp family are infected. Salting or smoking does not lead to the death of the parasite. A fairly long heat treatment of the product is necessary. You can become infected with fluke by accidentally swallowing water from a pond or river. There are known cases of invasion after watering beds with contaminated water.
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 is detected.
Adult worms are not excreted in the stool. What do fluke eggs look like under a microscope? When examining the stool, you can see transparent ovals with a golden shell. On one side of the egg is a cap that opens when the larva hatches. For diagnostic purposes, a blood test is additionally carried out to detect antibodies or an enzyme-linked immunosorbent test.
How do you know if there are worms?
It is impossible to independently determine the presence of helminthic infestation. At first, the disease may be virtually asymptomatic. The patient does not feel any pain, the immune system can suppress the pathogenic effects of toxins and allergens for a while. As a rule, the exacerbation begins during the period of migration of larvae or with an increase in the number of worms. The stronger the infestation (i. e. the more parasites there are), the more symptoms appear.
However, the asymptomatic course of the invasion is dangerous - the patient infects others and his health condition gradually deteriorates. 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 you see with the naked eye?
As some parasites are very small, it is not possible in all cases to detect their presence in the body solely by the presence of eggs in the stool. Some parasites are microscopic in size and live hidden in the body, without betraying their presence. In addition, they are not always located in the intestines and are capable of migrating throughout the body. Therefore, to diagnose parasitic infections, they resort to serological tests, based on the antigen-antibody immune reaction.
All parasites are different, have their own specific development cycles, different symptoms of infestation and differences in treatment regimens. However, there are a number of symptoms that may indicate a parasitic infection in a person:
- rapid weight loss;
- intestinal disorders: diarrhea replaces constipation;
- intense itching in the anus;
- skin rashes of unknown etiology;
- stomach ache;
- flatulence;
- loss of appetite;
- inexplicable craving for sweets;
- sometimes uncontrollable appetite in adults;
- frequent colds due to a reduction in the body's defenses.