Many people are interested in the question of what the eggs of worms look like, because cases of infection with parasites are not rare. 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 a parasite 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 when the stool is analyzed.
Roundworm infection
Infection with roundworms occurs when eating unwashed vegetables and fruits, badly fried meat and fish. Infection through 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 in size (about 0. 07 mm). Adult worms are also very difficult to see in feces. Only after taking anthelmintic drugs, the particles of dead worms come out of the intestines. They look like elongated translucent inclusions.
Only a microscopic examination of the stool 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 invasion: a sudden increase in body temperature;
- skin rash;
- choking and coughing (sometimes with blood);
- muscle spasm;
- 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 do a stool test for worm eggs.
Where to 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, 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 go away within a week or the condition returns periodically (for example, once every 3-4 months you do not feel well), you should consult your doctor. Attacks of poor health can be accompanied by the migration of parasites.
Worm infection
Worms can be infected through casual contact with a sick person (through shared items, shaking hands). Humans often get infections from cats and dogs; worm eggs live in the fur of pets. Children are especially susceptible to this disease. A child can become infected with these parasites in kindergarten or from animals. Worm eggs can be found on any object with which the patient has come into contact. They can be found under fingernails, in toys, bedding and underwear. Therefore, it is very easy to get infected with pinworms.
Worm eggs
Worms lead to the development of a disease called enterobiasis. Signs of infection are as follows:
- itching in the area of the exit of the rectum;
- diarrhea;
- nausea;
- sudden weight loss;
- swelling.
Worm eggs are not excreted in feces. Parasites multiply in the anal area, where they lay eggs, which causes itching. To detect the presence of these worms in the body, a scratch is made from the skin of the anus and a microscopic examination of the material obtained is made. Such an analysis is usually required when a child is enrolled in kindergarten. The cream is taken in the morning before bathing the child, so that the eggs of the parasite are not washed away. Performing triplicate tests over several days. Worm eggs under a microscope look like elongated particles of white grains.
Adult worms can be found in the stool 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 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 used recipe is with pumpkin seeds.
Pumpkin seeds have a harmful 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 into a paste. For adults, you will need 300 g of seeds, and for children - from 50 to 100 g. The prepared product is consumed in the morning on an empty stomach for 1 hour. After that you should not eat 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 feces, it should be examined. You should pay attention if there is a head at one end of his body. If it is not there, then this means that only the segments have come out and the parasite will be able to reproduce the body and lay eggs. In this case, the course of treatment should be repeated.
Whipworms
This type of parasite is quite rare in the central area of our country. Whipworms often live in southern regions, as the eggs of this worm love warmth. Most infections are seen 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 the infection, a disease appears - trichocephalosis. The 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 with a microscope. Only with very severe infection is it possible to detect the eggs in the stool test. They have the shape of a barrel and have a yellow-brown color. There are holes on both sides of the egg.
What do worms look like in feces? They are very difficult to detect alive in feces, as whipworms cannot live long outside the human body. Only with anthelmintic therapy can you see dead white worms in the feces.
To diagnose trichuriasis, the rectum and sigmoid colon are examined with a special apparatus (sigmoidoscope). In this way, accumulations of parasites in the intestines are detected. Treating the infestation takes a long time, as the eggs of the whipworm are protected by a dense shell.
Diagnosis of helminthiasis
When diagnosing many helminth infections, a stool examination is first performed. If you find black dots in the stool or white worms in the feces, this test should be done as soon as possible.
However, not only black speckled feces are an indicator 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 made using the PCR technique.
If a person has a lot of black spots in their stool, then other diagnostic methods include the following:
- Scratching from the area near the anus;
- Blood testing using ELISA, PCR, RNGA and other methods;
- Be sure to do blood biochemistry and CBC;
- In order to identify the localization of parasites, in some cases, ultrasound, MRI and CT are performed;
- To diagnose the migratory phase of helminths, an X-ray examination is indicated.
For certain forms of helminthiasis, an examination of saliva, rectal mucus, urine and gallbladder contents can be done. Endoscopic examination 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 by consuming 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 detected in the human body. The female Trichinella carries the eggs inside her body and then the larvae hatch. These are worms that reproduce ovoviviparously. It is impossible to detect Trichinella in feces. Newborn larvae immediately enter the blood and lymph, bypassing the intestines. The larvae quickly die in the feces.
Usually the disease is diagnosed when the parasite has managed to get into the muscles. In this case, a person is bothered by the following symptoms: muscle pain;
- swelling;
- febrile state (high temperature, pain, malaise);
- irregular bowel movements with constipation or diarrhea.
To detect the invasion, a blood test with a serological test is performed. This is the only method for detecting trichinella in the body.
An article for patients with a disease diagnosed by a doctor. It does not replace a doctor's appointment and cannot be used for self-diagnosis.
Wide band
The human body contains only immature tapeworm eggs. They are excreted with feces and enter the external environment. With untreated sewage, the eggs end up in water bodies and begin their development there. First they end up in the body of freshwater crustaceans. Fish from tanks become infected with tapeworms when they eat small crustaceans. And a person gets a helminthic infection when he eats badly fried fish, infected by freshwater bodies or raw pike caviar.
Broad eggs of the ribbon
The disease diphyllobothriasis appears, which manifests itself with the following symptoms: pain in the abdominal cavity;
- nausea and vomiting;
- bowel problems (constipation or diarrhea);
- loss of appetite or excessive hunger.
What do worms from the class of tapeworms look like? This 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 (from 30 cm to 3 m) white strips. They should be removed from the stool with tweezers, transferred to a clean container and sent to a parasitologist or infectologist for analysis.
Microscopic examination of stool can reveal tapeworm eggs. Their size is about 0. 07 mm. Eggs look like yellow 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 the feces, but they are not dangerous. Diphyllobothriasis cannot be contracted from an infected person or animal. Infection occurs exclusively from the consumption of fish.
Damage to the body
When a wide strip enters the intestine, the disease diphyllobothriasis develops. Helminths mainly affect the gastrointestinal tract. Inflammations and ulcers form in the intestinal walls where the worm attaches. If there is not one, but several parasites in the body, they can block the intestinal lumen, resulting in obstruction. The helminth constantly irritates the walls of the gastrointestinal tract, which leads to disturbances in the digestive processes. In addition, it poisons the human body with waste products, which cause allergies. When the parasite stays in the body for a long time, severe anemia and vitamin B12 deficiency develop.
Beef and pork loin
Humans become infected with these types of parasites by consuming poorly processed meat from domestic animals. Worm segments are excreted in the patient's feces. In the outdoor environment, the segments move through the soil and lay eggs with larvae inside. These eggs are then eaten by domestic animals. When a person eats contaminated beef or pork, he becomes infected with bovine or porcine tapeworm. To kill tapeworms, you should boil or fry the meat for at least 30 minutes.
Bull bar
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;
- weight loss;
- diarrhea;
- itching in the anal area when the segments come out.
The worms in the patient's stool are segmented. They look like light lines about 1-2 cm long. Pork loin segments 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 swine tape 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, the larvae of the pork tapeworm multiply in the human body and cause a serious disease - cysticercosis. This is a very dangerous occupation. The larvae enter the brain, spinal cord, eyes, heart and lungs, causing severe damage. With cysticercosis, segments and eggs are not excreted in feces. The disease can only be detected through a serological analysis of blood and cerebrospinal fluid analysis.
Distribution
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 bull tapeworm, hookworm, hookworm, whipworm, roundworm, etc.
Cloth. Such worms choose muscle and lung tissue as their habitat, as well as organs such as the pancreas, liver, brain, etc.
Depending on the exact location of tissue helminths, the invasion may have the following names:
- Filariasis. The parasites live in the lymph nodes
- Cysticercosis. Area of the brain affected by helminths
- Echinococcosis. Helminthic infection is diagnosed in the liver
- Paragonimiasis. Parasites live in the lungs
Flukes
Of the worms of the fluke class, cat fluke (liver fluke) is most commonly found in humans. The habitat of worm eggs is fresh water. From there, the parasite enters the body of the shellfish and then the fish. Cats and humans become infected by the fungus by consuming poorly processed freshwater fish, as well as through contaminated water. A sick cat does not pose a danger to humans.
Burbot liver with parasites
Most often, fish from the carp family are infected. Salting or smoking does not lead to the death of the parasite. A fairly long thermal treatment of the product is required. You can become infected with flu by accidentally swallowing water from a pond or river. There are known cases of invasion after watering the beds with contaminated water.
Catwoman 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 discovered.
Adult worms are not excreted in feces. What do fluke worm 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 plug that opens when the larva hatches. For diagnostic purposes, a blood test for antibodies or an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay is also performed.
How to find out if there are worms?
It is impossible to independently determine the presence of helminthic infection. In the initial stages, the disease can be practically asymptomatic. The patient does not experience pain; the immune system can suppress the pathogenic effects of toxins and allergens for some time. As a rule, deterioration begins during the period of larval migration 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. 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, it is not possible in all cases 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 betraying their presence. In addition, they are not always localized in the intestines and are able to migrate throughout the body. Therefore, to diagnose parasitic infections, serological tests are used, which are based on the antigen-antibody immune reaction.
All parasites look 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;
- bowel disorder: diarrhea replaces constipation;
- intense itching in the anus;
- skin rash of unknown etiology;
- stomach ache;
- bloating;
- loss of appetite;
- inexplicable desire for sweets;
- sometimes uncontrollable appetite in adults;
- frequent colds due to a decrease in the body's defenses.