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 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 parasitic infection is suspected, a person tries on his own to detect worm eggs in the 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 feces.
Nematode infestation
Roundworm infection occurs when eating unwashed fruits and vegetables, lightly fried meat and fish. Infestation 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). Even adult worms are very difficult to see in feces. Only after taking anthelmintic drugs, particles of dead worms come out of the intestines. They look like elongated translucent inclusions.
Only a microscopic examination of feces will help determine the presence of roundworm eggs. The eggs are yellow formations with shells covered in 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.
Roundworm eggs
Since it is very difficult to detect traces of the presence of roundworms in the body, it is necessary to be aware of the symptoms of invasion: a sudden increase in body temperature;
- skin rashes;
- choking and coughing (sometimes with blood);
- muscle spasms;
- articolar pains.
These manifestations are associated with the effect of the roundworm allergen on the body. If such symptoms are detected, a stool test for worm eggs should be performed.
Where to go if you suspect the presence of 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 malaise: 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 unwell), you should see your doctor. Bouts of ill health may be associated with the migration of parasites.
Pinworm infection
Pinworms can be contracted through casual contact with a sick person (through shared objects, handshakes). People often get infested by dogs and cats; Worm eggs live on the fur of pets. 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 object that the patient has come into contact with. They can be found under fingernails, on toys, on bedding and underwear. Therefore, it is very easy to get infected with pinworms.
Pinworm eggs
Pinworms lead to the development of a disease called enterobiasis. Signs of infestation 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. The parasites multiply in the anal area, where they lay their eggs, causing itching. To detect the presence of these worms in the body, a scraping of the skin of the anus is carried out and a microscopic examination of the taken material is carried out. Such analysis is usually requested when a child is enrolled in kindergarten. Scraping is done in the morning before washing the baby, so as not to wash off the eggs of the parasite. Conduct a triple analysis for several days. Pinworm eggs under the microscope look like oblong-shaped 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 helminths
For diphyllobothriasis, folk remedies should be used only after consulting a doctor. They should not replace pharmacological treatment, but can only complement it. The most used recipe is the one 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, 300 g of seeds will be needed, 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 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 feces, it must be examined. You should pay attention if 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 regrow the body and release the eggs. In this case, the course of treatment must be repeated.
Whipworms
This type of parasite is rather rare in the central area of our country. Whipworms often live in southern regions, as 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 the infection, a disease occurs - whipworm. Whipworm parasitizes the intestine. 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 cases of very serious infestations is it possible to detect eggs in stool tests. They are shaped like a barrel 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 feces, as whipworms cannot live for long outside the human body. Only with anthelmintic therapy can you notice dead white worms in the feces.
To diagnose trichuriasis, the rectum and sigmoid colon are examined with a special device (sigmoidoscopy). In this way, accumulations of parasites in the intestine are detected. Treatment of the infestation takes a long time, as whipworm eggs are protected by a dense shell.
Diagnosis of helminthiasis
When diagnosing many helminth infections, a stool test 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, not only stools with black spots are an indication for the 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 performed using the PCR technique.
If a person has many blackheads in the stool, other diagnostic methods include the following:
- Scraping from the area near the anus;
- Blood analysis by ELISA, PCR, RNGA and other methods;
- Be sure to do blood biochemistry and complete blood count;
- To identify the location of the parasites, in some cases ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging and CT are performed;
- To diagnose the migratory stage of helminths, a radiographic examination is indicated.
For some forms of helminthiasis, examination of sputum, rectal mucus, urine and gallbladder contents can be performed. Sometimes endoscopic examination is also used for diagnosis.
Trichinella
This is one of the most dangerous types of roundworms. Trichinella parasitizes human muscles. Severe infestation sometimes leads to death.
Trichinella enters the body by consuming poorly processed meat of wild and domestic animals. Worms are only destroyed at very high temperatures (around 80°C). Maggots 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, and then the larva is born. These are worms that reproduce ovoviviparous. It is impossible to detect Trichinella in feces. Newborn larvae immediately enter the blood and lymph, bypassing the intestine. The larvae die quickly in the feces.
The disease is usually diagnosed when the parasite has managed to penetrate the muscles. In this case, the person is disturbed by the following symptoms: muscle pain;
- swelling;
- feverish state (high fever, 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 the doctor. It does not replace a visit to the doctor and cannot be used for self-diagnosis.
Broad tapeworm
The human body contains only immature tapeworm eggs. They are excreted in the feces and enter the external environment. With untreated wastewater, the eggs end up in water bodies and begin their development there. They first end up in the bodies of freshwater crustaceans. Fish in reservoirs become infected with tapeworms when they eat small crustaceans. And a person gets a helminth infestation when eating poorly fried infected fish from freshwater bodies or raw pike caviar.
Large tapeworm eggs
The disease diphyllobothriasis occurs, which is manifested by the following symptoms: pain in the abdominal cavity;
- nausea and vomit;
- intestinal problems (constipation or diarrhea);
- loss of appetite or excessive hunger.
What do helminths of the tapeworm class look like? This is a large parasite that can reach 10 m in length. Only individual living parts (segments) of the worm can be found in the feces; they look like long white ribbons (from 30 cm to 3 m). 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 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 eliminated in feces, but are not dangerous. Diphyllobothriasis cannot be contracted from an infected person or animal. The infestation occurs exclusively through the consumption of fish.
Harm to the body
When a large tapeworm enters the intestine, the disease diphyllobothriasis develops. Helminth mainly affects 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, causing obstruction. Helminth constantly irritates the walls of the gastrointestinal tract, causing disturbances in digestive processes. In addition, it poisons the human body with waste products, causing 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 poorly processed pet meat. Segments of the worm are excreted in the patient's feces. In the external environment the segments move in the ground and lay their eggs with the larvae inside. These eggs are then ingested by pets. When a person eats contaminated beef or pork, they become infected with bovine or pork tapeworms. To kill tapeworms, you need to boil or fry 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 vomit;
- weakness;
- weight loss;
- diarrhea;
- itching in the anal area when the segments come out.
The worms in the patient's feces have the shape of segments. They look like light stripes about 1-2 cm long. Pork tapeworm segments are longer and consist of 3 segments.
When analyzing feces, tapeworm eggs (oncospheres) are detected. They are round formations with a dense shell, inside which an embryo is located.
Pork tapeworm infection 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 invasion. The larvae enter the brain, spinal cord, eyes, heart and lungs, causing serious damage. In cysticercosis the segments and eggs are not excreted in the feces. The disease can be detected only through a serological blood test and analysis of cerebrospinal fluid.
Classification
Modern medicine classifies 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, pinworm, whipworm, roundworm, etc.
Tissue. Such worms choose muscle and lung tissues, as well as organs such as the pancreas, liver, brain, etc. for their habitat.
Depending on where exactly the tissue helminths are located, the invasion can have the following names:
- Filariasis. The parasites live in the lymph nodes
- Cysticercosis. The area of the brain affected by helminths
- Echinococcosis. Helminth infestation is diagnosed in the liver
- Paragonimiasis. Parasites live in the lungs
Lucky breaks
Among worms of the trematode 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 the molluscs and then into the fish. Cats and people become infected with the fluke 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 heat treatment of the product is required. You can get fluke by accidentally ingesting water from a pond or river. There are known cases of invasion after irrigating beds with contaminated water.
The 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 feces. What do worm eggs look like under a microscope? When examining feces, you can see transparent ovals with a gold-colored shell. On one side of the egg there is a cap that opens when the larva hatches. For diagnostic purposes, a blood test for antibodies or an enzyme-linked immunosorbent test is also performed.
How to find out if there are worms?
It is impossible to independently determine the presence of a helminth infestation. 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 period of the 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 invasion is dangerous: the patient infects others and his health gradually worsens. 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?
Since some parasites are very small in size, not in all cases it is 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 betraying their presence. Furthermore, they are not always localized in the intestine 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 specific development cycles, different symptoms of infestations, 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 decrease in the body's defenses.