How to prepare for a parasite test

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

Helminthiasis is a common disease. Parasites can be detected using special tests. For this, scraping is performed for enterobiasis. How many days the analysis is done depends on the laboratory.

What the survey will show

Infection with helminths among adults and children is explained by high environmental pollution with parasite eggs, human contact with animals, and lack of personal hygiene. Children under 12 years of age are most at risk.

Analysis of feces for enterobiasis helps to detect:

• chain;
• fluke;
• ascaris;
• dysentery amoebas;
• whipworms;
• lamblia and other protozoa.

Scraping for enterobiasis reveals only pinworms. This is the only type of worm that lays eggs on the skin around the anus. For this reason, you can do the scraping yourself. The nurse will teach you how to properly take a scraping for enterobiasis at home.

Indications for analysis

Such an examination is carried out when certain symptoms appear, also for preventive purposes.

Indications for scraping:

• signs of helminthiasis (severe burning near the anus, especially at night, weight loss, migraine, impairment of attention, memory, severe fatigue, irritability, nausea, allergic manifestations);
• assigned to patients when they are sent to a hospital for treatment;
• when undergoing medical examination;
• children and adults when leaving for health improvement, for example, in a sanatorium;
• to obtain a certificate of the absence of parasites for visiting public institutions, for example, children for registration in child care facilities, clubs, centers, for classes in the pool.

Determine the absence of parasites when drawing up a sanitary book.

Preparatory activities

To obtain the correct result, scraping for enterobiasis is done several times. If prepared incorrectly, the result may turn out to be false negative.

If possible, the following rules for preparing for the delivery of scraping should be followed:

• it is better to conduct examinations immediately after waking up, preferably without getting out of bed;
• it is not recommended to do any enemas;
• you cannot pre-wash, change your underwear;
• 3 days before the scraping, you should not take antiparasitic drugs, laxatives and antibiotics;
• you need to follow the diet, but exclude vegetables, legumes, green fruits, eggs, meat, salads, seafood;
• biomaterials should not be taken in case of significant damage to the skin around the anus.

It is easier to take scraping for enterobiasis at home, but usually it is carried out in a polyclinic. Before that, the patient has already emptied, a significant part of the eggs laid by the parasites will remain on the underwear. The reliability of the analysis will be reduced, and it will be difficult to detect pinworm infestation.

Scraping at home

It is not difficult to learn how to take a scraping correctly, it is important not to miss the opportunity to detect parasite eggs. There are several ways to collect biomaterial at home.

Using a cotton swab

For the analysis, buy a sterile container and a pack of cotton swabs at the pharmacy. Algorithm of actions:

1. In the morning, wash your hands and wear medical gloves before emptying and urinating.
2. Wet a cotton swab with water, glycerin or saline.
3. Stand up, lean forward.
4. In the area of the anus, make several circular movements. Place a cotton swab in a container, close tightly.

The biomaterial should be immediately taken to the laboratory.

Using a spatula

The pharmacy sells a container containing a spatula. One end of it is smeared with a layer of glue.

Algorithm of actions:

1. Wash your hands in the morning, put on medical gloves.
2. Stand up, bend forward.
3. Press the sticky side of the spatula against the folds of the anus.
4. After a few seconds, put the spatula in the container.

The collected material should be immediately taken to the laboratory.

Using adhesive tape

A scraping kit is sold in pharmacies. It consists of a container and transparent adhesive tape.

Action plan:

1. Wash your hands in the morning, put on gloves.
2. Remove the adhesive tape from the slide, stand up, bend forward.
3. Press the adhesive tape firmly against the anus for a few seconds.
4. Glue it to the glass again, after which it must be sent to the laboratory.

If possible, then all actions can be performed lying down, the scraping will be taken by another person. In this case, the lying person will turn on his side, draw his legs to his chest, try to push his buttocks apart with his hands.

Since it is not difficult to take a scraping for enterobiasis at home, you can take an analysis from children yourself at home. Here they will be more comfortable, they will be less nervous.

Features of scraping for enterobiasis in children

Parasites do not lay eggs every night. If the child slept peacefully at night, then there is a possibility that the pinworms did not torment him and their eggs will not be found in the analysis. In this case, it is better to postpone the procedure. Scraping in a child is carried out in the ways described above.

It is better to take a small child in your arms, spread the buttocks, and hold a cotton swab around the anus. It is difficult to use a spatula for babies. Teenagers can be explained the essence of the manipulation, how to take the scraping correctly, they will do everything themselves.

Analysis results

The appearance of parasites is determined by other methods, not only by scraping for enterobiasis. How many days the analysis is done, you can find out at the clinic. The results are also obtained there. Usually in a day, the results of scraping for enterobiasis are ready. A good result will be the complete absence of parasite eggs.

To obtain a true result, scraping is done several times for enterobiasis. How many days the analysis is done is easy to count. Doctors recommend doing 3 to 7 tests. Between them should pass no more than 2-3 days. Upon receipt of a positive result, the series of studies can be terminated. If no pinworms have been identified during this time, then they really are not.

How many days to do an analysis for enterobiasis, the doctor decides, since there are additional signs of the presence or absence of parasites in the body.

How many days to do an analysis for enterobiasis for a child is determined by the pediatrician. It depends on the purpose of the procedure, the presence of accompanying symptoms, and the state of health. The well-known children's doctor Komarovsky recommends 7 scrapings every 2 days.

Scraping for enterobiasis does not show the presence of other helminths. If the test result for pinworms is negative, but there are clear signs of infection with parasites, then it is better to pass the feces for analysis. Such an analysis will more accurately show the presence of helminths.

Bonus

It is important to correctly carry out scraping for enterobiasis:

• it is necessary to determine the deposition of eggs by the well-being or behavior of the child (itching in the anus at night);
• scraping only in sterile containers;
• scraping devices should not touch dirty surfaces;
• after receiving the biological material, it must be immediately sent to the laboratory.