Examination of scrapings for enterobiasis in Domodedovo

What is enterobiasis

Enterobiasis is a parasitic disease (helminthiasis) that causes intestinal dysfunction and itching in the anus. Its causative agent is pinworms - small worms up to 13 mm long. Infection occurs when their eggs enter the body: through food and water, but more often due to poor hand hygiene (it’s not for nothing that enterobiasis is called “the disease of unwashed hands”). Pinworms live in the cecum, the lower part of the small intestine, and the beginning of the colon.

The disease develops as follows:

1. The eggs enter the human gastrointestinal tract, where they hatch into larvae.
2. Sexually mature individuals move to the ileum, where they mate, then the males die, and many eggs develop inside the females - their number in the body of one pinworm can reach 20,000.
3. Females lay eggs on the perianal folds (skin around the anus) of a person (this happens at night).

The lifespan of pinworms is short - only 3-4 weeks. After laying eggs they die. Theoretically, after their death, self-healing from enterobiasis can occur. In practice, this happens in isolated cases, since pinworm eggs continue to regularly enter the body. This happens as follows: a person, feeling itching during sleep, begins to comb areas of the skin. Pinworm eggs get under his nails, from where they are then transferred to surrounding objects, bedding, and clothing. This is how a person continues to infect both himself and those around him.

Important! Enterobiasis most often occurs in children's groups - kindergartens, junior grades of schools. But pinworms can also occur in adults. If you have symptoms of the disease, you must be tested for enterobiasis.

Pinworms harm the human body in the following ways:

• Significantly reduce the quality of life - in the evenings and at night the patient feels severe itching in the anus, this gives him anxiety, he does not get enough sleep, becomes irritable, his concentration and ability to work suffer.
• They “appropriate” useful substances - vitamins, minerals, but as a result, a person does not receive enough of them, which can result in disturbances in metabolic processes.
• They contribute to the development of genital infections in women - constant injury to the mucous membrane creates a favorable environment for the proliferation of fungi and bacteria.
• They provoke intoxication and allergies - their waste products “contaminate” the human body.

Important! To identify the disease, it is recommended to take a scraping rather than a regular stool sample. This is due to the fact that pinworms rarely lay eggs in the intestines, so stool analysis for enterobiasis will be uninformative. The material for research must be taken from the perianal folds.

Symptoms of the disease

There are many signs that a child is infected with pinworms. However, not all of them are characteristic of this disease. Therefore, children are often treated for colitis or gastritis. If there are few parasites in the body, then there may be no symptoms at all. If the disease continues for a long time, anemia occurs , the condition of nails, hair, skin worsens, and the corners of the mouth crack.

Enterobiasis has an incubation period of 1-1.5 months . The “brightness” of the clinical picture depends on the strength of the immune system and the number of worms.

There are two types of disease - acute and chronic. Everyone has their own symptoms.

Acute period

Most often, nausea, abdominal discomfort, weakness in the morning, and frequent stools occur, although they are well formed.

Chronic stage

From the moment of infection to the chronic stage, 1-2 months pass. Symptoms may remain the same as in the acute form or worsen. The main manifestations of chronic enterobiasis:

• flatulence;
• itching in the anus, which becomes stronger at night, it lasts 4-5 days, then disappears and appears again after 2-3 weeks;
• heaviness and pain in the epigastric region;
• insomnia;
• enuresis at night;
• irritability;
• increased fatigue;
• neurological symptoms - problems communicating with peers, deterioration of memory, attention, isolation, headache.

Scraping for enterobiasis: when to take it

Tests for enterobiasis can be divided into 3 categories:

• preventive;
• to prevent epidemics;
• according to indications.

The patient undergoes preventive testing at his own request. It is recommended to do this annually.

Important! You should definitely get tested for enterobiasis after contact with infected people. The incubation period of the disease is 14 days. That is, the study is carried out no earlier than 2 weeks after contact with an infected person.

Tests carried out to prevent epidemics are taken by both adults and children to obtain certificates. Adults may need them:

• when applying for a job (for example, in a school or kindergarten);
• before visiting the pool;
• before admission to hospital or surgery;
• for registration of a medical record when working with products.

Children undergo the following study:

• before starting kindergarten or school;
• before going to camp;
• before visiting sports sections.

According to indications, tests are taken if the following symptoms are present:

• Severe itching in the anus - in the evening and at night; in women it can also be observed throughout the entire perineum (since pinworms can crawl into the vagina).
• Stomach ache.
• Loose stools mixed with mucus - enterobiasis causes intestinal disorders.
• Bloating.
• Irritability.
• Apathy.
• Fast fatiguability.
• Headache.
• Allergic skin reactions - rash, redness.

Important! Since enterobiasis significantly reduces immunity, as a result of which the patient may often suffer from colds and infectious diseases, it is necessary to identify and eliminate the pathology as early as possible.

What are helminths and how do they enter the body?

Worms or helminths are worm-like parasites whose favorite habitat is the body of people or animals. If we talk about such a pathology as enterobiasis, then this means the presence in the human body of certain helminths - pinworms, which are characterized by their small size and special structure: one end is pointed and the other is rounded. Pinworms live in the gastrointestinal tract and, although they are relatively harmless, they can still cause their owner a lot of discomfort and problems.

How the research works

How to get tested for enterobiasis? First, a scraping is performed, and the resulting biomaterial is sent for analysis. The patient then receives the results in person or by email.

Will I be able to get tested at home?

At home, collection of material can be done in two ways:

• Do the scraping yourself.
• Order a home visit from the Otradnoye Polyclinic.

In the first case, you need to stock up in advance with a special kit for taking samples for enterobiasis. It includes a cotton swab soaked in glycerin and a special container or adhesive tape and a glass slide. You can purchase such a kit at a pharmacy or directly at a clinic.

Scraping is carried out in the morning, after waking up, right in bed:

• A cotton swab is passed over the skin around the anus.
• Place the stick in the container and close it.
• Before leaving the house, store the scraping at a temperature of +4-8 degrees.
• The test is delivered to the laboratory within 2 hours.

When using a glass slide, the procedure will be as follows (also after waking up):

• The tape is removed from the glass.
• Glue it to the skin around the anus for a few seconds.
• Place the tape on the glass.
• The glass is placed in a bag and delivered to the laboratory.

Important! It is recommended to do scraping using any method while wearing medical gloves.

If you order an at-home test for enterobiasis at the Otradnoe Polyclinic, the nurse will come with everything you need and will independently take the scraping to the laboratory.

Scraping for enterobiasis: how to take it from adults

Adult patients need to come to the treatment room in the morning to take the material, without performing hygienic procedures. The patient will be asked to expose their lower body, bend over and spread their buttocks with their hands. The nurse will use a glass rod to make a scraping. The material will then be sent to the laboratory.

Scraping for enterobiasis: how to take it from children

A test for enterobiasis is required for a kindergarten, school or sports section: how to give a scraping to a child? Exactly the same as for an adult. Perhaps parents are advised to psychologically prepare their child in advance: the procedure is absolutely painless, but if the child is undergoing it for the first time, it may cause him anxiety.

The procedure for collecting material is no different from that in adults.

Disease prevention

To prevent a child from becoming infected with parasites, he needs to instill personal hygiene skills and ensure that:

• his nails were trimmed;
• he had no contact with street animals;
• did not put dirty objects into his mouth. Source: Clinical recommendations (treatment protocol) for providing medical care to children with enterobiasis, Federal State Budgetary Institution Scientific Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Federal Medical and Biological Agency of Russia, Public organization "Eurasian Society for Infectious Diseases", Public organization "Association of Infectious Disease Doctors of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region" (AVISPO)

If you suspect enterobiasis in a child, you should consult a doctor as soon as possible and undergo a course of treatment. You can make an appointment with a medical pediatrician 24 hours a day by phone or leave a request to have a doctor come to your home.

Sources:

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2306321/JP Caldwell Pinworms (Enterobius Vermicularis) Can Fam Physician. 1982 Feb; 28: 306–309.
2. R.A. Fayzullina, E.A. Samorodnova, V.M. Dobrokvashina Helminth infections in childhood // Practical Medicine, 3(42) May 2010.
3. Clinical recommendations (treatment protocol) for the provision of medical care to children with enterobiasis FGBU NIIDI FMBA RUSSIA, Public organization "Eurasian Society for Infectious Diseases", Public organization "Association of Infectious Disease Doctors of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region" (AVISPO)

Markova Daria Olegovna Clinic

Author of the article

Markova Daria Olegovna

Specialty: pediatrician

Experience: 14 years

The information in this article is provided for reference purposes and does not replace advice from a qualified professional. Don't self-medicate! At the first signs of illness, you should consult a doctor.

How long to wait for the result of a scraping for enterobiasis?

Typically, the patient needs the results of such studies urgently. Therefore, many people are concerned about how much testing for enterobiasis is done. At the Otradnoe Polyclinic you will be able to receive the results of the study the very next day.

Please note that the results have an “expiration date”. You have been tested for enterobiasis: how long will it be valid? Its validity period is 10 days. That is, if you did a study for an institution, then you will need to deliver the results to the place of request within 10 days after the analysis.

Analysis for enterobiasis: price

At the Otradnoye Polyclinic, testing for enterobiasis is quite inexpensive - a few hundred rubles. In some cases, to maximize the reliability of the results, it is necessary to complete the study several times.

Is it possible to get rid of pinworms on your own?

If you are sure that you have discovered enterobiasis, but have not yet made an appointment at the children's clinic, the first thing you need to do is to switch to an increased level of hygiene for the time until the child is cured, with the whole family: change bed linen daily, wash all linen at temperature above 55 degrees and iron, wash more often, wash hands, toys, and carry out wet cleaning in the apartment. It is recommended to take carpets, pillows and bedspreads out into the cold for 2-3 hours and then shake them out (in the summer, on the contrary, in the hot sun). You will have to live in this mode for at least a week.

There are many traditional ways to combat worms - for example, garlic enemas. However, self-medication is fraught with unpleasant consequences and, first of all, relapses. Enterobiasis should be treated with the whole family, comprehensively and under the supervision of a doctor.

There are several common anthelmintic drugs that are most often prescribed to infected families by pediatricians. These are Pyrantel, Wormil, Nemozol, Vermox. The drug and dose are selected individually for each patient, depending on height, age and weight. At the same time, the doctor prescribes local remedies that stop itching and gives hygiene recommendations.