Stool Test For Pinworms

One negative result does not rule out possibility of parasitic infestation.

Stool test for pinworms.

As soon as the person you suspect has pinworms wakes up and before he or she uses the toilet washes or gets dressed press the adhesive side of a piece of transparent tape to the skin around. This test consists of taking a piece of cellophane tape and pressing the sticky adhesive side against the skin around. An infected person who has scratched the anal area may have picked up some pinworm eggs under the nails that could be used for diagnosis. Examination for pinworm only.

Stool studies for ova and parasites o p continue to be a mainstay of diagnosis despite only low to moderate sensitivity. A tapeworm infection is usually diagnosed by finding eggs or tapeworm segments in the stool. Serologic tests are not available for diagnosing pinworm infections. Your doctor can confirm the presence of pinworms by identifying the worms or eggs.

Since pinworm eggs and worms are often sparse in stool examining stool samples is not recommended. Examinations on multiple days may be required to diagnose infection. Pinworm infection is the most common type of intestinal worm infection in the united states and one of the most common worldwide. An abnormal test result means that parasites eggs or both have been found in your stool sample.

Pinworms are thin and white measuring about 1 4 to 1 2 inch about 6 to 13 millimeters in length. How it is transmitted. Any pinworm eggs will stick to the tape which your doctor can see under a microscope in a lab. It is transmitted when the female pinworm deposits her eggs in and around the anus.

Found in the colon and rectum the pinworm infection develops from a pinworms egg. This test has recently fallen out of favor18 because an e. To help your doctor make a diagnosis you can perform the tape test. While the infected person sleeps female pinworms lay thousands of eggs in the folds of skin surrounding the anus.

Stool specimens are not satisfactory for pinworm studies. A tape test is the most reliable method for diagnosing a pinworm infection. Pinworms are small thin pin shaped worms that sometimes live in the human colon and rectum.