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Scrape for enterobiosis – This is a study of a smear taken from the perianal folds of a person. The analysis is aimed at identifying pinworm eggs in an adult or a child.
In order for scraping to show a reliable result, it is necessary to perform it correctly. Most often, doctors explain the main points of scraping, but overlook some of the subtleties. Meanwhile, the further health of a person depends on how correctly the procedure was carried out. After all, it is scientifically confirmed that helminths contribute to the development of a huge number of disorders in the body. These are allergic reactions, and immunosuppression, and metabolic disorders, and digestive disorders, etc.
It is known that a single or double scraping for enterobiosis reveals the disease in no more than 50% of cases. While the procedure, carried out 3-4 times, allows you to detect helminths in 95% of cases. However, if the study is carried out incorrectly, then a false negative result is guaranteed to a person.
Preparation for scraping for enterobiasis
Basic rules for taking scrapings for enterobiasis:
The procedure should be carried out only in the morning, preferably immediately after waking up.
You should not go to the toilet first. This applies not only to defecation, but also to urination.
You can not wash before the procedure, you should not change clothes.
Scraping should not be done if the skin around the anus is severely damaged.
Do not contaminate the swab or spatula with feces.
In advance, you should take care of a cotton swab or spatula, as well as the container where they will be placed. You can use a regular cotton swab, which should be moistened with glycerin. Wetting material can be soda solution, saline solution and vaseline oil. You can also purchase a special container with a lid at the pharmacy. Inside it will be a spatula made of polystyrene. The manufacturer pre-applies water-based glue on it. After the material is collected, it must be delivered to the laboratory.
Sometimes adhesive tape is used to collect scrapings for enterobiasis. It is wound on a cotton swab, or simply applied to the perianal folds. Then the adhesive tape is transferred to the glass and delivered in this form to the laboratory. Doctors call this method “a study on enterobiasis according to Rabinovich.”
If it is not possible to deliver the collected material to the laboratory immediately, then it must be hermetically packed and stored in a refrigerator at a temperature of +2 to +8 °C.
The material must be sent to the laboratory for analysis no later than 8 hours after its collection. Naturally, the sooner this happens, the more reliable the result will be.
If the analysis is taken at home and it is necessary to take it from the child, then it will be most convenient to use adhesive tape, since such a procedure can be completed in the shortest possible time.
How is a scraping taken for enterobiasis?
The procedure for collecting material with a swab or spatula is as follows:
If possible, it is best to wear gloves on your hands.
It is necessary to lie on your side, bend your legs at the knees and press them to your stomach. If a scraping is taken from a child, then you should lay him on his side and push the buttocks apart with your index finger and thumb.
A spatula or cotton swab is pressed firmly against the perianal folds with the side where the adhesive is located.
The instrument is placed in a container designed for transportation and storage, after which it is sent to the laboratory.
If the procedure is carried out with gloves, then they are thrown into the trash. If the scraping was performed with unprotected hands, then they should be thoroughly washed with soap.
If the child is already large, then it is necessary to explain at an accessible level for his age the purpose of the procedure. This will avoid unnecessary protests from the child, and the procedure will be as comfortable as possible.
Normally, pinworm eggs should be absent in the stool. But one should be aware of a possible false negative result and be persistent in terms of detecting this parasitic invasion.
Indications for scraping for enterobiasis
Indications for scraping for enterobiosis are:
Symptoms of enterobiasis in children or adults. This includes anal itching, which intensifies at night, disruption of normal bowel function (unstable stools, weight loss, nausea, flatulence), allergic reactions (urticaria, eczema, bronchial asthma), neurological symptoms (headaches, fatigue and irritability, deterioration of cognitive abilities).
The need to obtain a certificate to visit a particular institution. So, all children who will attend kindergarten must be examined for enterobiasis without fail. A certificate of the absence of helminthic invasion is required when visiting the pool and some other organized institutions.
It is possible to take an analysis for enterobiosis during the medical examination.
All patients should be checked for enterobiasis before planned placement in a hospital.
Employees of the food industry, children attending kindergartens and students in grades 1-4 are subject to mandatory annual examinations.
Children and adults going to health resorts for treatment.
As for medications, one week before the scraping, you should stop taking antibacterial drugs. This includes castor oil and antidiarrheal medicines.
As for the results, they will be known the very next day. The timing of bringing them to the attention of the patient depends on the specific medical institution that conducted the analysis, on the date of the next meeting with the doctor and on other circumstances. However, laboratory assistants are required to examine the received material for the presence of pinworm eggs on the day of its receipt.
After entering the laboratory, the swab is washed off, rinsed in a special solution and placed in a centrifuge. The resulting precipitate is then transferred to glass and examined under a microscope. If a spatula enters the laboratory, then the contents are simply scraped off from it, transferring it to the glass. It is this glass that is studied under a microscope.
It should be remembered that all experts unambiguously recommend scraping for enterobiasis at least 3 times, especially if there are suspicions of invasion.
Why is a false negative result possible?
The main reasons for obtaining a false negative result:
Violations of the rules for the collection of material.
Taking illegal drugs a few days before the procedure.
Cyclicity of egg laying by pinworms. It is for this reason that the procedure is recommended to be carried out at least 3 times with a frequency of 3 days.
Unscrupulous and poor-quality work of the laboratory staff. It is not possible to computerize the procedure, so the human factor should not be excluded.
Violations of the transport of material.
Scraping for enterobiosis is a simple procedure that, if performed correctly, gives reliable results. Therefore, if you suspect enterobiasis, you should immediately seek the advice of a specialist.