Parasites are organisms that feed off other organisms. Intestinal parasites are typically transmitted by coming into contact with soil that has been contaminated by feces or from eating the undercooked meat of parasite infected animals. Your child...
A hemoccult is a paper slide test designed to look for traces of blood in your stool. It is used to help screen for disorders in your intestine such as colon cancer. The hemoccult test should collect stool samples from three different days and...
Pregnancy introduces many changes to nearly every system in the female body, including the digestive system. Dark stools can occur during pregnancy and may be accompanied by constipation depending on the cause of the dark stools. Discuss symptoms...
When undergoing any medical test or procedure, you are given instructions from your doctor on how to prepare for the test. The Fecal Occult Blood Test, also known as the Stool Occult test, is used to screen for colon cancer in its early stages by...
Blood in your toddler's stool may be the result of a few different problems, and it is often difficult to determine the cause yourself. Because of the potentially dangerous situations, it is best to seek prompt medical attention if you see blood...
Blood in your child's stool can be a shocking discovery. Although this is a common experience in children, you should investigate the cause of the bleeding and alert a physician if blood, or the appearance of blood, is found. Your child's...
Amebic dysentery, also known as amebiasis, is an illness caused by the organism Entamoeba histolytica. This parasite is able to infect the intestines, where it can cause gastrointestinal distress. This type of parasitic infection is common in...
Escherichia coli is a type of bacteria that lives in healthy intestines to aid in absorbing vitamins and nutrients. A certain strain of E. coli is responsible for serious food poisoning. The causes come from unwashed spinach, lettuce, green onions...
Your doctor has several methods to detect colon cancer in both its precancerous and cancerous stages, making this disease easier to treat. ColoScreen is one of these methods, and its results may help determine if a colonoscopy is necessary. Two...
Hookworms are small parasites that are able to invade through the skin and then spread throughout the body. They are generally contracted via skin contact with feces. As a result, hookworm infestations are less common in the United States because...
Parasites are organisms living inside a host. Parasites harm humans in many ways. They consume your food and nutrients, damage your cells and tissues, and produce toxic wastes that can make you sick. About 50 percent of Americans are infected with...
Giardiasis is an intestinal illness that is caused by a microscopic parasite. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, giardiasis is now a common cause of waterborne illness in the United States. However, this illness isn't...
Roundworms, also known as Ascaris lumbricoides, infect humans. Infection by the worm is called ascariasis. It's more prevalent in the tropics and subtropics--especially in those areas with questionable water supplies and generally poor hygienic...
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases describes Crohn's disease as an inflammatory, ongoing and hard-to-diagnose disease of the bowel. Distinguished by its involvement in all layers of the bowel interspersed by...
Symptoms such as weight loss, intense hunger, stomach pain and feeling tired wouldn't make sense together and usually go ignored. However, these symptoms are nearly diagnostic of intestinal worms, which feed off our digested food inside the walls...
Your infant's stools can be an early indication of changes or problems in his digestive system. Although there is a wide range of normal in infant stools, changes in his stools can indicate problems. Observing his stools can enable you to notice...
Tapeworm parasitic disease, also called Taeniasis, occurs when humans are infected with the adult tapeworm. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that people become infected by accidentally eating tapeworm eggs, which then grow to...
Colon cancer, which is cancer of the longest part of the large intestine, and rectal cancer, which is cancer of the end of the large intestine, are typically combined into the term colorectal cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. With...
Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD. The disease causes ulcers in the lining of the colon and rectum. According to the Mayo Clinic, it occurs through continuous stretches of your colon unlike the other IBD, Crohn's disease,...
In some cases, bacteria that are normally present in our bodies and environment (without doing any harm) can cause serious infections when something within our bodies is altered. C. difficile commonly colonizes our bodies (particularly our...
People who are lactose intolerant are unable to break down lactose, the sugar in milk and dairy products. Lactose intolerance becomes more common as we age, so the condition is quite rare in young infants. Explore alternative diagnoses if your...
It may seem odd or even uncouth to examine your stool. Your stools, however, often reveal health problems you might otherwise miss. Before you flush, note changes in your stool and tell your doctor about unusual odors or composition, particularly...
An infection of the intestines can occur when a bacteria, virus or parasite enter the tissues. Symptoms of these infections are often similar and include vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, abdominal cramping and sometimes a fever. Other symptoms can...
Discussing the gravity of fecal matter may not be the most appealing topic, but it is a necessary one as "floaters" may indicate serious health complications. A high fat diet will not necessarily result in floating dejection, according...
Because celiac disease can be silent--presenting no symptoms--your doctor may screen you for celiac with a simple celiac disease blood test. She looks first at your complete blood count (CBC), which tells if your iron level is low. Then she may...
Colon cancer is a silent killer. This disease claims the lives of more than 50,000 individuals per year and is curable if discovered early. Often, the symptoms bring the individual into the clinic too late, when options and survival rates are...
Colon rectal cancer is a combination cancer of the large intestine (also called the colon) and the rectum. The rectum is the last section of the colon that is responsible for storing stool until it exits the body. Cancer of these organs is...
Colorectal cancer--or cancer that originates from the colon or rectum--is a prevalent form of cancer. The National Cancer Institute reports that 106,100 new cases of colon cancer and 40,870 cases of rectal cancer were diagnosed in the United...
The first signs of a salmonella infection (called salmonellosis) usually start within 12 to 72 hours from when you ingest this nasty bacterium. Symptoms include fever, diarrhea and abdominal cramps. Older people, babies and people with immune...
GERD or gastro esophageal reflux disease is a condition in which stomach acid or, occasionally, bile flows back into your food pipe. The constant backwash or acid reflux can irritate the lining of your esophagus and cause inflammation. Learn about...
Ascariasis is caused by the Ascaris lumbricoides worm, which lives in the intestine. Learn how to treat ascariasis in this video.
