Why stool test is done

This test is called a hour stool collection or quantitative fecal fat test. How To Prepare Many medicines can change the results of this test. Be sure to tell your doctor if you have: Recently had an X-ray test using barium contrast material , such as a barium enema or upper gastrointestinal series barium swallow. Barium can interfere with test results. Travelled in recent weeks or months, especially if you have travelled outside the country.

This helps your doctor look for the parasites, fungi, viruses, or bacteria that may be causing a problem. How It Is Done Stool samples can be collected at home, in your doctor's office, at a medical clinic, or at the hospital.

Collect the samples as follows: Urinate before you collect the stool so that you do not get any urine in the stool sample. Put on gloves before handling your stool. Stool can contain germs that spread infection. Wash your hands after you remove your gloves. Pass stool but no urine into a dry container.

You may be given a plastic basin that can be placed under the toilet seat to catch the stool. Either solid or liquid stool can be collected. If you have diarrhea, a large plastic bag taped to the toilet seat may make the collection process easier; the bag is then placed in a plastic container. If you are constipated, you may be given a small enema.

Do not collect the sample from the toilet bowl. Do not mix toilet paper, water, or soap with the sample. Place the lid on the container and label it with your name, your doctor's name, and the date the stool was collected. Use one container for each day's collection. Collect a sample only once a day unless your doctor gives you other directions. How long the test takes The test will take a few minutes each time you take a sample.

How It Feels There is no pain while collecting a stool sample. Risks Any stool sample may contain germs that can spread disease. Results Each lab has a different range for what's normal. Stool analysis Normal: The stool appears brown, soft, and well-formed in consistency. The stool is shaped like a tube.

Abnormal: The stool is black, red, white, yellow, or green. The stool is liquid or very hard. There is too much stool. Look for the cause of an infection, such as bacteria, a fungus , or a virus. Check for poor absorption of nutrients by the digestive tract malabsorption syndrome. For this test, all stool is collected over a hour period and then checked for fat and sometimes for meat fibers. This test is called a hour stool collection or quantitative fecal fat test.

How To Prepare Many medicines can change the results of this test. Be sure to tell your doctor if you have: Recently had an X-ray test using barium contrast material , such as a barium enema or upper gastrointestinal series barium swallow.

Barium can interfere with test results. Traveled in recent weeks or months, especially if you have traveled outside the country. This helps your doctor look for the parasites, fungi, viruses, or bacteria that may be causing a problem. How It Is Done Stool samples can be collected at home, in your doctor's office, at a medical clinic, or at the hospital. Collect the samples as follows: Urinate before you collect the stool so that you do not get any urine in the stool sample.

Put on gloves before handling your stool. Stool can contain germs that spread infection. Wash your hands after you remove your gloves. Pass stool but no urine into a dry container. You may be given a plastic basin that can be placed under the toilet seat to catch the stool.

Either solid or liquid stool can be collected. If you have diarrhea, a large plastic bag taped to the toilet seat may make the collection process easier; the bag is then placed in a plastic container. If you are constipated, you may be given a small enema.

Do not collect the sample from the toilet bowl. Do not mix toilet paper, water, or soap with the sample. Place the lid on the container and label it with your name, your doctor's name, and the date the stool was collected. Use one container for each day's collection.

Collect a sample only once a day unless your doctor gives you other directions. How long the test takes The test will take a few minutes each time you take a sample. How It Feels There is no pain while collecting a stool sample.

Risks Any stool sample may contain germs that can spread disease. Results Each lab has a different range for what's normal. A stool analysis may check values for pH, reducing factors, and fat. The infection usually runs its course in about a week without any treatment. Other infections may develop, though. They include: Meningitis Inflammation of the joints Urinary tract infection. This is a nerve disease that can cause temporary paralysis.

This test can tell your health care provider whether you have Campylobacter or a different type of harmful bacteria in your digestive tract. His or her doctor will explain how to collect and deliver the sample. Timing is important. If your child has been in the hospital for more than three days, his or her results may not be accurate. Contaminating the sample with urine or toilet paper can affect the results.

Stool Tests. What is a stool test? What is a stool culture? What is the purpose of a stool culture? Symptoms may include: High fever Stools that contain blood or mucus Severe stomach pain or cramping Severe diarrhea Nausea Diarrhea that lasts more than a few days.

A stool test may also be request if your child has: Immunity problems or if their white blood cell count is high. Traveled to a region where clean water is unavailable and has symptoms of parasitic infection.

Taken broad-spectrum antibiotics and is at risk for picking up a dangerous strain of bacteria, such as Clostridium difficile. What do the test results mean? Sometimes the test shows a false-negative result, meaning that the test missed certain infectious bacteria. How is this test done? Does this test pose any risks? This test poses no known risks.

Types of Stool Tests. Rotavirus Test. Yersinia Test. Giardia Antigen Test. Salmonella Culture Test. White Blood Cell Test. Calprotectin Test.

More Stool Tests. Fecal Occult Blood Test. Collecting and preparing the samples typically follows these steps: After putting on protective gloves, collect one of the stools in a dry container. It is important to follow specific instructions before starting this stool test: The child should not take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen Advil or naproxen Aleve , or aspirin for seven days before the test.

Testing for blood in the stool is often performed with a quick test in the office that can provide the results immediately. First, stool is smeared on a card, then a few drops of a developing solution are placed on the card. An instant color change shows that blood is present in the stool. Sometimes, stool is sent to a laboratory to test for blood, and the result will be reported within hours. Stool can be cultured for disease-causing bacteria.

A stool sample is placed in an incubator for at least 48 to 72 hours and any disease-causing bacteria are identified and isolated. Remember that not all bacteria in the stool cause problems; in fact, about half of stool is bacteria, most of which live there normally and are necessary for digestion.

In a stool culture, lab technicians are most concerned with identifying bacteria that cause disease. For a stool culture, the lab will need a fresh or refrigerated sample of stool.

The best samples are of loose, fresh stool; well-formed stool is rarely positive for disease-causing bacteria. Sometimes, more than one stool will be collected for a culture. Swabs from a child's rectum also can be tested for viruses. Although this is not done routinely, it can sometimes give clues about certain illnesses, especially in newborns or very ill children.

Viral cultures can take a week or longer to grow, depending on the virus. Stool may be tested for the presence of parasites and ova the egg stage of a parasite if a child has prolonged diarrhea or other intestinal symptoms.