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The faeces of animals is often used as ]: see ]. | The faeces of animals is often used as ]: see ]. | ||
==HOW TO EAT YOUR POO== | |||
==Laboratory testing of feces== | |||
In the medical profession, feces are referred to as '''stools'''. This comes from the ] word ''stol'', which means "seat". The word stool was originally used to describe the seat one sat on to defecate. So, the expression was that they were "going to stool." By the end of the ], the word stool was used to mean the same thing as feces. | |||
It's quite easy, go to the toilet, grab your favourite mag, sit down, strain last night's turkey, | |||
Feces will usually be required for ] testing, looking for an ]. | |||
get a net, fish it out and dep fry it! (try not to break the shell!) | |||
Biochemical tests done on feces include ] and ] measurements, as well as tests for ]. | |||
It is recommended that the clinician correlate the symptoms and submit specimens according to laboratory guidelines to obtain results that are clinically significant. Formed stools often do not give satisfactory results and suggest little of actual pathologic conditions. | |||
Three main types of microbiological tests are commonly done on feces: | |||
* Antibody-antigen type tests, that look for a specific virus (e.g. ]). | |||
* Microscopic examination for ]s and their ] (eggs). | |||
* Routine culture. | |||
Routine culture involves streaking the sample onto ]s containing special additives, such as ], that will inhibit the growth of ] organisms and will selectively allow enteric pathogens to grow, and incubating them for a period, and observing the bacterial colonies that have grown. | |||
Yellowing of feces can be caused by an infection known as ]. Giardia are tiny parasitic organisms. If giardia infects the intestines it can cause severe yellow ]. This is a dangerous communicable infection and must be reported. | |||
Another cause of yellowing is a condition known as ]. This condition is characterized by ] and ]. Hyperbilirubinemia occurs when too much ] is present in the circulating blood. | |||
Feces can be black if dried blood is present in them from a bleed. More active bleeding can lead feces to be red in color. | |||
In children with certain illnesses, feces can be blue or green. Babies also produce green feces when they are given food for the first time. | |||
The main pathogens that are commonly looked for in feces include: | |||
* ] and ] | |||
* ] (this tends to be incubated at 30°C, which is cooler than usual.) | |||
* ] (incubated at 42°C, in a special environment.) | |||
* ] | |||
* ] (if the person is immunosuppressed e.g. cancer treatment.) | |||
* ] (if blood is visible in the stool sample.) | |||
==See also== | ==See also== |
Revision as of 10:38, 25 May 2005
Feces (also spelled faeces in British English, or fæces) are semi-solid waste products from an animal digestive tract expelled through the anus (or cloaca) during defecation. In humans, defecation may occur (depending on the individual and the circumstances) from once every two or three days to three times a day. Prolonged interruption in the usual routine is called constipation.
The distinctive odor of feces is due to bacterial action. Bacteria produce compounds such as indole, skatole, and mercaptans, which are rich in sulfur, as well as the inorganic gas hydrogen sulfide. These are the same compounds that are responsible for the odor of flatulence.
The word faeces is the plural of the Latin word faex meaning "dregs".
Feces are also known as scat and scatology is the study of feces. Excrement is also another word for feces.
Feces are generally a taboo subject (see toilet humour). This is probably because of the need to keep feces well away from food, for health reasons. The word shit is a vulgar term for feces in English.
Coprophilia, also known as fecophilia, is a sexual attraction to feces. Coprophagia is the extremely hazardous practice of eating feces.
Coprophobia, also known as fecophobia, is a strong irrational fear of feces.
Meconium (also spelled merconium) is a newborn baby's first feces, and is normally passed post-partum. There is a danger that aspiration (inhalation) of meconium can occur if it is passed during labor and delivery. Inhaled meconium can cause a partial or complete blockage of the newborn's airways, and the severity depends on the amount of meconium the baby aspirates. Meconium aspiration affects around 20 percent of all newborn babies worldwide.
Fossilized feces are known as coprolites, and form an important class of objects studied in the field of paleontology.
The faeces of animals is often used as fertilizer: see manure.
HOW TO EAT YOUR POO
It's quite easy, go to the toilet, grab your favourite mag, sit down, strain last night's turkey, get a net, fish it out and dep fry it! (try not to break the shell!)
See also
External links and references
- Urobilinogen
- Liver biochemistry
- History of Shit by Dominique Laporte (ISBN 0262621606)