Spicemen Collection and Processing

• ova - refers to the egg stage of select parasites
• parasite - the morphologic forms that may be present
• specimen collected every other day or three in 10 days
• diagnose of amebiasis, specimens must be collected in 14 days
• therapy include barium, bismuth or mineral oil should be collected prior to therapy or not until 5 to 7 days after the completion of therapy
• patients that taken antibiotics or antimalarial medications should be delayed for two weeks following therapy
• Stool specimens should be collected in a clean, watertight container with a tight-fitting lid
• Acceptable amount of stool required for parasite study is 2 to 5 g, or as the size of a walnut
• OSHA = Occupational Safety and Health Administration
• Trophozoite stage is sensitive to environmental changes and, on release from the body, disintegrate rapidly
• Liquid specimens be examined within 30 minutes of passage
• Formed stool specimens are not likely to contain trophozoites; therefore, they can be held for 24 hours following collection
• Fixatives are substances that preserve the morphology of protozoa and prevent further development of certain helminth eggs and larvae
• the recommend ratio is three parts fixative to one part stool
• specimen must be fixed in the preservative for at least 30 minutes before processing begins
• Formalin used for years as an all-purpose fixative for the recovery of protozoa and helminths
• 5% concentration ideally preserves protozoan cysts
• 10% concentration preserves helminth eggs and larvae
• Primary advantage of Formalin:

  1. easy to preserve
  2. preserve specimens for up to several years
  3. has a long shelf life