Blood Collection, Handling & Processing

• Blood Collection, Handling & Processing

  • Blood films can be prepared from fresh whole blood collected containing no anticoagulants, anticoagulated blood, or sediment from the various concentration procedures.
• Blood Collection, Handling & Processing

  • Blood specimens for parasite study must be collected by aseptic technique.
• Blood Collection, Handling & Processing

  • Capillary blood should be free-flowing and contaminated with alcohol used to cleanse the puncture site
• Blood Collection, Handling & Processing

  • Blood that is milked from finger will be diluted with tissue fluid, making it difficult to detect the parasites.
• Blood Collection, Handling & Processing

  • If Malaria is suspected, it is the best to prepare smears within 1 hour of collection (Longer storage causes distortion or possible loss of malarial parasite)
• Blood Collection, Handling & Processing

  • The timing of obtaining blood samples varies with the parasite suspected though many of the organism exhibit a natural periodicity in the blood
• Blood Collection, Handling & Processing

  • The typical blood sample processing for parasites consist of preparing thick and thin blood smears staining them using a permanent stain and examining them microscopically.
• Blood Collection, Handling & Processing

  • If there is a low concentration of parasitic infections, you can use concentration techniques and cultures.