How do you get a good fecal smear?

How do you get a good fecal smear?

Smear a small quantity of faeces on a clean microscope slide. Mix with a few drops of water or physiological saline. Place a coverslip over the smear. The faecal material should not be left in a lump in the centre of the coverslip but evenly spread so that the microscope illumination can shine through.

What is a faecal smear?

Fecal smear is a laboratory test of a stool sample. This test is done to check for bacteria and parasites. Presence of organisms in stool shows diseases in the digestive tract.

What are the characteristics of an ideal container for stool samples?

Stool Specimens – Specimen Collection. Collect the stool in a dry, clean, leakproof container. Make sure no urine, water, soil or other material gets in the container.

What is the clinical significance of direct fecal smear?

Direct fecal smear technique is the simplest and easiest technique to facilitate detection of intestinal parasites that infected subjects pass in their feces. The presence of intestinal protozoa (trophozoites or cysts) or helminth eggs can be observed directly with a light microscope.

What is ova and parasites in the stool?

An ova and parasite (O&P) exam is a test in which a laboratory professional uses a microscope to examine a stool sample and look for parasites. A variety of parasites can cause infections of the digestive system (gastrointestinal (GI) infections).

What is the importance of microscopic examination of stool in diagnosing disease?

Microscopic examination of the stool. The most important step in the detection of stool abnormalities and intestinal problems is microscopic examination of the stool. Microscopic examination is a diagnostic tool for defining protozoa, helminths, and fecal leukocytes.

Why is it important to examine bacteria on smears?

The smear is a means of estimating the number of acid-fast bacteria present, reported as the Bacterial Index (BI), and is important in determining the type and severity of disease as well as assessing the response to treatment.

What does a positive stool test mean?

An abnormal or positive FIT result means that there was blood in your stool at the time of the test. • A colon polyp, a pre-cancerous polyp, or cancer can cause a positive stool test. With a positive test, there is a small chance that you have early-stage colorectal cancer.

What is the ideal specimen container for stool culture?

It should be collected in a clean, dry screw-top container. Your doctor or a member of staff at the hospital will give you a plastic (specimen) container to use, although you can use any clean container as long as you can seal it.

Why is direct fecal smear prone to false negative results?

Inadequate sample size (e.g., fecal loop sample) may result in false-negative results. To remove large fecal debris, sieving is recommended prior to centrifugation. The sample is sieved through cheesecloth or a tea strainer after mixing with water or flotation solution.

What is the best test for parasites?

Diagnosis of Parasitic Diseases

• A fecal (stool) exam, also called an ova and parasite test (O&P)
• Endoscopy/Colonoscopy.
• Blood tests.
• X-ray, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan, Computerized Axial Tomography scan (CAT)These tests are used to look for some parasitic diseases that may cause lesions in the organs.

What are the features of a good blood smear?

 If the blood is very thin (severe anemia) you may need to increase the angle of the spreader slide to avoid going off the end of the slide. A good quality smear has the following features;  A dense body; this should take up about 2/3 of the entire smear and should blend smoothly into the monolayer area.

How is a direct wet smear of stool prepared?

The direct wet smear is prepared by mixing a small amount of stool (about 2 mg) with a drop of 0.85% NaCl; this mixture will provide a uniform suspension under a 22- by 22-mm coverslip. A 2-mg sample of stool forms a low cone on the end of a wooden applicator stick.

How do you smear faeces on a microscope?

Smear a small quantity of faeces on a clean microscope slide. Mix with a few drops of water or physiological saline. Place a coverslip over the smear. The faecal material should not be left in a lump in the centre of the coverslip but evenly spread so that the microscope illumination can shine through.

How is a direct wet smear prepared for a light infection?

Examination of the fecal material as a direct smear may or may not reveal organisms; in light infections, the number of organisms present may be very low. The direct wet smear is prepared by mixing a small amount of stool (about 2 mg) with a drop of 0.85% NaCl; this mixture will provide a uniform suspension under a 22- by 22-mm coverslip.