Parasite screen, stool (Calgary/South)
- Test Name:
- Parasite screen, stool (Calgary/South)
- Organism(s)/Disease(s):
-
Amoebiasis
Amoebic dysentery
Cryptosporidiosis
Cryptosporidium hominis
Cryptosporidium parvum
Diarrhea
Entamoeba histolytica
Enteric protozoa screen
Giardia duodenalis (giardiasis)
Giardia lamblia
Giardiasis
Parasite PCR screen
- Body Source(s):
-
*Preferred: Stool/feces
Rectal swab (only COPAN FecalSwab)
-
Clinical Prerequisite(s):
-
Provision of relevant clinical information is important to ensure a clinically relevant result
Notes:
Do not order ova and parasite examination if the patient has had barium studies, antacids, mineral oil, or recent mineral laxatives
Antibiotics may reduce amoeboid parasite levels significantly for up to 3 weeks, resulting in false negative results
- Collection Device/Tube Type:
-
60 mL sterile, plastic container
- Specimen Requirement(s):
-
Submit one stool specimen only, regardless of the patient's clinical circumstances
Hospitalized Patients: Testing is only appropriate for symptom onset within the first four hospital days
- Collection Instructions:
-
Patient Collection Instructions
If Ova and Parasite microscopic examination is also requested:
• a Stool Collection Kit is required
• a clinical history form must be provided
• Refer to: Ova and parasite, stool (Calgary/South)
DO NOT overfill the SAF (sodium acetate/acetic acid/formalin) container. Add stool to the fill-line, only
Adequate mixing of the stool specimen in the SAF is critical for optimal preservation
- Handling/Storage Comments:
-
• Deliver specimen and requisition to the laboratory as soon as possible
• Unpreserved stool, less than 2 hours old, may be transferred to SAF
• If deliver to the lab is delayed, refrigerate up to a maximum of 24 hours
- Rejection Criteria:
-
Samples are rejected if:
• the specimen or requisition are mislabelled or unlabelled
• there is insufficient quantity of sample
• the container is leaking
• rectal swabs are collected using Amies swabs
• multiple samples are received on the same day
- Turnaround Times
- See Microbiology Information»
- Comments:
-
Diarrheal stool specimens are screened using BD MAX™ Enteric Parasite Panel, a commercial polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay that detects Giardia species, Cryptosporidium hominis/parvum and Entamoeba histolytica. These pathogens compromise a significant majority of the parasitic infections encountered in clinical practice
All positive stool culture results are reported to the Regional Public Health Office, the ordering Physician, and Infection Control when applicable
List of ova and parasite organisms
- Last Reviewed:
- 06 May 2023
