Diagnostic Test Reagents, Materials and its Advantages Disadvantages

Uses
Direct Fecal Smear Normal Saline (0.85% NaCl) – - Used in the assessment - Internal structure of
a. NSS Mount reagent used for unstained of worm burden of trophozoite are often
preparation to assess motility patient. poorly visible
of trophozoites - Provide quick diagnosis - Do not contribute to
Glass Slides – used to prepare of heavily infected the definitive diagnosis
specimens for microscopic specimen of cysts/ trophozoites
visualization on the spot; - To check organism
sample specimen is placed
motility
here
- To diagnose organisms
Cover slip – keep solid
specimens pressed flat, and that might not be
liquid samples shaped into a visible from permanent
flat layer of even thickness. stain method
Pipettes – used to aspirate the
reagent
Gloves – sanitary equipment,
and part of protection of the
individual
Microscope – used in the
analysis of fecal smear
preparation
b. Iodine Mount Lugol’s Iodine – intended use - Simple to perform, quick, and - Preparation dries
with wet mount preparations inexpensive within a few minutes,
and concentration techniques Facilitates direct visualization rendering it
for the detection of intestinal of parasitic ova and cyst unreadable and
protozoa and helminth ova and morphology unreliable to visualize
larvae live nematodal larvae
*Glass slides
*Cover slips
*Pipettes
*Gloves
 *Microscope
FECT - Increased chances of Disadvantages of the
detecting parasitic Formalin-ether technique
organisms, thus include (i) concentration of
increasing the granular material, (ii)
sensitivity of suboptimal concentration of H.
copromicroscopic nana and Iodamoeba, and (iii)
techniques. greater expense and significant
fire and explosion hazard.
- Easy to perform and
-
less prone to technical
errors.
Zinc Sulfate Flotation - This procedure can be - The zinc sulfate
used for helminth eggs, procedure, however,
larvae, and protozoan has been found to be
cysts. unreliable for
- found to be a very schistosome eggs and
useful routine will not concentrate
procedure in the operculated eggs well
clinical parasitology unless they are
laboratory. Formalin preserved
- -
Sheather’s Sugar Flotation - used for determining -
the egg per gram of
feces and it is probably
the most commonly
used method.
- the most accurate as it
counts all the eggs in 3
gram of feces and
because it is a flotation
method.
 -
Permanent Stained Smear (Iron provided most of the original Though the iron-
Hematoxylin) morphological description of hematoxylin stain yields
intestinal protozoa found in better results in cytological
humans. detail, this stain requires
detection and quantification of considerable technical
intestinal amoebae and competence
protozoa. -
-
Kato-Katz
Baermann Technique
Harada Mori
Thick and Thin Blood Smear