Abstract
As conventional faecal concentration methods for parasite detection may carry health risks due to the toxicity of the solvents used (ether, acetyl-acetate), we compared parasite recovery obtained with the new solvent-free EasyPara® kit (Servisol, Meudon, France), which consists of a single-use tube containing a porosity gradient filter ( 200 to 400 μm), and that obtained with the Para-Selles® system (Fumouze Diagnostics/Sofibel, Levallois-Perret, France), an ethyl-acetate solvent sedimentation method routinely used in our laboratory. Both kits were used as recommended by their manufacturers. Both kits concentrate parasites in a pellet, which is suspended for microscopic examination. Parasites were identified on the basis of their morphology. The numbers of parasites recovered in the total pellets were compared between the kits. To compare the detection thresholds of the kits, we tested a liquid polyparasitized stool sample prepared by pooling clinical parasitized stool samples (protozoa and helminths) from parasitized patients consulting our hospital and stored in our collection and diluting it with saline solution. Using the liquid polyparasitized stool sample, the recovery concentrations for Entamoeba histolytica/dispar, Entamoeba coli and Angystrongyloides stercoralis larvae were significantly different with the two kits but no difference was observed for Giardi intestinalis cysts and Ascaris, tapeworm egg detection. Parasite recovery was better with the EasyPara® kit than with Para-Selles®, probably owing to the presence of an original porosity gradient filter.
Highlights
With the increase in intercontinental travel and immigration, intestinal parasitoses are a growing public health concern in industrialized countries
Sedimentation techniques make parasitic elements concentrate at the bottom of the faecal sample, and are the most widely used
In many clinical parasitology laboratories, formol-ether or formolethyl acetate sedimentation is the preferred method for the detection of helminth eggs and protozoan cysts in fresh and preserved faecal samples
Summary
With the increase in intercontinental travel and immigration, intestinal parasitoses are a growing public health concern in industrialized countries. Light microscopy is the principal method used to confirm clinical diagnoses, by demonstrating the presence of cysts, trophozoites stages (protozoa), eggs or larvae (helminths) in faecal samples. Flotation techniques are used to bring parasitic elements to the surface of a faecal suspension, from whence they can be transferred to a microscope slide for direct examination. One limitation of this method is that nematode eggs do not float on standard flotation media and are better concentrated by means of sedimentation. In many clinical parasitology laboratories, formol (formalin)-ether or formolethyl acetate sedimentation is the preferred method for the detection of helminth eggs and protozoan cysts in fresh and preserved faecal samples. The use of formal-ether poses a chemical risk to laboratory staff: ether, used to extract debris and fat from faeces, is highly inflammable and is no longer allowed in many diagnostic laboratories, being replaced by ethyl acetate
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
