Abstract
Diagnostic dilemmas often arise when veterinary practitioners suspect a parasitic skin disease but direct microscopy of collected samples are negative. It has been suggested that the delay between collection of the sample in the veterinary practice and evaluation at the referral laboratory results in parasite lysis. This study was performed to determine if delay in processing the samples may lead to negative results. A further aim was to determine if using other oil media (when mineral oil was not available) would result in parasite modification. One‐hundred samples of skin scrapings and otic smears in several oil media from dogs and cats diagnosed as positive for several mites of dermatological importance were kept under room conditions and evaluated over a 21‐day period for mite survival and retention of recognizable structural features. Mineral oil, kitchen grade olive oil, pharmaceutical grade baby oil and glycerin were used as oily media to process the samples. At the end of the study, mite survival rate was established between 2 and 5 days. Sarcoptes and Otodectes mites survived the longest. After 21 days of observation, all parasites and their eggs still remained recognizable, no matter which oil medium was used. It was concluded that a delay in the submission of samples does not result in negative findings. Funding: Self‐funded.
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