DIRECT FECAL SMEAR

Fecalysis
Part of routine patient examination
For diagnosis of intestinal parasitism
useful for the diagnosis of protozoal
parasites which have motile Preparation of Direct Smear
trophozoite
Fresh Feces: 5-10 mins old Technique

COLLECTING THE STOOL

Direct fecal smear technique is the simplest and easiest technique

Step Step Step Step Step to facilitate detection of intestinal parasites that infected subjects
1 2 3 4 5 pass in their feces. The presence of intestinal protozoa
(trophozoites or cysts) or helminth eggs can be observed directly
with a light microscope

Safety:Handle all samples as potentially infectious. Wear

gloves during the procedure. Practice safety precautions
for handling and disposal of infectious materials.

Make sure
Take the
sample to
NO need for preparation
discomfort, no risk
Preferably, the Label the
Collect the Place in a
the stool
container NORMAL ABNROMAL
will not mix laboratory
mid-part of wide mouth ASAP. The with: Name, MEANS...
with urine, no disease-causing
the container stool should Age, Sex, abnormal bacteria or other
water, and germs present. organisms have been found in
morning be Time and Values ranges per
the stool sample, which may
chemicals date of
be due to an infection of the
stool examined in laboratory digestive tract.
like soap. collection
30 minutes
to 1 hour

REMINDERS:
1. Take note if stool is watery, soft, semi-formed or formed

FECAL SMEAR PREPARATION 2. Note the presence of of mucus and blood

3. Use the part with mucus and/or blood and the soft part

MATERIALS:
Fresh fecal specimen; two clean, scratch-free glass
slides; applicator sticks; cover glass; saline solution,
0.85%; lugol’s iodine (optional); microscope

METHOD METHOD
1. Place a drop of saline solution
METHOD
7. Seeing interesting structures or
at the center of the glass slide fecal elements under LPO, shift to
2. Using the tip of an applicator HPO and fine focus the object for
4. Place the preparation on top of identification
stick, pick approximately 2mg of
any piece of paper and see if the 8. Examine at least 2 smears
the fecal sample and mix
prints are vaguely seen but thoroughly but the examination
homogenously with the saline
readable. If not so, then the smear should take no more than 30
3. Hold the cover glass between
is not appropriate. However, the minutes per slide
the index and thumb, bring one
smear should not be too light 9. A drop of Lugol’s iodine may be
side of it to come into contact
5. Let the prepared slide rest on a added on the 2 nd stool smear
with the side of the fecal
flat surface for 1-2 minutes preparation.
suspension and slowly allow the
6. Scan-examine the entire smear 10. Search for and illustrate the
cover glass to lie flat on top.
under LPO of the microscope fecal elements and artifacts listed
systematically