Parasite – Bowel
Consistent with O. Reg. 671/92 of the French Language Services Act, laboratory testing information on this page is only available in English because it is scientific or technical in nature and is for use only by qualified health care providers and not by members of the public.
Specimen Requirements
| Test Requested | Required Requisition(s) | Specimen Type | Minimum Volume | Collection Kit |
Ova and parasites1 |
Scrapings from ulcerated bowel during sigmoidoscopy |
N/A |
Sterile Container |
Submission and Collection Notes
The suspected organism may be included under the ‘Test Description’.
Please note on the requisition (under other): If the patient has Eosinophilia, HIV, is immunocompromised, has a critical illness or was admitted to ICU, or had a previous parasitic infection.
Indicate Country/Region and if the patient is a new immigrant or refugee or returned traveler under ‘Travel’ section of the requisition. It is imperative that the foreign country be identified.
Storage and Transport
Label the specimen container with the patient’s full name, date of collection and one other unique identifier such as the patient’s date of birth or Health Card Number. Failure to provide this information may result in rejection or testing delay.
Special Instructions
Place specimen container in a biohazard bag and seal. Store specimen at Room Temperature prior to shipping to PHO laboratory.
Test Frequency and Turnaround Time (TAT)
Parasite – Bowel testing is performed Monday to Friday.
Turnaround time is up to 3 days from receipt by the PHO laboratory.
Specimens are examined by microscopy by preparing a smear and concentrate following a centrifugation procedure using the Formalin/Ethyl-acetate method.
A permanent stained smear is used for the identification of trophozoites, occasionally cysts and to confirm species. It is prepared and read from the concentrate. Iron Hematoxylin stain is used to identify and confirm intestinal protozoa.
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