Collecting faeces and parasites

Faeces specimens

Attention

  • Remember, ‘fresh is best’ — must send to pathology lab within 3 days
  • Usually 3 specimens collected over 3 days, from separate bowel movements. If transport a problem — may only be able to collect 1 or 2
  • Do not contaminate specimen with urine
  • If person menstruating or has bleeding piles (haemorrhoids) — do not collect specimens for faecal occult blood testing (FOBT)
  • If using specific faecal occult blood test (FOBT) tubes — do not empty out liquid already in tubes

Not all communities have daily transport services. Try to collect each specimen in the 24 hours before transport leaves. Repeat 3 times or as needed

What you need

  • Sterile brown top faeces jar, or tube with scoop (usually built into lid), or use ordinary sterile specimen jar and wooden spatula
    • If available, use as a second specimen pot or tube, an ova, cysts and parasites (OCP) container also containing preservative
  • Bed pan (disposable if you have one), nappy, plastic container or cling wrap

What you do

  • Label jars/tubes
  • For infection (diarrhoea)
    • Scoop some faeces from pan, nappy or container into tube — about the size of a cherry OR pour in if runny
    • Screw lid on tightly
    • Request "Faeces MC&S and multiplex NAAT" 
    • If you suspect worms — also request "OCP, strongyloides"
    • Interpreting results — medical consult
  • For possible cancer — faecal occult blood test (FOBT)
    • Collect 3 specimens from 3 separate bowel movements
    • Put in 3 separate, labelled tubes
    • Request FOBT
  • Store and transport as soon as possible at room temperature. Send in esky

Anal swabs for threadworm

Attention

  • Arrange to collect samples early in morning before person uses toilet or washes

What you need

  • Clean paper sheet or bluey
  • See through (transparent) sticky tape
  • Wooden tongue depressor
  • Immersion oil (transparent oil used in microscopy)
  • Microscope
  • Microscope slide

What you do

  • Put clean paper sheet or bluey onto bed
  • Ask person to lie on left side with knees drawn up
  • Fold strip of tape over end of wooden tongue depressor, sticky side out
  • Separate person’s buttocks. Press end of tongue depressor against skin around anus in several places
  • Lift tape up off depressor, put drop of immersion oil under middle, then replace. Will make tape more transparent
  • Threadworms can be seen with naked eye
    • 2–13mm long, oval, slightly asymmetrical, cream or pearly-white in colour
  • If you have microscope — put tape on slide, sticky side down
    • Look for threadworm eggs using 40x objective