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