Hello, i was wondering if anyone is experienced in testing for worms in poo lol
I have taken many poo samples to my vets and my vet (a very good friend) has always shown me what worms look like protazoa etc.

So i got myself a microscope.

Anyone experienced in this?

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Yes - I do all my own faecal egg counts. If all you want to do are faecal smears (which is seems if the only thing you have been shown) then a good light microscope may do you.. but I would question the worth if doing this alone. I don't do the counts solely on reps, so not all my methods are applicable..

I tend not to do faecal staining. Faecal smears can be examined under a light microscope for the detection of protozoan parasites if the sample is fresh enough (amaoebic and flagellate trophozoites deteriorate within 1-2 hours). If you are practiced enough you may also find it easy to detect red blood cells or leucocytes. Such samples should be unformed and treated with Sodium chloride (0.9%).

I like to do flotation faecal egg counts, though these require the use of a centrifuge and the addition of other salts, they are easy to perform however and counts become very quick after a few practice runs!

Identifying the parasite or oocyte you have detected is usually the hardest part and this is where a good, comprehensive text book will be useful. A personal favourite and an addition to many university text lists is Urquhart's "Veterinary Parasitology".

Whilst I do not always use the most up-to-date or high tech techniques they are "good enough" for use in the home.

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Thanks I knwo my red foots have protazoa so took a poo sample and found them.

I just mixed some fresh poo with a bit of water. Is that right? well it worked anyway.

Im just testing others for worms. Do you know of any good web sites on this subject?

Thank you for your reply.

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Hannah, what sort of microscope/equipment would you recommend for being good enough for that sort of thing, out of interest?

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I have a fairly basic Brunel stereo microscope (2 eyepieces - I cant be doing with one!). Illuminated base, coarse and fine coaxial adjustment and preferably a 1000x lens for oil immersion (many cheapies only go to 400x).
Remember a 'scope marked with 20, 40 and 100x lenses are in fact 10x more powerful due to the initial magnification at the eye piece. There isnt much more to it.. the rest is just personal taste.

Try talking to universities, as they often sell older microscopes which are more than "fit for purpose". Mine is a £300 piece of kit that I picked up for closer to £150.

Just to give you an idea.. this is pretty much the same one I have.



Brunel sell used microscopes out of this site:

Used Microscopes UK

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Hmm sorry Sarah I dont know of any decent websites, try to get a decent textbook out of a library (your local should be able to order you on in) and have a good look at that.

Water will do at home for some flagellates but sodium chloride is ideal. For flotation you absolutely need the addtional salts to alter the water potential. The general idea with fecal egg counts is to get the oocytes on the top liquid sample layer, so you can skim it off onto a slide and do your counts.

For this you would also ideally need a mortar and pestle to break down the faeces, a centrifuge and
marked slides (they have a sort of grid marked on them to help you do the count properly).

I should really find all my old notes on the subject since they explain it much better than I can, but they are lost in the depths of the garage!

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So what is the best maginfication to go for for worms and protazoa?

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The best rule of thumb is to focus at each magnification, have a scope round then go up one until you are happy with what you can see. There is not always a "set" magnification.

From memory I usually look at helminth eggs at about 40x, perhaps 60?

EDIT Just to add.. try to buy something with Kohler illumination (fairly common now and worthwhile) - there is a definitive way to set the microscope up for Kohler. More info here: Microscopy-UK full menu of microscopy and microscopes on the web

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On my cheap on the lowest i have is 100x i can see protazoa and seen one cell in a wet prep.

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100x will be what I would call 10x I think... you have x10 on the eyepiece and xwhatever on the actual objective making 100x overall. I have a habit of only quoting the objective strength as the eyepiece strength stays constant

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