Baermann Examination

This technique is used to recover live nematode larvae from fresh (or sometimes frozen) faeces or, on occasion, organs, tissues or vegetation.

Direct Skin Scraping With Digestion

This technique is used to recover small ectoparasites, particularly the various species of tiny mites associated with mange.

Ecoparasite Collection

The larger ectoparasites (e.g. lice, fleas, ticks and fly maggots) are best recovered by very careful visual examination of the skin and hair coat.

Egg/Oocyst Comparison - Canine Flotation

The eggs and oocysts in the chart below are those that are somewhat commonly found in dog fecal flotations.

Egg/Oocyst comparison - Equine Flotation

The eggs and oocysts in the chart below are those that are somewhat commonly found in horse fecal flotations.

Egg/Oocyst comparison - Feline Flotation

The eggs and oocysts in the chart below are those that are somewhat commonly found in cat fecal flotations.

Egg/Oocyst comparison - Porcine Flotation

The eggs and oocysts in the chart below are those that are somewhat commonly found in pig fecal flotations.

Egg/Oocyst comparison - Ruminant Flotation

The eggs and oocysts in the chart below are those that are somewhat commonly found in ruminant fecal flotations.

Faecal Direct Smear

This is usually used to detect and identify protozoan trophozoites, cysts and oocysts in fresh or appropriately fixed faeces.

Faecal Sedimentation

This technique is used to recover eggs of trematodes, which do not float in standard flotation techniques.

Fecal Egg Count Reduction Testing

Due to the increase in anthelmentic resistance in equine helminths the World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology (WAAVP) guidelines recommend the use of Feca...

Giardia Test: IDEXX SNAP

This test is applied to the faeces to detect antigen produced by Giardia spp.

Heartworm Antigen Test

A variety of commercial test kits are available for the serological diagnosis of Dirofilaria immitis.

Modified Knotts Test

The Modified Knotts Test is used to detect and identify microfilariae of filarid nematodes in blood.

Qualitative Faecal Centrifugation-Flotation

This technique is usually applied to faeces, or sometimes intestinal contents, to recover eggs of helminth parasites and cysts and oocysts of intestinal protozoa.

Quantitative Faecal Flotation - McMaster Egg Counting Technique

This technique is usually applied to faeces, or sometimes intestinal contents, to recover and count eggs of helminth parasites and cysts and oocysts of intestinal protozoa.

Quantitative Modified Wisconsin Technique: In-Clinic Procedure

This technique is usually applied to faeces, or sometimes intestinal contents, to recover and count eggs of helminth parasites and cysts and oocysts of intestinal protozoa.

Quantitative Wisconsin Technique: WCVM Laboratory Procedure

This technique is usually applied to faeces, or sometimes intestinal contents, to recover and count eggs of helminth parasites and cysts and oocysts of intestinal protozoa.

Skin Scraping

This technique is used to recover small ectoparasites, particularly the various species of tiny mites associated with mange.

Specialized Diagnostics: Blood Film Examination

Several parasitic protozoa (e.g. Trypanosoma and Babesia), as well as the first-stage larvae (microfilariae) of some tissue-dwelling nematodes (e.g. D. immitis), can be detected in...

Specialized Diagnostics: Coproantigen Detection

This approach depends on the detection of parasite antigen in faeces, using a variety of immunological techniques.

Specialized Diagnostics: Fecal Culture

Eggs of several parasitic nematodes, particularly those of the gastro-intestinal tract of herbivores, cannot be identified to genus.

Specialized Diagnostics: Fluorescent Antibody Detection of Parasites in Faeces

Commercial test kits are available for the detection of Giardia cysts and Cryptosporidium oocysts using a specific fluorescent-labeled antibody that attaches to the antigen on the ...

Specialized Diagnostics: Immunohistochemistry

This technique depends on the detection of parasite antigens, usually in histological sections of host tissue, using specific antibodies.

Specialized Diagnostics: Medical Imaging

Techniques such as radiography, computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have application as research tools in the investigation of several tissue-dwelling par...

Specialized Diagnostics: Parasite Detection in Histological Sections

Many tissue-dwelling helminths, arthropods and protozoa may be detected in histological sections made from samples collected at post-mortem (or occasionally by biopsy).

Specialized Diagnostics: Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and Nucleic Acid Sequencing

This technique, which depends on the detection of parasite nucleic acid, can be applied to a variety of samples, including fresh and fixed tissues, blood, faeces, and the parasites...

Specialized Diagnostics: Serology

In veterinary parasitology there are serological tests for a variety of helminth, arthropod and protozoan parasites.

Specialized Diagnostics: Tissue/Organ Digestion

This technique is used to detect adult and larval helminths, and sometimes arthropods, in host tissues and organs.

Specialized Diagnostics: Total Worm Count

This is used, most often on ruminants, to quantify and identify the helminth parasite burden in the lumen, and sometimes the mucosa (larval stages of nematodes), in part or all of ...