Specialized Diagnostics: Tissue/Organ Digestion

This technique is used to detect adult and larval helminths, and sometimes arthropods, in host tissues and organs. The material to be examined is placed in a digest solution (most often acid pepsin) at a defined temperature for a defined time period, and the digest then examined microscopically, sometimes following centrifugation. This technique is most often used for the recovery of Trichinella larvae. The exact composition of the digest solution, as well as the digest temperature and time can all influence the results, particularly the degree of digestion (over-digestion may destroy the parasites).