Identification of Cryptosporidium spp. oocysts in fecal smears stained with Heidenhain's iron hematoxylin

• Main Authors: Cláudio Santos FERREIRA, Vicente AMATO NETO, Ruth Semira Rodríguez ALARCÓN, Erika GAKIYA
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Universidade de São Paulo (USP) 2001
• Subjects: Cryptosporidium spp; Regressive iron hematoxylin staining; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Infectious and parasitic diseases; RC109-216; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doaj.org/article/224b3a71ee224e0fb87fcb184ad80e15

There is no paucity of methods for diagnosing Cryptosporidium spp. infection. The merits of immunoassays notwithstanding, microscopic identification of Cryptosporidium spp. oocysts in fecal samples remains an important diagnostic procedure. It owes the persistence of its use to such characteristics as dispensing with expensive equipment and kits, requiring only basic laboratory facilities, and having a low probability of false positive results when permanent slides are prepared, which can be re-examined in case of doubt. Cryptosporidium spp. oocysts can be readily identified in fecal smears prepared according to a regressive iron hematoxylin staining technique. The number of steps and their duration, as well as costs, were reduced to a minimum without loss of image quality and permanence of the preparations.