Blood Parasites

Question 1

Enumerate the different blood parasites

Answer 1

• Plasmodium
• Trypanosoma
• Leishmania
• Babesia
• Dirofilaria immitis
• microfilariae

Question 2

The most common method for detecting blood parasites.

Answer 2

Microscopic blood examination

Question 3

What are the methods of collection for blood parasites?

Answer 3

Finger, Earlobe, Venipuncture (EDTA)

Question 4

Factors that influence the timing of specimen collection

Answer 4

• travel history
• clinical symptoms
• periodicity (Plasmodium spp.,Babesia)
• end of paroxysmal episode (microfilariae)

Question 5

This sample must be free-flowing to prevent dilution of blood with tissue fluid, which decreases the number of parasites.

Answer 5

Finger-prick blood sample

Question 6

This is usually from a finger-prick blood sample

Answer 6

Wet/Fresh Preparation

Question 7

These blood parasites are large and motile in fresh blood preparations.

Answer 7

Microfilariae and trypomastigotes

Question 8

In this preparation, species identification is not possible.

Answer 8

Wet mount

Question 9

It is prepared from 2 to 3 drops of blood and spread over a 2 cm diameter area.

Answer 9

Thick film

Question 10

It is prepared in such a way that they are thick on one end and thin and feathery at the other end. This is done using two, clean glass slides (Wedge Method).

Answer 10

Thin smear

Question 11

This is made in the same manner as a blood smear used for a differential count in hematology.

Answer 11

Thin Blood smear or Thin smear

Question 12

The suggested “___________” or __________ assures that the thin area of the slide has one layer of evenly distributed cells.

Answer 12

Push Slide Technique and Wedge Method, respectively

Question 13

How many drops of whole blood do you add when doing a thick blood smear?

Answer 13

2 to 3 small drops

Question 14

What is the ideal portion of the thin film that should be examined for the presence of malaria?

Answer 14

Feathery end of the film

Question 15

You need to examine __________ microscopic fields using oil immersion objective before a film is reported as negative.

Answer 15

one hundred

Question 16

Objectives:
For detection of microfilariae-
For malarial parasites-

Answer 16

LPO
OIO

Question 17

What does EDTA mean?

Answer 17

Ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid

Question 18

Time of collection is very important for the recovery and identification of this blood parasite.

Answer 18

Microfilariae

Question 19

These blood parasites are randomly collected, meaning it has no periodicity.

Answer 19

Leishmania and trypanosoma

Question 20

The time of collection is very important for the recovery and identification of this parasite

Answer 20

Microfilariae

Question 21

These are intraerythrocytic parasites that are best recovered from blood samples collected toward the end of a paroxysmal episode.

Answer 21

Plasmodium species and Babesia species

Question 22

What type of smear is used in Malaria Parasite count?

Answer 22

Thick film

Question 23

Its drawback include possible contamination because you might be extracting juices and not the blood especially when squeezing too much

Answer 23

Finger

Question 24

The gold standard for blood collection

Answer 24

Venipuncture (EDTA)

Question 25

It can only collect a very small amount of blood and clots easily thus, cannot come up with a good smear

Answer 25

Earlobe

Question 26

This is allowed to dry and then dehemoglobinized

Answer 26

Thick film

Question 27

Why do we dehemoglobinized thick films?

Answer 27

Because it aids to see the parasite easily when we do microscopy

Question 28

Advantages and disadvantages of thick films

Answer 28

Advantage: Faster assessment and higher incidence of seeing a parasite.

Disadvantage: Not recommended for species identification

Question 29

What happened when the slide has not been properly cleansed or the blood is too thick?

Answer 29

the blood may flake off the slide during staining

Question 30

Why do we mix continuously for at least 30 seconds in doing thick film?

Answer 30

To prevent the formation of fibrin strands (but if anticoagulated blood is used, this step is eliminated).

Question 31

Why should the dry slides in thick films be laked in buffer solution?

Answer 31

To remove hemoglobin

Question 32

It is incorporated with the test kit already

Answer 32

Buffer solution

Question 33

In doing a malaria parasite count, after counting 200 leukocytes, 10 or more parasites have been counted…

Answer 33

record the results showing parasites per 200 leukocytes

Question 34

In doing a malaria parasite count, after counting 200 leukocytes, 9 or less parasites have been counted…

Answer 34

Continue counting until 500 leukocytes have been counted and record the parasites per 500 leukocyte

Question 35

In doing a malaria parasite count, you select a part of the thick film that has?

Answer 35

best definition from the staining point of view and has about 20 leukocytes per field

Question 36

In doing a malaria parasite count, you select a part of the thick film that has?

Answer 36

best definition from the staining point of view and has about 20 leukocytes per field

Question 37

To convert parasites per # of leukocytes to parasites per ul, use the formula:

Answer 37

of parasites/ ul = # of parasites counted x 800 / # of leukocytes counted

Question 38

If 200 leukocytes are counted, you multiply by?

Answer 38

40

Question 39

If 500 leukocytes are counted, you multiply by?

Answer 39

16