coprology (done) Flashcards

1
Q

define coprology

(1 mark)

A

study of faeces

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2
Q

define diarrhoea

(1 mark)

A

excessive + frequent evacuation of watery faeces

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3
Q

define constipation

(1 mark)

A

difficult, incomplete / infrequent bowel movements

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4
Q

define steatorrhoea

(1 mark)

A

excessive fat in faeces

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5
Q

define melena

(1 mark)

A

dark stool containing blood from upper GI tract

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6
Q

define colitis

(1 mark)

A

inflammation of the colon

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7
Q

define haematochezia

(1 mark)

A

stool containing red blood (from lower GIT)

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8
Q

define faceal occult blood

(1 mark)

A

hidden blood in the stool sample

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9
Q

define meconium

(2 marks)

A

first faeces from neonate; dark, tar-like + can be green in apperance

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10
Q

reasons to perform a faecal exam?

(9 marks)

A
  • D++
  • suspected endo-parasite infestation
  • suspected digestion impairment / metabolic disorder
  • melenea (dark faeces) / haematochezia (red blood in faeces)
  • suspected bacterial infection
  • abdo pain
  • constipation
  • weight loss
  • protect general public + veterinary staff from zoonotic diseases
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11
Q

patient prep to obtain a sample?

(3 marks)

A

no protocol
* dogs walked on lead / in confined area
* cats kept indoors until sample achieved

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12
Q

when is faecal endoparasite exam carried out?

(1 mark)

A

obtain sample prior to administration of endo-parasites

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13
Q

colection of sample?

(directly from the ground / cat litter)

(6 marks)

A
  • collect immediately
  • disinfect area in advance to prevent contamination
  • if not disinfected collect top portion of sample only
  • any delay in sample collection may result in parasite eggs hatching + crawl away
  • cat little, grass, soil / bacteria may contaminate sample
  • use of sterile katkor is advised for cat sampling
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14
Q

collection of sample?

(directly from rectum)

(7 marks)

A
  • fresh, uncontaminated sample obtained
  • can be carried out on a concious patient
  • use appropriate restraint to protect personnel from injury
  • faeces may be collected using a gloves finger inserted through the anal spincter into the rectum + scooped back out
  • only portion of faeces sampled
  • take care not to damage rectal mucosa
  • transfer sample into appropriate receptacle
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15
Q

storage and preservation of sample?

(5 marks)

A
  • containers should be sterile + airtight
  • sufficent faeces (2-5g) to fill the container
  • too much air space encourages parasite eggs to hatch prior to examination
  • label the container clearly
  • store in fridge max 7 days
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16
Q

after collection, how soon should it be examined?

(4 marks)

A

exam within 2hrs of collection

OR

store at a max 4 degrees C to prevent further development of parasitic stages

  • bacteria examination should be carried out immediately to prevent overgrowth of non-fastidious bacteria
  • if exam delayed, dilution with equal partds of 10% formaline, stops endoparasite development
17
Q

causes of sample deterioriation / inaccurate results

(8 marks)

A
  • general operator error
  • incorrect sample collection technique
  • delay between evacuation + examination
  • incorrect test methods / materials used
  • contamination of sample (on collection, in storage / in the lab)
  • incorrect patient prep
  • incorrect handling, storage / sample preservation
  • inappropriate package / storage for transport to external lab
18
Q

what to look for when visually examinating sample?

(13 marks)

A
  • colour - affected by diet malabsorption / parasitic infestation
  • consistency - D++, constipation
  • odour - affected by diet, malabsorption / parasitic infestation
  • presence of mucous - indicate digestive tract disorder, parasitic infestation
  • presence of parasites - intact segmented worms, ascarids (spaghetti strands), tapeworm segments (grains of rice)
  • presence of foreign objects - grass, string, bone fragmenents, undigested food, hair
  • prescence of blood
19
Q

prescence of blood in sample
(colour + cause)

(18 marks)

A
  • dark brown / black (melaena) - large quanty of red meat in diet. upper GI haemorhhage e.g. stomach / small intestine
  • pink - hepatic dysfunction i.e. biliary obstruction
  • red / frank blood - lower GI haemorrhage. enteritis / parasitosis
  • white (steatorrhoea) - high fat diet. bones fed within diet. metabolic deficiency e.g. EPI
  • blue / green - suspect metaldehyde poisoning
  • yellow - increased bile pigment may indicate liver disorder
  • mucous - ? lower GIT disorder e.g. IBD, digestive disorder / parasitosis
20
Q

ways to visualise sample under microscope?

(8 marks)

A
  • direct smear - ‘crude’ analysis technique, that may give an indication of segmented worms, sample size is generally too small to provide validity to findings
  • lugol’s iodine stain - detects prescence of starch + muscle fibres in faeces
  • trypsin digest test - detects prescence of faecal tryspin
  • sudan III stain - detects prescence of fat in faeces
21
Q

what is the alternative to the other tests when viewing under microscope?

(1 mark)

A

trysin-like immunoreactivity test

22
Q

what is trypsin?

(1 mark)

A

enzyme involved in digestion of proteins

23
Q

what does the trysin-like immnunoreactivity test show?

(3 marks)

A

healthy animals have small amount of trypsinogen (secreted by pancreas) in blood circulation
blood sample can detect trypsin-like immunoreactivity
used for diagnosis of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency

24
Q

what are the ways passive floatation + centrifugation is done?

(egg count)

(9 marks)

A
  • faecal egg count - use modified McMasters method, allows visualisation + identification of worm eggs
  • faecal floatation - identification of worm eggs
  • baermann technique - detection of faecal larvae
25
what is faecal occult blood test? ## Footnote (1 mark)
detects for bleeding in GIT
26
how is faecal occult blood test done? ## Footnote (4 marks)
* used to identify prescence of haemoglobin in the sample * often uses ELISA technology * false positives can be common due to haemoglobin in meat based diets * kits are often not sensitive to a low level instinal haemorehage
27
use of faecal floatation? ## Footnote (4 marks)
faecal floatation faecalyser test modifies mcmaster slides baermann technique
28
use of faecal floatation? ## Footnote (4 marks)
* used in LA + SA faecal analysis * llows assessment of parasitic ova using faecal floatation * modified McMasters slide commonly used to aid counting of ova * floatation of the ova relies on the SG of the ova being less than that of the floatation solution
29
use of faecalyser test? ## Footnote (5 marks)
* 'in house' commercial product for faecal floatation * sample collected directly into the pot * pot contains filter to seperate the liquid + solid portions of the sample * saturated salt / sugar solution is added to sample within the pot * sample is then collected from top of the liquid portion with cover slip + examined
30
what are the 2 types of McMaster slide? ## Footnote (2 marks)
1. single chamber with one chamber + gridded cover slip 2. two chambers with a grid etched on the upper surface
31
calculation of modified McMasters method? ## Footnote (2 marks)
single counting chamber = no. eggs counted x 50 doubloe counting chamber - (no. eggs counted in first chamber + second) x 50
32
what are the issues with faecal egg counts? ## Footnote (8 marks)
* relies on user accuracy * idenitifying faeces from an individual in herd situation? * only provides snapshot of egg burden * immature parasites do not lay eggs but individual could still have high burden of worms * contamination of sample (collection, in storage, in lab) * small proportion of total faeces is tested * incorrect handling, storage / sample preservation might mean that eggs have hatched * does not accurately establish tapeworm burden / encysted stages of worms
33
use of baermann technique? ## Footnote (2 marks)
* used to seperate parasite larvae from faecal sample via sedimentation, using baermann apparatus * commonly used for detection of *Aelurostrongylus abstrusus* (in cats) + *strongyloides stercoralis* (in dogs)
34
which faecal examinations can be carried out using the ELISA methodolgy snap tests? ## Footnote (2 marks)
* canine parvo virus antigen test - detects parvo antigens * canine giardia profile - detect faecal ova + parasites hookworm, roundworm, whipworm + giardia antigens | (they detect surface protein antigen shed in faeces of infected dogs)
35
standard operating procedures of snap tests? ## Footnote (9 marks)
* results must be read within 8 mins of the snap being activated to avoid inaccurate results - use of timer * samples + test kits must be warmed to room temp prior to testing (approx. 30 mins) * test performed on canine faecal matter only * test kits must be stored between 2-25 degrees C * kits are one use, therefore use seperate swab + SNAP device for each patient sample * do not use kits past expiration date * do not mix components / conjugates from different kits * ensure kit is placed on horizontal / flat + secure surface when in use * do not use SNAP device that has already been activated
36
disposal of sample? ## Footnote (3 marks)
* non-hazardous, offensive waste as long as sample has come from animal that is not diseased caused by micro-organism + there is no risk of potential cross-infection * faeces can contain potentially harmful pathogens, therefore all equipment should be correctly disinfected * wash hands throughly + remove all PPE prior to leaving laboratory