VLD 411: Veterinary Clinical Biochemistry and Laboratory Diagnosis - I (0+1)

PARASITES / SEGMENTS OF HELMINTHS

• Collection
  • Collect the helminths during postmortem examination, sometimes immature amphistomes and segments of tape worms can be collected from dung or faeces. 
• Preservation

  • Trematodes: Fresh and live flukes are collected in normal saline. 70% or 90% ethyl alcohol used as a preservative and fixative.
  • Nematodes: Nematodes are fixed in 5-10% hot formalin or 70-90%  ethyl alcohol. Once the nematodes are fixed they can be stored indefinitely in glycerin alcohol.
  • Cestodes: Tapeworms including the scolices (heads) should be placed in water at about 37^ºC for about one hour and then stored in a mixture of 5% glycerine and 70% alcohol or 5-10% formalin.