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A 3-month old kitten presents for mucoid diarrhea and anemia. The clinic where you work has recently seen several other puppies and kittens with similar clinical signs that were infected with Strongyloides stercoralis. You look up and find that this parasite is passed in the feces in the L1 larval form. What is the best way to recover and identify this parasite?

a. Baermann fecal techniqueb. Direct fecal smearc. Fecal flotationd. Fecal sedimentation

1 Answer

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Answer:

Baermann fecal technique

Step-by-step explanation:

Baermann fecal technique is a special test that detects certain types of parasites or "worms." Many parasites shed their eggs in the host's stool. Infection with these parasites can be diagnosed with a simple "fecal flotation" test in which the stool is examined microscopically for the presence of parasite eggs. However, some parasites pass free larvae instead of eggs in the stool. These larvae cannot be detected by routine fecal flotation, and a special technique called a "fecal Baermann" is needed to diagnose infection.

Stool material is placed in a special funnel-shapped collection device andcovered with warm water. The sample is left to stand for 1-2 hours or longer. During this time, larvae actively move out of the stool material and sink to the bottom of the funnel where they are collected and identified.

Two or three tablespoons of fresh stool material (about the size of a golf ball) is all that is needed. Ideally, the stool sample should be collected as soon as it is passed and should be as free as possible of grass, gravel, kitty litter and etc. For the best results, the stool material should be examined within 12-24 hours of being passed.

A fecal Baermann should be performed whenever the veterinarian suspects infection with a parasite that passes larvae rather than eggs in the stool. The most common parasite diagnosed with a fecal Baermann is lungworm, which typically causes signs of coughing. The adult lungworm lives in the lung and releases larvae into the lung tissue. When the host coughs, the larvae are coughed up and swallowed and then passed out in the stool. A fecal Baermann is necessary to diagnose lungworm infection.

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