Comparison of Polyvinyl Alcohol Fixative with Three Less Hazardous Fixatives for Detection and Identification of Intestinal Parasites

  • William De L’aune
  • E. H. Austin
  • G. E. Austin
Publication date
January 1999

Abstract

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) containing the fixative mercuric chloride is considered the “gold standard ” for the fixation of ova and parasites in the preparation of permanently stained smears of stool specimens. However, mercuric chloride is potentially hazardous to laboratory personnel and presents disposal problems. We compared three new alternative, nontoxic fixatives with PVA, analyzing ease of sample preparation and quality of smears. Sixty-eight fresh stool specimens were divided into aliquots and placed in each of four differen

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