UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PUBLICATIONS 



IN 



ZOOLOGY 



Vol. 18, No. 9, pp. 145-149 December 24, 1917 



A RAPID METHOD FOR THE DETECTION OF 



PROTOZOAN CYSTS IN MAMMALIAN 



FAECES 



BY 



WILLIAM C. BOECK 



Cropper and Row (1917) have recently given an aeconnt of a 

 rapid method of concentrating the cysts of Etitamoeha in human 

 stools. This method has since been applied also to the concentration 

 of the cysts of flagellates, principally those of Giardia intestinalis, by 

 Carter and MattheMS (1917). The method is based upon the principle 

 that if ether is stirred into an emulsion of faecal material and normal 

 saline solution and the mixture then placed in a separating funnel, 

 the debris, having absorbed the ether, will float in the layer of ether 

 which soon rises above the layer of normal saline solution, while the 

 cysts will remain below. These cysts may then be procured by draw- 

 ing off the saline solution at the bottom of the separatory funnel and 

 concentrating them subsequently by centrifuging. 



In a paper by Carter and Matthews (1917) an account is given 

 of a fair trial of this method of concentrating cysts from stools. They 

 conclude that the method "is more severe than the ordinary method 

 of examination of a faecal emulsion : that when the method is used 

 at the time the third ordinary examination is made a result is given 

 which would probably be obtained by five ordinary examinations. The 

 method is impracticable, however, when a large number of stools have 

 to be examined each day, for the time required to make these concen- 

 trated examinations is not commensurate Avith the results obtained." 



It is more important, however, to realize that the efficacy of the 

 method is not in the least impaired by these conclusions, and that the 

 method would be more practicable if the time involved in making the 

 test could be shortened. 



