CONCENTRATION TECHNIQUE

FLOATATION
Prepared by GROUP 10

GULMAYO | PUNSALAN | TALOSIG

INTRODUCTION
CONCENTRATION TECHNIQUES CAN SEPARATE
PROTOZOAN CYSTS AND HELMINTH EGGS FROM A
LARGER AMOUNT OF STOOL BASED ON
DIFFERENCE IN SPECIFIC GRAVITY, WHICH
ALLOWS THE DETECTION OF SMALL NUMBERS OF
ORGANISMS THAT MAY BE MISSED BY USING
ONLY DIRECT WET SMEAR.
INTRODUCTION
THE FLOTATION TECHNIQUE ALLOWS
SEPARATION OF PARASITIC ELEMENTS FROM
FECAL DEBRIS USING A HIGH SPECIFIC
GRAVITY FLOTATION SOLUTION. EGGS,
CYSTS AND OOCYSTS, WITH A SPECIFIC
GRAVITY LOWER THAN THE FLOTATION
SOLUTION, WILL RISE TO THE TOP OF THE
SUSPENSION.
CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE

IN CASES OF LIGHT INFECTIONS,

OR IF THERE IS A NEED TO
RECOVER MORE PARASITES,
STOOL CONCENTRATION
PROCEDURES ARE
RECOMMENDED.
BRINE FLOATATION TECHNIQUE
BRINE FLOATATION TECHNIQUE
PRINCIPLE

THIS MAKES USE OF A

SATURATED TABLE SALT
SOLUTION. STOOL ARE DIRECTLY
MIXED WITH THE BRINE
SOLUTION. THERE IS NO NEED
FOR CENTRIFUGATION SINCE
HELMINTH EGGS RISE TO THE
SURFACE OF THE SOLUTION.
ZINC SULFATE CENTRIFUGAL FLOATATION TECHNIQUE
ZINC SULFATE CENTRIFUGAL FLOATATION TECHNIQUE
PRINCIPLE

THE MAIN REAGENT IS A 33% ZINC SULFATE

SOLUTION. THE IDEAL SPECIFIC GRAVITY
RANGES FROM 1.18 TO 1.20. IF PARASITES
ARE EXPOSED TO HIGH SPECIFIC GRAVITY,
DISTORTION AND SHRINKAGE OF
PROTOZOAN CYSTS AND THIN-WALLED
NEMATODE EGGS MAY OCCUR.
OBTAINED RESULTS
EXPECTED RESULTS
QUESTIONS FOR RESEARCH
WHAT IS THE PRINCIPLE OF FLOTATION TECHNIQUE?

THIS IS ALSO BASED ON DIFFERENCES IN SPECIFIC

GRAVITY BETWEEN THE SAMPLE DEBRIS, WHICH IN
THIS CASE IS HEAVY, AND SINKS TO THE BOTTOM OF
THE TEST TUBE, AND POTENTIAL PARASITES, WHICH
ARE LIGHTER, FLOAT TOWARDS THE TOP OF THE
TUBE.

IN THIS PROCEDURE, ZINC SULFATE, WITH A

SPECIFIC GRAVITY OF 1.18 TO 1.20, IS USED AS THE
CONCENTRATING SOLUTION.
QUESTIONS FOR RESEARCH
WHAT IS THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF ZINC
SULFATE TECHNIQUE?

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
MORE FECAL DEBRIS IS SOME HELMINTH EGGS
REMOVED AND IT YIELDS A ARE VERY DENSE AND
CLEANER PREPARATION, WILL NOT FLOAT;
MAKING IT EASIER FOR THEREFORE, SOME
MICROSCOPIC PARASITES WILL BE
EXAMINATION. MISSED.
DETECT SMALL NUMBERS PROTOZOAN
OF PARASITES THAT TROPHOZOITES DO NOT
MIGHT NOT BE DETECTED USUALLY SURVIVE THE
USING DIRECT WET PROCEDURE.
PREPARATIONS. EGGS AND CYSTS TEND TO
THE SPECIMEN CAN BE LOSE THEIR TYPICAL
FRESH OR FIXED STOOL. SHAPE AFTER 40–60
MINUTES.
QUESTIONS FOR RESEARCH
WHAT OTHER METHODS UTILIZE THE PRINCIPLE OF
FLOTATION TECHNIQUE OR ARE FORMS OR
MODIFICATION OF THE CENTRIFUGAL FLOTATION
TECHNIQUE?

SHEATHER’S SUGAR FLOTATION MAKES USE OF

BOILED SUGAR SOLUTION PRESERVED WITH
PHENOL. WITH THIS PROCEDURE, VISUALIZATION
OF OOCYSTS CAN BE BETTER APPRECIATED
THROUGH THE USE OF PHASE MICROSCOPE.
MAGNESIUM SULFATE AND SODIUM NITRATE CAN
ALSO BE USED AS FLOTATION SOLUTION.
SAQS
WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF PERFORMING THE
TWO FLOTATION METHODS?

FLOTATION METHOD CAN BE PERFORMED TO

DETECT SMALL NUMBERS OF ORGANISMS IN CASES
OF LIGHT INFECTION THAT MAY BE MISSED BY
USING ONLY DIRECT FECAL SMEARS (DUE TO THE
SMALL AMOUNT OF STOOL SPECIMEN USED) AND
SEDIMENTATION METHOD (DUE TO THE CONFUSING
DEBRIS PRESENT IN THE PREPARATION).
UPDATES
SIMPLE FECAL FLOTATION IS A SUPERIOR ALTERNATIVE TO
QUADRUPLE KATO KATZ SMEAR EXAMINATION FOR THE
DETECTION OF HOOKWORM EGGS IN HUMAN STOOL

A STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO EVALUATE AND COMPARE THE

DIAGNOSTIC PARAMETERS OF THE KATO-KATZ (KK) AND
SIMPLE SODIUM NITRATE FLOTATION TECHNIQUE (SNF) IN
TERMS OF DETECTION AND QUANTIFICATION OF HOOKWORM
EGGS, WITH PCR AS AN ADDITIONAL REFERENCE TEST IN
STOOL, COLLECTED AS PART OF A BASELINE CROSS-
SECTIONAL STUDY. FECAL SAMPLES COLLECTED FROM 205
PEOPLE IN DONG VILLAGE, ROVIENG DISTRICT, PREAH VIHEAR
PROVINCE, CAMBODIA WERE SUBJECTED TO KATO-KATZ,
SODIUM NITRATE FLOTATION AND POLYMERASE CHAIN
REACTION FOR THE DETECTION OF HOOKWORM EGGS IN
STOOL.
UPDATES
MODIFIED FLOTATION METHOD, AN EFFECTIVE TECHNIQUE
FOR RECOVERING HELMINTH EGGS IN SOIL

AN EFFECTIVE METHOD FOR RECOVERING HELMINTH EGGS

IN SOIL HAS YET TO BE ESTABLISHED. A NOVEL METHOD
WAS INTRODUCED FOR THEIR RECOVERY BASED ON A
CENTRIFUGAL FLOTATION APPROACH USING A SUCROSE
SOLUTION WITH A SPECIFIC GRAVITY OF 1.20, WITH A
COVERSLIP BEING PLACED ON THE SUCROSE-FILLED
CENTRIFUGE TUBE DURING CENTRIFUGATION. THE
RECOVERY OF ZOONOTIC TOXOCARA EGGS FROM SOIL
WAS MORE EFFECTIVE WHEN THIS METHOD WAS COMPARED
WITH THE TRADITIONAL FLOTATION METHOD.
REFERENCES
BELIZARIO, V., & DE LEON, W. (2015). MEDICAL
PARASITOLOGY IN THE PHILIPPINES (3RD ED., PP. 323-324).
BENCH AIDS FOR THE DIAGNOSIS OF INTESTINAL PARASITES,
SECOND EDITION. GENEVE: WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION;
2019. LICENCE: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.
HELMINTH EGGS FLOATING IN SATURATED SALT SOLUTION
MNEMONICS. (2011). RETRIEVED 2 FEBRUARY 2020,
FROM HTTP://WWW.RXPGONLINE.COM/MEDICALMNEMONIC91
2462.HTML
JOHN, D., & PETRI, W. (2006). MARKELL AND VOGE'S MEDICAL
PARASITOLOGY (9TH ED., P. 402).
VETERINARY PARASITES. (2018). RETRIEVED 2 FEBRUARY
2020,
FROMHTTP://NEMAPLEX.UCDAVIS.EDU/METHODS/VETPARASIT
ES.HTML
ZEIBIG, E. (2013). CLINICAL PARASITOLOGY: A PRACTICAL
APPROACH (2ND ED., PP. 22-23).
THANK YOU!