25-07: Stool Examination for Fecal Leukocytes

Uses

To evaluate a patient’s stool sample for the presence of fecal leukocytes.

Materials

Freshly collected liquid stool specimen, glass microscope slide, coverslip, and methylene blue.

Method

1. Place a drop of liquid stool onto the glass slide.

2. Add two drops of methylene blue to the stool specimen.

3. Mix thoroughly.

4. Overlay with a coverslip.

5. Place the edge of a piece of filter paper adjacent to the coverslip to absorb any excess methylene blue.

6. Examine using ×10 objective to scan specimen and ×40 and ×100 to identify specific leukocytes.