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Background: Parasitic infestation is one of the serious health problems in developing countries. Parasitic infestation is usually asymptomatic and does not cause disease as it may eventually lead to the death of both organism and host. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective study done over a period of 5 years from 2013 to 2018. The study included 26 cases of parasitic infestations diagnosed on fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) as well as fluid cytology. Results: Hydatidosis, cysticercosis, and filariasis were the parasitic infestations observed in this study, of which hydatidosis was the most common infestation. The predominant age group was 20–85 years old, with a mean age of presentation being 55 years. There was male predominance with a male–female of 9:1. Conclusion: FNAC and fluid cytology are rapid diagnostic tools that aid in the early diagnosis of parasitic infestations. In parasitic infestations presenting as visceral cystic lesions, thorough examination with proper clinical correlation aid in early management. In cases with coexistent malignancy, cytology plays a major role in the diagnosis of silent carriers of infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Filariasis is a major health problem in India. Despite the high prevalence, microfilariae are rarely found in cytology smears. Most of the cases are incidentally found, solely or in association with other pathologies. Aims and Objectives: The study was undertaken to analyze the prevalence and cytology findings of cases of incidentally found microfilariae in cytology smears (fine-needle aspiration cytology [FNAC]/body fluids) from different body parts. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective study over 5 years, where the cases of microfilariae in aspirates from swelling of different locations and body fluids were reviewed, and clinic-pathological data were analyzed. Results and Analysis: Out of 16,738 cases of FNAC and 882 cases of fluid cytology, 22 cases (0.124%) of incidental finding of microfilaria were documented in cytology smears. The cases were diagnosed from lymph nodes (5 cases), skin and soft tissue (4 cases), scrotal (4 cases), breast (3 cases), thyroid (2 cases), and pleural fluid (2 cases). We found eosinophilia in 15 cases (68.18%) of filarial lesions. We found two cases of incidental findings of microfilariae in association with malignant lesions. Conclusion: Filariasis should be considered as differential diagnosis of swelling of lymph nodes, skin, soft tissue, inguinoscrotal region, and other sites as well. Careful screening of cytology smears may help in detection of incidental cases in the association of other pathologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Stool microscopy and concentration techniques are the two most important and necessary aspects of diagnostic parasitology. In an era when there is increased disease burden due to intestinal parasites, an early and appropriate diagnosis is warranted. Direct microscopy is usually labor intensive and tedious. Materials and Methods: Thirty-two fresh fecal specimens from patients presenting with eosinophilia and/or anemia (hemoglobin levels <10 g%), HIV-positive patients, and in patients clinically suspected of harboring parasites, were collected for the study. All the positive samples were processed by both the standard methodology, i.e., formalin-ethyl acetate sedimentation technique and Mini Parasep® SF method, by the standard operating procedure of our laboratory and the manufacturer's instruction. Stool pellet concentrates were subjected to saline/iodine wet mount, modified acid fast staining for intestinal coccidian parasites and trichrome staining for Blastocystis hominis. The average number of organisms counted in 0.5 ml of pellet was used for comparison of the two techniques. Results: The morphology of eggs was maintained in both the techniques; however, the wet mount prepared from the sedimentation technique had more background fecal debris in comparison to the Parasep® technique. The parasite yield was equal for both the techniques while Mini parasep had the advantage of less distortion of parasite morphology. Conclusion: We found that Parasep® offered a better parasitic yield, a better workflow capacity, and a reduced turnaround time, which would further benefit resource-restrained laboratories and those with a high sample turnover. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Stool microscopy and concentration techniques are the two most important and necessary aspects of diagnostic parasitology. In an era when there is increased disease burden due to intestinal parasites, an early and appropriate diagnosis is warranted. Direct microscopy is usually labor intensive and tedious., Materials and Methods: Thirty-two fresh fecal specimens from patients presenting with eosinophilia and/or anemia (hemoglobin levels <10 g%), HIV-positive patients, and in patients clinically suspected of harboring parasites, were collected for the study. All the positive samples were processed by both the standard methodology, i.e., formalin-ethyl acetate sedimentation technique and Mini Parasep ® SF method, by the standard operating procedure of our laboratory and the manufacturer's instruction. Stool pellet concentrates were subjected to saline/iodine wet mount, modified acid fast staining for intestinal coccidian parasites and trichrome staining for Blastocystis hominis. The average number of organisms counted in 0.5 ml of pellet was used for comparison of the two techniques., Results: The morphology of eggs was maintained in both the techniques; however, the wet mount prepared from the sedimentation technique had more background fecal debris in comparison to the Parasep ® technique. The parasite yield was equal for both the techniques while Mini parasep had the advantage of less distortion of parasite morphology., Conclusion: We found that Parasep ® offered a better parasitic yield, a better workflow capacity, and a reduced turnaround time, which would further benefit resource-restrained laboratories and those with a high sample turnover., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest.