Laboratory diagnosis of worms and miscellaneous specimens

This article outlines the procedures to be followed when a macroscopic object thought to be a worm or other type of parasite is submitted to the clinical laboratory. These are often collected and submitted by the patient, but also may be submitted by the attending physician, the surgeon, or the pathologist. Examples of the various parasites and parasite-like objects that have been submitted to clinical laboratories are listed. Methods for preserving and examining such objects, using materials and reagents available in the clinical laboratory, are presented.