J.D. MacLean Centre for Tropical Diseases at McGill Universitys

                                                         
                                                          L. Cedilotte RT, TM, Technologist
                                                         

This clinical parasitology laboratory supports the Tropical Disease Centre with laboratory services, is an educational resource for medical residents specializing in Infectious Disease and Medical Microbiology, and supports researchers in the development of diagnostic tests, epidemiologic studies and studies of the biology of parasitic diseases.

The laboratory staff have a long and broad experience in diagnostic parasitology, participate in quality assurance programs (College of American Pathologists, Quebec), and manage the Quebec quality assurance program for blood parasitology. This experence places the laboratory in the position of acting as both a first-line diagnostic laboratory and a reference laboratory in support of other first-line laboratories.

The laboratory markets all of its diagnostic tests, listed below, with cost based on volume. As well it markets a wide range of quality control and quality assurance specimens (see- Sales of Services)                              

                                     Available laboratory tests:

Intestinal parasites: **
                  - Formal-ethyl acetate concentration, hematoxylin stain (all specimens)
                  - Acid fast stain (Cryptosporidium, Isospora, Cyclospora)
                  - Modified trichrome stain (microsporidia)
                  - Auramine Rhodamine fluorescent stain (Cryptosporidium and Isospora)
                  - Entamoeba histolytica PCR (requires fresh or frozen specimen, forwarded to LSPQ)
                  - Entamoeba dispar PCR (requires fresh or frozen specimen, forwarded to LSPQ)
                  - Nematode culture (Charcoal, Agar plate for Strongyloides) (requires fresh unpreserved specimen)

Blood parasites
                 - Thin, thick smears for malaria
                 - Plasmodium falciparum antigen capture EIA
                 - Nuclepore concentration for microfilaria
                 - Speciation of microfilaria

Tissue parasites

                 - Skin snip incubation for microfilaria
                 - Tissue impression smear or needle aspirate smear for Leishmania amastigotes
                 - Leishmania sp. culture (contact NRCP for information and see transport instructions)
                 - Schistosoma rectal snips
                  - Urine concentration for Schistosoma eggs
                 - Histologic diagnosis of parasite sections
                 - Acanthamoeba culture (see transport instructions)
                 - Cyst fluid analysis for echinococcal elements

Serologic assays  see -National Reference Centre (Serology)