Morphological variations on microscopy in oocysts of coccidian parasites: A prospective study from a tertiary care hospital in north India.

The modified acid fast staining technique is a commonly used procedure for the detection of coccidian parasites in developing countries. The morphological variations observed in these parasites play a significant role to some extent in both identification and diagnosis of these parasitic infections. A prospective cross sectional study was performed over three years. The fecal smears were stained by modified Kinyoun acid-fast staining technique and were extensively studied for morphological variations in the coccidian parasites. Out of a total of two thousand one hundred fifty one (n = 2,151) fecal samples received during the study period, 259 samples (12%) were positive for any one of the coccidian parasites. Morphological variations, especially in the staining character was noted in all the three coccidian parasites. This study was an attempt to characterize different variations in size, shape and staining characteristics of the three coccidian parasites.