Effect of formalin concentration on the development of Ascaris lumbricoides eggs
Keywords:
lumbricoides eggs, fecal specimen preservation, formalin concentration, worm eggs, clinical parasitologyAbstract
Microscopic detection of worm eggs in fecal specimens requires preservation if the examination cannot be performed immediately. Formalin is widely used as a preservative, but its effectiveness at different concentrations in maintaining the integrity of worm eggs remains unclear. This study aims to evaluate the effect of varying concentrations of formalin on the development of Ascaris lumbricoides eggs in preserved stool specimens. This study used a pure experimental design with a randomized posttest-only control group. Twenty-four faecal specimens containing Ascaris lumbricoides eggs were treated with formalin at concentrations of 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, and 30%, and one control group without formalin. Samples were determined using purposive sampling techniques. Egg development was observed microscopically after preservation, and the data were analyzed using a one-way analysis of variance. The results showed no statistically significant differences in egg development between all formalin treatment groups and the control group. These findings indicate that increasing formalin concentration does not enhance its effectiveness in inhibiting the development of Ascaris lumbricoides eggs. The commonly used formalin concentration may not be optimal for preserving fecal specimens intended for detailed morphological assessment of eggs, highlighting the need for alternative preservation strategies in routine diagnostic practice.
Downloads
References
Andrade, A. M., Perez, Y., Lopez, C., Collazos, S. S., & Andrade, A. M. (2015). Intestinal obstruction in a 3-year-old girl by Ascaris lumbricoides infestation: Case report and review of the literature. Medicine, 94(16), 3–5. https://doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000000655
Aryadnyani, N. P., & Inderiati, D. (2018). Pengaruh suhu pemanasan formalin 10% terhadap perkembangan telur Ascaris lumbricoides. Meditory, 6(2), 8–17.
Beyhan, Y. E., Yilmaz, H., & Hokelek, M. (2016). Effects of acetic acid on the viability of Ascaris lumbricoides eggs: Is vinegar reliable enough to clean the vegetables? Saudi Medical Journal, 37(3), 288–292. https://doi.org/10.15537/smj.2016.3.13061
Chammartin, F., Scholte, R. G. C., Malone, J. B., Bavia, M. E., Nieto, P., Utzinger, J., & Vounatsou, P. (2013). Modelling the geographical distribution of soil-transmitted helminth infections in Bolivia. Parasites & Vectors, 6, 1–14.
Cruz, L. M., Allanson, M., Kwa, B., Azizan, A., & Izurieta, R. (2012). Morphological changes of Ascaris spp. eggs during their development outside the host. Journal of Parasitology, 98(1), 63–68. https://doi.org/10.1645/GE-2821.1
Das, C. J., Kumar, J., Debnath, J., & Chaudhry, A. (2007). Imaging of Ascariasis. Australasian Radiology, 51, 500–506. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-1673.2007.01887.x
Dold, C. (2014). Helminth-nematode. Encyclopedia of Food Safety, 2, 83–89. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-378612-8.00141-4
Enrique, R., Chacón, A., & Guevara, V. K. (2024). Intestinal helminthiasis: A global threat to public health. Salud, Ciencia y Tecnología. https://doi.org/10.56294/saludcyt2024.533
Kasiita, M., Businge, S., Napyo, A., & Tumwine, J. K. (2025). Ascaris lumbricoides: Prevalence and associated factors among pre-school children in Rukiga District, Uganda: A cross-sectional study.
Lamberton, P. H. L., & Jourdan, P. M. (2015). Human Ascariasis: Diagnostics update. Current Tropical Medicine Reports, 2, 189–200. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40475-015-0064-9
Linscott, A. J., & Sharp, S. E. (2022). Reagents, stains, and media: Parasitology. In Manual of clinical microbiology (10th ed., Vol. 2, pp. 2064–2070). Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1128/9781555816728.ch131
Mascarini-Serra, L. (2011). Prevention of soil-transmitted helminth infection. Journal of Global Infectious Diseases, 3(2), 175–182. https://doi.org/10.4103/0974-777X.81696
Melissa, B., Harlan, D., Faett, B. L., Miller, S. E., Tuite, P. K., & Ascaris, F. (n.d.). Ascaris lumbricoides: A clinical case report managing infection caused by an intestinal parasite.
Naidoo, D., & Archer, C. E. (2024). Effects of reagents and chemicals used in existing sanitation helminth test methods on the viability of Ascaris suum eggs. The Journal of Parasitology, 110(6), 709–716. https://doi.org/10.1645/22-58
Nisha, M., Ghozi, A. M., Baderudin, A. S. A., & Chyang, P. J. (2022). Investigation on possibility of rodents to transmit human Ascaris lumbricoides eggs from contaminated soil. Advancements in Life Sciences, 9(1), 80–84.
Quilès, F., Balandier, J.-Y., & Capizzi-Banas, S. (2006). In situ characterisation of a microorganism surface by Raman microspectroscopy: The shell of Ascaris eggs. Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, 386(2), 249–255. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-006-0638-4
Rahmat, S. M., Panggabean, M., Depari, A. A., Romi, T., & Putra, I. (2023). Diagnostic test of blood eosinophil level as a marker of Ascaris lumbricoides infection. Indonesian Journal of Tropical and Infectious Disease, 11(2). https://doi.org/10.20473/ijtid.v11i2.46603
Ramesh, G., Katiyar, A., Sujatha, R., Raj, A., Gupta, B., & Kumar, A. (2017). Detection of microorganisms on formalin-fixed and stored pathology tissues: A microbiological study. Journal of Laboratory Physicians, 9, 64–69. https://doi.org/10.4103/0973-029X.203788
Sarirah, M., Wijayanti, M. A., & Murhandarwati, E. E. H. (2019). Comparison of mini-FLOTAC and Kato-Katz methods for detecting soil-transmitted helminth eggs in 10% formalin-preserved stools stored >12 months. Tropical Biomedicine, 36(3), 677–686.
Scholte, R. G. C., Schur, N., Bavia, M. E., & Carvalho, E. M. (2013). Spatial analysis and risk mapping of soil-transmitted helminth infections in Brazil using Bayesian geostatistical models. Geospatial Health, 8(1), 97–110.
Suhu, P., Waktu, D. A. N., Terhadap, P., & Telur, K. (2020). Pengaruh suhu dan waktu pemanasan terhadap ketahanan telur Ascaris lumbricoides. Jurnal Analis Kesehatan, 8(6), 40–45.
Zhang, R., Lu, M., Yu, H., Liu, T., Cui, Z., Yang, Y., Zhou, M., Lu, Y., Tian, H., Tian, L., Han, L., & Hou, Z. (2024). Evaluation of the efficacy of disinfectants and disinfection methods against Ascaris suum eggs. Veterinary Parasitology, 332, 110333. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2024.110333
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Ni Putu Aryadnyani (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Manuscript Template 
