Stool Routine & Microscopy Test in Hamdard Nagar, Delhi

A routine stool examination checks the appearance, chemistry and microscopic content of your stool to look for clues to digestive disorders. It is one of the commonest and simplest tests for people with diarrhoea, abdominal pain, blood in stool or suspected worm infection, and is especially useful in India where intestinal parasites remain common.

The physical exam notes colour, consistency, mucus and visible blood or worms. The chemical exam checks pH, reducing substances (for sugar intolerance) and occult blood. Microscopy looks for pus cells (infection or inflammation), red cells (bleeding, dysentery), ova, cysts and trophozoites of parasites such as Giardia, Entamoeba histolytica, roundworm, hookworm and tapeworm, and fat globules and undigested food (malabsorption).

Because parasites are shed intermittently, up to three samples on different days improve detection. A normal routine stool test does not rule out bacterial infection, which needs culture, or viral causes.