giardia spp. and entamoeba spp. in captive bears: comparative analysis of the staining methods for diagnostic strategies

Giemsa, lugol s iodine, and trichrome stains are widely used but vary in their staining properties and diagnostic utility. the aim of the present study was to diagnose the gastrointestinal parasitic infection in captive bears based on the staining methods and microscopic identification. in this study, 23 bear feces samples from three provinces including tehran, alborz and qazvin were examined for parasitic infections and were stained with giemsa, lugol and trichrome staining protocols. the gold standard slides were taken from iran parasitology national museum, the giardia spp. and entamoeba spp. in this samples confirmed by polymerase chain reaction based on the partial sequence of cytochrome oxidase one (cox1) gene. giemsa staining showed detection rate about 96±0.7% for detecting giardia spp. cysts, versus lugol stain (81.25±0.7%), but it was unable to detect entamoeba spp. cysts. lugol s staining illustrated acceptable detection rate for entamba spp. cysts. in the diagnosis of giardia and entamoeba species, there was a significant difference between trichrome staining and giemsa staining (p-value<0.05). trichrome staining enhanced visualization of the cysts and trophozoites and based on their chemical properties, typically employing multiple dyes to provide contrast between cysts and trophozoites from other fecal elements, which making it a reliable method for diagnosis of giardiasis. trichrome staining is a specific staining for the detection of giardia and entamoeba spp. based on these findings, the selection of staining technique should consider the specific diagnostic requirements and resources available. for example, giemsa staining for the detection of giardia spp. and lugol s staining for the detection of entamoeba and giardia spp. are suitable due to their faster protocol and cost benefit. clearly, if resources and equipment are available, the recommended molecular diagnostic methods can be utilized.