I prefer to use SAF as fixative for future analyses. But if you want search any worm larval stage you can do it with PAF.

Thanks very much! SAF was what I had planned to use unless people thought otherwise. It's easy to make, has a long shelf life and you get good staining results.

Again Sergio, thank you very much.

Rick

We found out that both the protozoa and helminths were optimally conserved in SAF. 10% formalin will do fine, but do not use 70% ethanol as it will ruin the morphology of the parasites your are interested in. Good luck!

PVA and SAF are okay to use to preserve stool samples. Trichrome and iron hematoxylin are the most commonly used permanent stains. Trichrome is easy to use and is good for PVA-preserved fecal samples

Joseph

You may use shaudin Fixative which i practised for termites gut flagellates

Yes I prefer SAF it maintain and keep most stages

My chief of microscopy tells me the following:

Amoebic Trophozoites fix wet in SAF (Sodium acetate – acetic acid – formalin) or Schaudinns fixative (but this is not very nice)

Blastocystis hominins, Giardia Trophozoites, Dientamoeba fragilis – Fix dry in Methanol

PVA is one of the best fixative for use to preserve and staining of intestinal protozoa.

A slight addendum to my earlier answer. If you wish to do any molecular analysis later on with your samples then make sure you archive a small unfixed aliquot of your sample at either -80 or +4 deg C. Molecular methods don't like strong fixatives.

10 percent formalin serves well.

Even we can preserve the morphology just by adding normal saline with intermittent addition of saline, should not allow to dry. Most simple method.

We also used 10% Formalin as fixative for both helminths and protozoa such as Balantidium and Entamoeba. Worked just fine and is usully easy to get even at slightly remote field sites.