SPECIMEN COLLECTION: Intestinal Tract

What is the basis for the recommendation that stools be collected on alternate days rather than three days in a row or three in one day?

Intestinal protozoa are shed in the stool on a cyclic basis. It is generally accepted that this time frame is approximately 10 days, so if specimens are collected too close together, sampling may occur at a low point in the cylcle and the organisms may be missed. By collecting specimens over a wider time frame, days with heavier shedding may be sampled as well.