Optimizing fecal sample storage for small ruminant fecal egg counts

Gastrointestinal nematode parasites (GINs) significantly impact small ruminant health and productivity. One of the most com­mon and cost-effective methods of diagnosing GINs is fecal egg counts (FECs). Short-term delays between sample collection and FECs are common (ex. shipping from farm to laboratory). Since FECs can only detect eggs, hatching can lead to underdi­agnosis and animals needing treatment may be missed. Sample storage is therefore an important consideration in the accuracy of FECs. Hatching is temperature, oxygen and time-dependent, with cool temperatures and low oxygen delaying hatching. Re­frigeration and suspension in water (to create a truly anaero­bic environment) are proposed as the gold standard for feces storage. However, refrigeration interferes with future larval culture and advanced diagnostic tests to speciate GINs, such as nemabiome sequencing. This study sought to determine the optimal storage conditions that balance delayed hatching with advanced GIN diagnostics after FECs.