Methods for preserving samples of wild animal excrement during long-term storage

This article provides information on methods of preserving excrement of wild animals, the collection of which in the conditions of reserves is carried out over a long period of time, and the influence of these methods on the quality of the helminthological studies carried out. Two methods of preserving and storing fecal samples from wild mammals collected in Russian nature reserves were studied (freezing at a temperature of -18° and Barbagallo’s solution (3% formalin in physiological solution). The results of the studies showed that both methods of preserving samples of wild animal excrement were acceptable for storing faeces for the purpose of testing for the presence of helminth eggs over a long period of time (at least 3 years). The presence of identified structural changes, manifested in the deformation of the egg shell and the presence of foreign inclusions inside the egg, does not exclude the precise identification of helminth eggs to the genus and species.