Clinical Diagnostic Parasitology

Catalog description

The course is intended to give students experience in diagnosing parasitic infections by performing appropriate parasitological testing methods on clinical samples from patients on their rotation. Students evaluate the test results in terms of treatment or management of the infections. If clinical specimens are not available, appropriate materials are provided for study and evaluation. Ambulatory students typically do qualitative and perhaps quantitative flotations on samples from large animal cases they have encountered that week. In CPS, one hour is spent testing samples from current dog and cat patients, while a second hour is devoted to a discussion of the treatment of common endo-and ecto-parasites. Pathology students typically examine and identify intact parasites they retrieved from various organs at necropsy and review common parasites of hosts encountered. This course is considered to be a logical extension to Foundation Course IV, Host, Agent, and Defense, and is expected to build on the didactic material presented in Large and Small Animal Parasitology. May be repeated up to 1 credit.