Glycerol Jelly (GJ) mount: a new and simple method for routine stool examination using a modified glycerol jelly reagent.

Wet mount is the basic primary technique for stool examination in laboratories, allowing only the use of X10 and X40 objectives which do not sometimes reveal relevant details to make an exact identification of certain protozoa. In a modification of the Glycerol Jelly (GJ) reagent, which is used in permanent preparation of helminths, five concentrations were prepared and tested for fixing the cover glass instantly while maintaining the high translucency of the fecal films. GJ reagent (7 gm gelatine dissolved in 50 ml boiling water added to 10 ml glycerol) gave satisfactory results especially with iodine and alkaline Methylene blue mounts which stained the cytological structures of protozoa while the GJ reagent enabled the examiner to use X100 oil immersion objective immediately and consequently identify protozoa with certainty and make an accurate identification. Identification of Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts by GJ wet mount, inspite of its small size, was the most impressive. GJ fecal films were examined up to 8 weeks of preparation and they were valid and reliable. GJ mount is an easy, fast and cheap technique for examining the fecal direct smear with the oil-immersion lense.