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A stool test is a medical diagnostic technique that involves the collection and analysis of fecal matter. Microbial analysis (culturing), microscopy and chemical tests are among the tests performed on stool samples.
Fecal occult blood testing (FOBT), as its name implies, aims to detect subtle blood loss in the gastrointestinal tract, anywhere from the mouth to the colon.Positive tests ("positive stool") may result from either upper gastrointestinal bleeding or lower gastrointestinal bleeding and warrant further investigation for peptic ulcers or a malignancy (such as colorectal cancer or gastric cancer).
Cultures of stool samples are examined to identify the organism causing dysentery. Usually, several samples must be obtained due to the number of amoebae, which changes daily. [ 17 ] Blood tests can be used to measure abnormalities in the levels of essential minerals and salts .
A medical test is a medical procedure performed to detect, diagnose, or monitor diseases, disease processes, susceptibility, or to determine a course of treatment. The tests are classified by speciality field, conveying in which ward of a hospital or by which specialist doctor these tests are usually performed.
Shigellosis, known historically as dysentery, is an infection of the intestines caused by Shigella bacteria. [1] [3] Symptoms generally start one to two days after exposure and include diarrhea, fever, abdominal pain, and feeling the need to pass stools even when the bowels are empty. [1]
The test is fast and can be performed in a doctor's office. A patient must not be receiving antibiotics. At least half a milliliter of feces is collected, and a strip of nitrazine paper is dipped in the sample and compared against a color scale. A pH of less than 5.5 indicates an acidic sample. [5]
Quantitative fecal fat tests measure and report an amount of fat. This is usually done over a period of three days, the patient collecting all of their feces into a container. The container is thoroughly mixed to homogenize the feces, without using specific mixer equipment. A small sample from the feces is collected.
M2-PK, as measured in feces, is a potential tumor marker for colorectal cancer.When measured in feces with a cutoff value of 4 U/ml, its sensitivity has been estimated to be 85% (with a 95% confidence interval of 65 to 96%) for colon cancer and 56% (confidence interval 41–74%) for rectal cancer. [1]