Practical Guide to Diagnostic Parasitology

"Designed as a training aid and reference for laboratorians, this guide supplements standard clinical parasitology textbooks by focusing on practical information that has direct application to benchwork. It's loaded with "how-to" tips, based on the author's 30 years of hands-on experience working in clinical laboratories, to help readers perform accurate diagnostic tests and avoid common pitfalls." "The book features brief, accessible summaries of ordering and collection guidelines, diagnostic procedures, and artifact/organism morphology. Descriptions of parasites are accompanied by clear diagrammatic and photographic illustrations to facilitate identification. With its diagnostic algorithms, quick-reference tables, identification keys, answers to frequently asked questions, and extensive information on method selection and clinical relevance, this guide is indispensable for lab work." Microbiologists, physicians, medical technologists, public health personnel, teachers, and students can depend on the Practical Guide to Diagnostic Parasitology. It will help them understand the pros and cons and successfully perform each collection, testing, and reporting option as well as provide clear educational information to patients.

Doody Review Services

Reviewer:Valerie L. Ng, PhD MD(Alameda County Medical Center/Highland Hospital)
Description:This is the second edition of a book that delivers exactly what is promised in the title -- a practical guide to diagnostic parasitology.
Purpose:It is designed as a guide for the bench user. These most worthy objectives are admirably met by this edition.
Audience:This book would be very desirable for clinical laboratory scientists (CLS) or public health microbiologists in practice or in training. It also would be of interest to primary healthcare providers practicing in areas of the world where parasitic diseases are endemic and who may be responsible for treatment decisions (and maybe parasite identification too). Finally, it would be of interest to anyone in the healthcare professions interested in diagnostic parasitology. The author is acknowledged internationally as the expert in parasitology (she's commonly referred to as "the goddess" of diagnostic parasitology).
Features:This seemingly small book is chock full of important diagnostic parasitology information. It contains many new updates from the first edition that address major shifts in medical parasitology related to the ease of global travel, ensuing appearance of parasitic diseases in new geographic locations, ever decreasing lack of trained diagnostic parasitologists (and hence the need for books like this), and shifts in diagnostic testing trends (i.e., from microscopic diagnosis to antigen detection, serology, etc.). There are three truly notable sections. One is section 6, on commonly asked questions about diagnostic parasitology. This outstanding section has the answers to all those pesky questions you get asked and have to research for an answer. (It actually reads like the ClinMicroNet listserve!). Another is section 7 on parasite identification, which is the bread-and-butter of this book -- pictures and all the relevant information you could ever want about any parasite. Finally, what I liked the best (because I can't find it anywhere else) are the final three photomicrograph plates at the very end of the book depicting artifacts and things that look like parasites but aren't. These are the pictures I will refer to the most. Every other section is equally superb. For example, there is a section on specimens, processing, and fixatives -- everything you could ever want to know about what specimen to submit, how best to handle or process it, which stain to use, etc., to make an accurate diagnosis. My only (and very minor) gripe is that the photomicrographs are in black and white. It would have been lovely to have them in color.
Assessment:This is THE book on diagnostic parasitology. Get it.

Garcia, Lynne S. (UCLA)