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Fecal Ova & Parasite Detection

AI-assisted screening tool that reduces technologist read time from 5 minutes to under 30 seconds.

Overview

Our Human Fecal Ova & Parasite (O&P) Detection solution is a revolutionary screening tool that is being developed to help medical technologists read fecal slides more efficiently and accurately using our AI-based algorithm, lab-optimized workflow, and LIS integration.
For Research Use Only in the U.S.
CE-IVDD marked in Europe

Our O&P solution will classify and count the following objects (for a full list see below):

Decoration Icon check Parasite cysts
Decoration Icon check Parasite trophozoites
Decoration Icon check Red blood cells
Decoration Icon check White blood cells
Decoration Icon check Yeast

Challenges & Solutions

Up to 95% of O&P cases are negative. Reading them requires skilled technologists that can be difficult to find and retain. It’s monotonous, and peering eight hours a day through a microscope can cause repetitive stress injuries.

Our solution helps technologists quickly eliminate negative samples using a computer monitor, allowing them to focus more on the positive cases.

How it works

4-step process:

Prepare slides

Lab tech preps slides using an Apacor Mini or Midi Parasep to concentrate the sample, then follow a standard Trichrome or Modified Acid Fast CDC staining protocol. Slides are then coverslipped for scanning.

Scan slides

Technicians load slides into the chosen scanner. Slides are then scanned and the resulting images are automatically uploaded to the Techcyte platform for AI analysis. Our Trichrome and modified acid fast (MAF) O&P fecal tests accept any good-quality 80x image from a compatible scanner (for a list of compatible scanners, see below). Our wet mount iodine solution is under development and will accept 40x images.

Process images

Our AI algorithm uses a convolutional neural network to identify differentiating features and determine which combinations indicate a certain ova, parasites, or other diagnostically significant objects. It then places them into the most likely classification for technologist review. This algorithm is deterministic, making the same classification every time it is shown the same image. The whole process takes just minutes.

Review results

A technologist logs into Techcyte on any web-enabled device and reviews available samples, confirming presence of objects of interest and, if required, their prevalence. They can also add notes or request an additional consult.

Positive samples are manually reviewed by a technologist who confirms the assessment on the microscope and confirms results in their LIS.

Cells & Organisms Identified

*These claims have not been examined by the FDA.

  • Blastocystis sp.
  • Giardia duodenalis
  • Combined D.frag, Ib, E.nana troph
    • Dientamoeba fragilis
    • Endolimax nana
    • Iodamoeba buetschlii
  • Entamoeba hartmanni
    • Entamoeba coli
    • Entamoeba polecki
    • Entamoeba histolytica-complex (4 other morphologically similar species)
  • Chilomastix mesnili
  • Cyclospora cayetanensis (advisory)
  • White Blood Cells
  • Red Blood Cells

  • Cryptosporidium sp. oocysts
  • Cyclospora cayetanensis oocysts

  • Entamoeba sp. 
  • Chilomastix mesnili 
  • Balantioides coli 
  • Endolimax Nana
  • Cystoisospora belli oocysts
  • Cryptosporidium Sp. Oocysts
  • Cyclospora cayetanensis oocysts
  • Blastocystis sp.
  • Giardia duodenalis cyst
  • Iodamoeba buetschlii cyst
  • Enterobius vermicularis egg 
  • Ascaris lumbricoides 
  • Trichuris trichiura egg
  • Capillaria philippinensis egg
  • Trichostrongylus sp.egg
  • Hookworm egg 
  • Strongyloides stercoralis larvae
  • Heterophyid trematode
  • Fasciola / Fasciolopsis spp. egg
  • Clonorchis / Opisthorchis spp. egg
  • Paragonimus spp. egg
  • Schistosoma 
  • Fish tapeworm egg 
  • Taenia spp. egg
  • Hymenolepis nana egg
  • Hymenolepis diminuta egg
  • Dipylidium caninum egg packet

Supported scanners

Trichrome

Hamamatsu S360

Hamamatsu S360

80x scanning, 40x 0.95 NA objective
3DHistech P250

3DHistech P250, P1000

80x scanning, 40x 0.75 NA objective

Modified Acid Fast (MAF)

3DHistech P250

3DHistech P250, P1000

80x scanning, 40x 0.75 NA objective

Wet Mount Iodine (under development)

Hamamatsu S360

Hamamatsu S360, S20

40x scanning, 20x 0.75 NA objective
Grundium Ocus 40

Grundium Ocus 40

40x scanning, 20x 0.75 NA objective

Features

  • State-of-the-art platform
  • AI-proposed images of parasites and objects of interest, grouped by class and sorted by confidence
  • 30-second read times
  • Sensitivity 98.9%, slide-level specificity 98.1%*
  • 5x more sensitive than manual examination*
  • No daily cycle of fatigue, distraction, or confirmation bias
  • Levels out sample and stain variations
  • Excels at low-prevalence samples
  • High volume, high reliability scanners produce 80x equivalent digital images

*These claims have not been examined by the FDA. These results are from a single study in a US based reference lab. 

Benefits

Decoration Icon check Improved accuracy, efficiency and consistency of reads
Decoration Icon check More time available for analyzing positive cases
Decoration Icon check Quick elimination of negative slides
Decoration Icon check Reduced technologist stress and fatigue
Decoration Icon check Increased contribution margin per test
Decoration Icon check Improved hiring, training, and retention of lab techs and technologists
Decoration Icon check Increased capacity for O&P testing

Partners

“This project was an unmitigated success.”

ARUP Medical Technician

“It allowed us to detect rare Giardia that would have been missed by our technologist.”

ARUP Medical Technician

“It’s way more fun! We don’t want to stop.”

ARUP Medical Technician

“Staff feels that it is changing their lives.”

ARUP Medical Technician
Has obtained the CE-IVD mark in Europe
For investigational use only and not for diagnostic use in the US.

Interested in learning what out O&P solution can do for your lab?

Schedule a Demo