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Fact or Artifact: clinically important parasites

 

Ratings

Overall Rating:

 4.7 stars
Content Quality: 4.5 stars
Effectiveness: 4.7 stars
Ease of Use: 5 stars
Reviewed: Sep 16, 2005 by Biology Editorial Board
Overview: This website was designed to assist clinical lab technicians, microbiologists,
parasitologists and others to be more accurate in identifying clinically
important parasites. The authors of the site state that: “The purpose of this
site is to teach microscopists morphological criteria required to differentiate
clinically important parasites from artifact material regularly seen in fecal
samples and specimens from other body sites.
Learning Goals: As stated in the introductions of the site, “The goal of this site is not to
replace practical training of staff in this specialized area. This site is a
supplementary source of reference material that is available to help advanced
and beginner microscopists minimize identification errors by being better able
to differentiate ‘facts from artifacts.’”
Target Student Population: The site is designed for those in the field of parasitology, microbiology and
clinical lab technology fields.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills: Knowledge of microbiology and parasitology are required to best utilize this
site.
Type of Material: Interactive lesson/tutorial.
Recommended Uses: This could also be use as a training site for those taking parasitology courses
in university courses.
Technical Requirements: An updated web browser is needed to make full use of the site.

Evaluation and Observation

Content Quality

Rating: 4.5 stars
Strengths: Well organized site with updated information of the insects on the site.
This is one of only a few resources available (hardcopy or web-based) that
provides photo-based resources in differentiating human parasites from
typical-type artifacts found in human fecal samples. Most diagnostic labs still
use fecal concentration methods to identify the presence of intestinal-dwelling
macroparasites, and differentiating the parasite transmittal stages from
potential artifacts is the most difficult part of that process. It is general
ignored in most parasitology teaching resources because the number of potential
artifacts are so large. This webpage is a great start at “filling this
information gap”.
Concerns: The concept of this webpage is extremely good, and the photos are quite
effective. One concern is that the website only contains a limited number of
human parasites (fortunately the more important ones) and a few examples of
artifacts. The hope is that the authors of this site will continue to add more
of both items to this resource. Measurements are expressed as mm which the author appears to use for micrometers, but I would suggest means millimeters. I would recommend the use of μm or um

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool
Rating: 4.7 stars
Strengths: This site has a high potential for use by teachers and students. The main
advantage of this website as a teaching tool is its content as explained above.
One major strength is the “comparisons” page where students are able to see the
photo of a parasite and the potential artifacts side-by-side. This feature
really facilitates the teaching value of the website.
Concerns: Unfortunately, the comparison feature appears to only be available for the
protozoans. In reality, molecular and immunological methods are replacing the
observation techniques historically used for diagnosing protozoan intestinal
parasites. For this reason, it would have been more useful if the authors had
started with the helminthes.

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty
Rating: 5 stars
Strengths: The site is easy to navigate and all links tried worked. The speed of the site
is excellent and the photos are of high quality. The website is extremely easy
and intuitive to use. All undergraduate students should be able to use the site
immediately with not training.
Concerns: None.
Other Issues and Comments: None
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