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What is the purpose of thin smear?
A thin blood smear is a drop of blood that is spread across a large area of the slide. Thin blood smears helps doctors discover what species of malaria is causing the infection.
What is the importance of making a thick and thin smear?
Thick and thin blood smears will let doctors know the percentage of red blood cells that are infected (parasite density) and what type of parasites are present. A thick blood smear is a drop of blood on a glass slide.
What is the purpose of a blood smear?
A blood smear is a type of blood test. It looks at the appearance, number, and shape of your red and white blood cells and platelets to see whether they are normal. A blood smear can also detect parasites in your blood. It is now more common to have blood analyzed by a computer.
Why must a smear be made thin to make it best for microscopic examination explain your reasoning?
In order to stain the bacterial specimen for microscopy one must first prepare the smear on the slide. The dye will not penetrate well, and there will be far too many bacterial cells to see individual shapes and arrangements. One needs to be careful about thick smears when taking the specimen from an agar medium.
How can I make my blood smear thicker?
Thick smears consist of a thick layer of dehemoglobinized (lysed) red blood cells (RBCs)….Thick smears
- Place a small drop of blood in the center of the pre-cleaned, labeled slide.
- Using the corner of another slide or an applicator stick, spread the drop in a circular pattern until it is the size of a dime (1.5 cm2).
Why is Dehemoglobinization important?
Thick smears consist of a thick layer of dehemoglobinized (lysed) red blood cells (RBCs). The blood elements (including parasites, if any) are more concentrated (app. 30×) than in an equal area of a thin smear. Thus, thick smears allow a more efficient detection of parasites (increased sensitivity).
Why do we make thin smear and not thick smear?
1. Thick blood smears are most useful for detecting the presence of parasites. Thin blood smears helps to discover which species of parasite is causing the infection.
Why must a smear be made thin to make it best for microscopic examination?
Do NOT make your smear suspensions too thick. The dye will not penetrate well, and there will be far too many bacterial cells to see individual shapes and arrangements.
How can I make my smear thicker?
Thick smears
- Place a small drop of blood in the center of the pre-cleaned, labeled slide.
- Using the corner of another slide or an applicator stick, spread the drop in a circular pattern until it is the size of a dime (1.5 cm2).
What do you need to know about thin smears?
Thin smears consist of blood spread in a layer such that the thickness decreases progressively toward the feathered edge. In the feathered edge, the cells should be in a monolayer, not touching one another. Prepare at least 2 smears per patient! A thin smear being prepared.
How do you make a thin blood smear?
Air-dry the smear for 20-30 minutes till its completely dry then apply the appropriate Romanowski stain. The Thin Blood smear is prepared by making a drop of well-mixed venous blood, 2mm in diameter at the center of a sterilized microscopic glass slide.
What makes a thick smear of proper density?
A thick smear of proper density is one which, if placed (wet) over newsprint, allows you to barely read the words. Lay the slides flat and allow the smears to dry thoroughly (protect from dust and insects!).
Which is more sensitive, a thick smear or a thin film?
4. Thick smears allow a more efficient detection of parasites (increased sensitivity 11 times than thin smear). Less sensitive than a thick film especially where there is a low parasitemia. 5. It is not fixed in methanol. It is fixed in methanol. 6. Thick smears are mainly used to detect infection and to estimate parasitemia.